Karnataka: KDA Chief refutes Kamal Haasan's remark, says Tamil not the mother of Kannada

In response to recent remarks made by actor Kamal Haasan on the origin of the Kannada language, Dr. Purushottam Bilimale, Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA), clarified that Kannada and Tamil are sister languages, not one derived from the other.

Also read: Karnataka unites against Kamal Haasan’s controversial Kannada remark

Dr. Bilimale stated that both languages emerged from the Dravidian language family and evolved independently over centuries. "Tamil is not the mother of Kannada. Both languages were born from the same linguistic roots when the Dravidian people migrated and settled in different regions," he said.

Reacting strongly to Haasan’s comments, Dr. Bilimale urged the actor to visit the Tamil research archives in Chennai to better understand the historical development of Dravidian languages. “It is important to speak with knowledge. Kamal Haasan lacks understanding of linguistic history,” he added.

Supporting the KDA chief's views, noted scholar Dr. Balanna Sheegihalli from Dharwad also condemned Haasan’s statement, calling it historically inaccurate and misleading. He emphasized that Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam all evolved independently from Proto-Dravidian, and any claim of one being the progenitor of another is factually incorrect.

The remarks have sparked renewed public interest in the rich and complex history of South Indian languages, with calls for more awareness about linguistic evolution in the region.