Last month, Anubha Upadhya M launched 'Kannada Kali', an art series on her Instagram page @artbyahbuna. "I recently started learning Japanese on the Duolingo app, and that made me wonder if I could replicate the same approach for Kannada," says the UI-UX designer.
While she has been using art to break down Kannada words for quite some time, her new series specifically spotlights everyday words and pairs them with relatable references.
Kannada theatre in transition: Tradition meets modern stage realitiesEach lesson is a 20-second video. The artist introduces the word before creating a digital art piece that explains how to use it in a sentence. "I have set a syllabus for these lessons, and it takes me 15 to 20 minutes to make a freehand drawing on Adobe Fresco," she shares.
With 11 lessons posted so far, the series has covered words like 'neenu' (you), 'naanu' (I), 'beku' (want), and 'kodi' (give). Her favourite video demonstrates the use of the word 'thinni' (eat), and features the iconic Vidyarthi Bhavan dosa. In her latest lesson, she illustrates the word 'elli' (where), with a fun take on the viral meme 'Nikhil elli idiyappa?' (Nikhil, where are you?)
When asked about why she picked art as a medium to offer Kannada lessons, Anubha points to the proverb 'A picture is worth a thousand words' and says that a visual approach is often more effective.
"A Maharashtrian friend once told me that she remembers the word 'ili' (mouse) from the picture of a mouse I drew back in 2020," she shares. The artist plans to continue illustrating simple words, and if the videos gain traction, she will eventually move to sentences and proverbs.