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Kannada ಕನ್ನಡ
Type	Abugida
Languages	Kannada, Konkani, Tulu, Banada
Time period	c. 230BCE–present
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brāhmī Kadamba Kannada ಕನ್ನಡ
Sister systems	Telugu Sinhala Peguan
ISO 15924	Knda, 345
Direction	Left-to-right
Unicode alias	Kannada
Unicode range	U+0C80–U+0CFF
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols.

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

The Kannada script (Kannada: ಕನ್ನಡ ಲಿಪಿ) is an alphasyllabary (sometimes called an abugida) of the Brahmic family,^[1] used primarily to write the Kannada language, one of the Dravidian languages of southern India and also Sanskrit in the past. The Telugu script is derived from Old Kannada, and resembles Kannada script. Kannada script evolved primarily from stone carving, hence most of the characters are round, curvy and symmetric with straight strokes/wedges. The Kannada script is second only to the Devanagari script in the number of languages using it in the Indian subcontinent. This script is also used to write the Telugu language (script derived form Old Kannada | Halegannada), Tulu Language, Banada Language, Konkani by the Konkani diaspora in coastal Karnataka.^[2] Similarly, Goykanadi, a variant of Halekannada and Kadamba lipi has been historically used to write Konkani in the state of Goa.^[3]

History[link]

Kannada (Kanarese or Canarese) script is derived from the Old Kannada script.^[4] Old Kannada script^[5] which evolved around 10th century, is the continuation of the Kadamba script which in turn came during 4th century CE.

The Kadamba script is said to have evolved from the Proto-Kannada script (during 4th century CE).^[6] The Kadamba script is also known as Pre-Old-Kannada script. The Proto-Kannada evolved from the ancient Brahmi script around 3rd century BCE.

Evolution[link]

Halmidi Inscription Replica

Over the centuries some changes have been made to the Kannada script. These changes consist of:

1. Modification of existing glyphs: In the early Kannada [Telugu-Kannada] script, no orthographic distinction was made between the short mid [e, o] ಎ, ಒ and long mid [eː, oː] ಏ, ಓ. However, distinct signs were employed to denote the special consonants viz. the trill [r] ಱ the retroflex lateral [ɭ] ಳ and the retroflex palatal [ɺ] ೞ found only in South Indian languages, by 5th century.
2. Introduction of new characters: Kannada script includes characters like [ç] ಶ, [ʂ] ಷ, [rɨ] ಋ, [rɨː] ೠ, [lɨ] ఌ, [lɨː] ౡ, [eʲ] ಐ, [oʷ] ಔ, [am] ಅಂ, [ah] ಅಃ, and mahāprāṇa characters like [kʰ] ಖ, [ɡʱ] ಘ, [tʃʰ] ಛ, [dʒʱ] ಝ, [t̪ʰ] ಥ, [d̪ʱ] ಧ, [ʈʰ] ಠ, [ɖʱ] ಢ, [pʰ] ಫ, [bʱ] ಭ. The introduction was done so that Sanskrit and also loanwords into the Kannada language from the donor language Sanskrit) could be written using the Kannada script.

These changes have facilitated the use of the Kannada script for writing many of the literary Indic languages, including Sanskrit.

General[link]

Kannada script has forty-nine characters in its alphasyllabary and is phonemic. The Kannada character set is almost identical to that of other Indian languages. The number of written symbols, however, is far more than the 49 characters in the alphasyllabary, because different characters can be combined to form compound characters (ottaksharas). Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English. The Kannada writing system is an abugida, with consonants appearing with an inherent vowel.

The characters are classified into three categories: swaras (vowels), vyanjanas (consonants) and Yogavaahakas (part vowel, part consonants).

The name given for a pure, true letter is akshara, akkara or varna. Each letter has its own form (ākāra) and sound (shabda); providing the visible and audible representations, respectively. Kannada is written from left to right.^[7] Kannada alphabet (aksharamale or varnamale) now consists of 49 letters.^[8]

Each sound has its own distinct letter, and therefore every word is pronounced exactly as it is spelt; so the ear is a sufficient guide. After the exact sounds of the letters have been once gained, every word can be pronounced with perfect accuracy. The accent falls on the first syllable.^[7]

Vowels[link]

There are thirteen vowels (swaras).

Brahmi script, Kanheri Caves

A Bilingual sign board in Kannada script

Yogavaahaka's[link]

The Yogavaahaka's (part-vowel, part consonant) include two letters:

1. The anusvara: ಂ (am)
2. The visarga: ಃ (ah)

Consonants[link]

Two types of consonants are identified in Kannada: the structured consonants and the unstructured consonants. The structured consonants are classified according to where the tongue touches the palate of the mouth and are classified accordingly into five structured groups.

