Kannada learning classes for Malayalam speakers to be launched

Bengaluru: The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) will officially launch a Kannada learning programme for Malayalam speakers in Bengaluru on Thursday.

UT Khader, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, will inaugurate the programme at Vikasa Soudha, joined by Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi and KDA Chairman Prof Purushottama Bilimale.

This initiative is part of the KDA’s broader plan to set up 20 Kannada learning centres across the city to teach the language to non-native speakers.

The inaugural classes will include members of the Malayalam Mission, Government of Kerala, who were the first to request Kannada instruction for the Malayalam-speaking community in Bengaluru.

Prof Bilimale had earlier told DH that the classes will run for three months, held three times a week from 6 pm to 7 pm to accommodate working professionals.

Tomy J Alunkal, convenor of the Malayalam Mission and the Kannada learning classes, stated that regular sessions are expected to begin in the second week of August. He added that a detailed class schedule will be finalised after the inauguration.