Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and President Droupadi Murmu on Monday shared a light-hearted exchange. During Murmu's visit to Mysuru, the Congress chief asked the President, "Do you know Kannada?"
The President, smiling, acknowledged that she did not but pledged that she would learn the language.
She said she would make efforts to learn Kannada, emphasising that she holds deep respect for every language, culture, and tradition in the country, PTI reported.
Speaking at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) here, Murmu responded to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had addressed the gathering in Kannada and asked the dignitaries seated on the dais if they understood the language.
"I would like to tell the honourable chief minister that although Kannada is not my mother tongue, I deeply cherish all the languages, cultures, and traditions of my country. I hold great respect and regard for each of them," she said, PTI reported.
Murmu urged everyone to work towards keeping their languages alive and preserving their traditions and culture.
"I wish that everyone continues to keep their language alive, preserves their traditions and culture, and moves forward in that direction. I extend my best wishes for this. And I will certainly make an effort to learn Kannada, little by little," she added with a smile.
Earlier in the day, Murmu was warmly welcomed at Mysuru airport by the state’s Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
This comes months after the Karnataka Chief Minister said, "everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada". "We are all Kannadigas. People speaking different languages have settled in here (and) everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada," Siddaramaiah had said.
This sparked protests by opposition parties and leaders. In his earlier tenure too. Siddaramaiah had pushed for wider use of the Kannada language.
(With inputs from PTI)
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