Structured consonants[link]

These consonants are shown here with the IAST symbols and the unicode name following.

See place of articulation for more information on tongue positions.

Unstructured consonants[link]

The unstructured consonants are consonants that do not fall into any of the above structures:

ಯ (ya), ರ (ra), ಱ (ṟ) (obsolete), ಲ (la), ವ (va), ಶ (IAST śa, Unicode sha), ಷ (IAST ṣa, Unicode ssa), ಸ (sa), ಹ (ha), ಳ (IAST ḷa, Unicode lla), ೞ (ll) (obsolete).

Numerals[link]

The decimal numerals in the script are:

೦ (0), ೧ (1), ೨ (2), ೩ (3), ೪ (4), ೫ (5), ೬ (6), ೭ (7), ೮ (8), ೯ (9).

Kagunita[link]

Written Kannada is composed of kagunita, corresponding to syllables. The signs for consonants may combine with the signs for vowels to form ligatures. Each kagunita corresponds to a syllable. In the table below the top row lists the vowels, and the leftmost column from row 2 down the consonants (actually represented by kagunita, namely that obtained by combining each consonant with the "neutral" vowel 'a'). The remaining cells contain the corresponding kagunita obtained by combining the consonant of that row with the vowel of that column.

Formation example:

Script similarities[link]

Telugu script is closely related to the Kannada script.

Scripts which are close to Kannada script other than Telugu script are Sinhala script^[9] (which included some elements from the Kadamba script^[10]), and old Peguan script (used in Burma).^[11]

Old-Kannada Text from Kavirajamarga:

See also[link]

• Kannada
• Telugu script
• Tamil script
• Malayalam script
• Grantha script
• Kannada grammar
• Kannada literature
• Kannada poetry
• Karnataka
• Kannada script evolution
• Timeline of Karnataka
• ಠ_ಠ

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Unicode Book: Chapter 9PDF (634 KB) — South and Southeast Asian Scripts
• The Unicode Standard 5.0 — Kannada Code Chart PDF (111 KB)
• Kannada alphabet — From Omniglot
• Kannada lessons, alphabet worksheet — Kannada library

Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan at NDTV Greenathon in Yash Raj Studios, 2012
Born	Aamir Hussain Khan (1965-03-14) 14 March 1965 (age 47) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actor, producer, director and writer
Years active	1973–1974, 1984, 1988–2001, 2005–present
Spouse	Reena Dutta (1986–2002) Kiran Rao (2005–present)
Children	3
Website
http://www.aamirkhan.com/

Aamir Hussain Khan (pronounced [ˈaːmɪr ˈxaːn]) (born 14 March 1965) is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[1][2][3]

Starting his career as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Khan began his professional career eleven years later with Holi (1984) and had his first commercial success with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He received his first National Film Award as a Special Jury Award for his roles in the films Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Raakh (1989).^[4] After eight previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, Khan received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the major grosser Raja Hindustani (1996)^[5][6] and later earned his second Best Actor award for his performance in the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan, which also marked the debut of his own production company.

Following a four-year break from acting, Khan made his comeback playing the title role in the historical Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005), and later won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role in Rang De Basanti (2006). The following year, he made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par, for which he received a Filmfare Award for Best Director. This was followed by Ghajini (2008), which became the highest grossing film of that year, and 3 Idiots (2009), which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time, unadjusted for inflation.^[7] The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010 for his contributions towards the arts.^[8][9][10]

On 30 November 2011, Khan was appointed as national brand ambassador of UNICEF to promote child nutrition.^[11]

Early life[link]

Khan was born in Bandra's Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, India, to a Muslim^[12] family that has been actively involved in the Indian motion picture industry for several decades. His father, Tahir Hussain, was a film producer while his uncle, Nasir Hussain, was a film producer as well as a director and an actor. His family on his father´s side are originally from Herat, Afghanistan.^[13]

He is a descendant of the scholar and politician Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and a second cousin to former deputy chairperson and current member of Rajya Sabha Dr. Najma Heptulla.

Career[link]

Actor[link]

Khan began his film career at the age of 8, as a child actor in a home production, made by Nasir Hussain, titled Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)^[14] and Madhosh (1974). Eleven years later, he made his adult acting debut in a role that went quite unnoticed in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984).

