Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at a function organised by the Arebashe Samskruthika Mathu Sahitya Academy and Kannada and Culture Department in Bengaluru on November 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that if Kannada was the basis for the State’s identity, it were the dialects that had enriched the language.
“There are 230 dialects in Karnataka and all of them owe their birth to Kannada. The academy should work towards protecting these dialects,” the Chief Minister said after conferring awards during a function organised by the Arebashe Samskruthika Mathu Sahitya Academy and Kannada and Culture Department. “The culture of those who speak Arebashe is different. It is an amalgamation of Kannada, Tulu, and Konkani. These were the people who migrated from Sakleshpur area to neighbouring Sullia during drought years, and they are called Arebashe Gowdas,” he said.
The Chief Minister also promised land in Madikeri and ₹50 lakh to Nadagowda community in Bhagamandala in Kodagu district.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the population of Arebashe Gowdas was about four lakh, and the community required a matured leadership that could take the community to greater heights. “Leadership is not restricted to political field alone. You need courage. People speaking Arebashe have excelled in fields of education, literature, employment and music among others.”
He also said that the Assembly session witnesses union of Kannada with 224 legislators coming from different parts of the State where Kannada is spoken differently.
“Of more than 7,000 languages in the world, about 2,845 languages have vanished. Ensure that Arebashe does not vanish,” he added.
Published – November 30, 2025 09:33 pm IST