Khan's first notable leading role came in 1988 in the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak which was directed by his cousin and Nasir Hussain's son Mansoor Khan. This film was a breakthrough commercial success, effectively launching Khan's career as a leading actor. Having the typical 'chocolate hero' looks, he was publicised as a teen idol. He also starred in critically acclaimed film Raakh, for which Khan got his first National Award for Special Jury Award. After that, he went on to appear in several other films in the late '80s and early '90s: Dil (1990), which became the highest grossing film of the year,^[15] Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) (for which he also wrote the screenplay), and Rangeela (1995). Most of these films were successful critically and commercially.^[16][17][18] Other successes include Andaz Apna Apna, co-starring Salman Khan. At the time of its release the movie was reviewed unfavorably by critics, but over the years has gained a cult status.^[19]

Khan at 2011 Berlin Film Festival

Khan continued to act in just one or two films a year, an unusual trait for a mainstream Hindi cinema actor. His only release in 1996 was the Dharmesh Darshan directed commercial blockbuster Raja Hindustani in which he was paired opposite Karisma Kapoor. The film earned him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award, after seven previous nominations, and went on to become the biggest hit of the year, as well as the third highest grossing Indian film of the 1990s.^[20] Khan's career had seemed to hit a plateau at this point of time, and most of the films to follow for the next few years were only partially successful. In 1997, he co-starred alongside Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Juhi Chawla in Ishq, which performed well at the box office. The following year, Khan appeared in the moderately successful Ghulam, for which he also did playback singing.^[21] John Mathew Matthan's Sarfarosh (1999), Khan's first release in 1999, was also moderately successful, gaining an above average box office verdict.^[22] The film was highly appreciated amongst the critics and Khan's role as a dedicated, honest and uncorrupted cop engaged in fighting border terrorism, was well received, as was his role in Deepa Mehta's art house film Earth. His first release for the new millennium, Mela, in which he acted alongside his real-life brother Faisal Khan, was both a box-office and critical bomb.^[23]

In 2001 he appeared in Lagaan. The film was a major critical and commercial success,^[24] and received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards. Additionally, the film gathered critical acclaim at several international film festivals, in addition to winning numerous Indian awards, including the National Film Awards. Khan himself won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film continues to be one of the most popular Hindi films in the west.^{[citation needed]}

The success of Lagaan was followed by Dil Chahta Hai later that year, in which Khan co-starred with Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan, with Preity Zinta playing his love interest. The film was written and directed by the then newcomer Farhan Akhtar. According to critics, the film broke new grounds by showing Indian urban youth as they really are today. The characters depicted were modern, suave and cosmopolitan. The film did moderately well and was a success mostly in urban cities.^[24]

Khan then took a four year break citing personal problems, and returned in 2005 with Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey: The Rising playing the title role of a real-life sepoy and a martyr who helped spark the Indian Rebellion of 1857 or the 'First War of Indian Independence'.^{[citation needed]}

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's award-winning Rang De Basanti was Khan's first release in 2006. His role was critically acclaimed,^[25] earning him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and various nominations for Best Actor. The film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year,^[26] and was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars. Although the film was not shortlisted as a nominee for the Oscar, it received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the BAFTA Awards in England. Khan's work in his next movie, Fanaa (2006) co-starred with Kajol was also appreciated,^[27] and the film went on to become one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2006.^[26]

His 2007 film, Taare Zameen Par was also produced by him and marked his directorial debut. The film, which was the second offering from Aamir Khan Productions, starred Khan in a supporting role as a teacher who befriends and helps a dyslexic child. It opened to excellent responses from critics and audiences alike. Khan's performance was well-received, although he was particularly applauded for his directing.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Khan appeared in the movie Ghajini. The film was a major commercial success^[28] and became the highest grossing Bollywood movie of that year. For his performance in the film, Khan received several Best Actor nominations at various award ceremonies as well as his fifteenth Filmfare Best Actor nomination.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Khan appeared in the commercially and critically acclaimed film 3 Idiots as Ranchodas Chanchad which became Bollywood's highest grossing film^[7] and won multiple Filmfare Awards including Best Picture.^[29] Around August, 2011, Khan started talks with Siddhartha Basu's BIG Synergy, to host a talk show, similar to the Oprah Winfrey show.^[30] On May 6, 2012, the highly anticipated show Satyamev Jayate debuted in English and all major Indian languages and received both popular and critical praise for its dicussions on various social issues like female foeticide, child sexual abuse and dowry plaguing Indian society.

Aamir is being paid Rs. 3 crore rupees per episode as to host the Satyamev Jayate and it makes him the highest paid host in Indian television industry. ^[31] This show has already received the highest TRP and dubbed as one of biggest hits on the Indian television after Ramayan.

Producer[link]

Khan at a promotional event for Taare Zameen Par

In 2001 Khan set up a production company known as Aamir Khan Productions. Its first film was Lagaan. The movie was released in 2001, starring Khan as the lead actor. The film was selected as India's official entry to the 74th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It was eventually chosen and nominated in that category but lost to No Man's Land. The film won numerous awards at several Indian award functions such as Filmfare and IIFA, and won the National Film Award for Most Popular Film, an award shared between Khan and the film's director, Ashutosh Gowariker.^[32] Khan later commented on the loss of Lagaan at the Oscars: "Certainly we were disappointed. But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us".

In 2007 he produced the drama Taare Zameen Par which marked his directorial debut. Khan also played a supporting role in the film, sharing the screen with the debut of child actor Darsheel Safary. The film was initially conceived of and developed by the husband and wife team, Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia. It was a story of a young child who suffers in school until a teacher identifies him as dyslexic. The movie was critically acclaimed,^[33] as well as a box office success. Taare Zameen Par won the 2008 Filmfare Best Movie Award as well as a number of other Filmfare and Star Screen Awards. Khan's work won him two awards at the Filmfare, the Best Movie and the Best Director awards, which established his status as a competent filmmaker in Bollywood.

In 2008, Khan launched his nephew Imran Khan's debut in the film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na under his production house. The film was a big hit in India, and eventually earned Khan another nomination for Best Movie at the Filmfare.^[34]

In 2011, Khan released his home production Dhobi Ghat.^[35] which was directed by his wife Kiran Rao.

Television[link]

Khan made his television debut with his social issue based talk show Satyamev Jayte which started airing on 6 May 2012. The show will went live simultaneously on Star Plus, Star World and national broadcaster Doordarshan on the 11 A.M. Sunday slot in eight languages, being the first ever show to do so in India.^[36] The show opened to highly positive reviews and feedback from various eminent personalities such as social activists, media houses, doctors, film and television personalities, and Khan was praised for his effort, describing the show as a movement.^[37] In her review, Ritu Singh of IBN Live stated that, "Aamir Khan deserves an applause for bringing up such a sensitive issue and presenting it in a hard hitting way. The amount of research Aamir and his team has put into the show was clearly visible with the facts and figures presented. Every aspect of the issue was covered with great diligence."^[38] Parmita Uniyal from Hindustan Times praised the content and Khan for "step[ing] in to do what journalists are supposed to do – make a difference. The show is a classic example of that."^[39] 84 million people watched the show, making it, to date, the highest rated show on Indian television.^[40]

Humanitarian and political causes[link]

In April 2006, Aamir participated in the demonstrations put up by the Narmada Bachao Andolan committee with their leader Medha Patkar after the Gujrat government's decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam. He quoted to support adivasis, who might got displaced from their homes.^[41] Later he faced protests and a partial ban on his film Fanaa but the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh supported him by saying Everyone has the freedom of expression. If someone says something on a particular subject, that doesn't mean you should start protesting.^[42] Aamir also lended his support to Janlokpal Bill Movement led by Anna Hazare in August 2011.^[43]

He has been supporting common causes and in the same row when asked about views on entertainment tax in 2012 budget Aamir said, I don't want any reduction in that, all I expect is focus on education and nutrition.^[44] He quitted GOI's copyrights panels in February 2010 after facing sharp differences with other members.^[45] He journeyed to diverse parts of India, mostly to small towns during promotion of 3 Idiots saying film makers from Mumbai don’t understand small town India,^[46] which was an connecting to India experience, which is extended in his debut TV show Satyamev Jayate.

Personal life[link]

Khan married Reena Dutta, who had a small part in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, on 18 April 1986. They have two children, a son named Junaid and a daughter, Ira. Reena was involved briefly in Khan's career when she worked as a producer for Lagaan. In December 2002, Khan filed for divorce, ending the 15-year marriage. Reena took custody of both children.^[47] On 28 December 2005, Khan married Kiran Rao who had been an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker during the filming of Lagaan.^[48] Khan is a follower of spiritual leader J. P. Vaswani.^[49]

Though nominated many times, Khan does not attend any Indian film award ceremony as he feels "Indian film awards lack credibility".^[50] In 2007, Khan was invited to have a wax imitation of himself put on display at Madame Tussauds in London.^[51] However, Khan declined stating that, "It's not important to me... people will see my films if they want to. Also, I cannot deal with so many things, I have bandwidth only for that much."^[52] But he finally gave a nod to attend the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards, to be presented on 3 May 2012.^[53] But, Aamir Khan, who was supposed to attend the awards ceremony, gave it a last-minute miss.^[54]

In 2007, Khan lost a custody battle for his younger brother Faisal to their father, Tahir Hussain.^[55] His father passed away on 2 February 2010.^[56]

In a 2009 interview, Khan states that he tends to take an independent approach to the world of filmmaking, noting that he does not "do different things; I try to do it in a different manner. I think every person should follow his/her dream and try and make it possible to create an ability to achieve it backed by its practicality." He has also indicated that he is more interested in the process of filmmaking than in the end result: "For me, the process is more important, more joyful. I would like to have my entire concentration on the process right from the first step."

On 5 December 2011, Khan and his wife Kiran Rao announced the birth of their son, Azad Rao Khan,^[57] through a surrogate mother.^[58]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]