The 86th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana (All-India Kannada literary meet) is scheduled to be held at Haveri from November 11 to 13 and will be chaired by poet Doddarange Gowda.
A descendent of Ferdinand Kittel (1832-1903), the much-respected lexicographer of Kannada, who lives in Germany, and Chandra Arya, Canadian MP, from Karnataka, who spoke in Kannada in Parliament, have been invited to participate in the conference.
The organisers are trying to make this a “dust-free and plastic-free” event.
Two-year break
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the 86th sammelana was not held for the last two years, though the place and the person to chair it had been announced by the Kannada Sahitya Parishath (KSP).
KSP president Mahesh Joshi told The Hindu that the event will be inaugurated on November 11, which also happens to be Kanakadasa Jayanti. November 12 is second Saturday and November 13 is Sunday, which will make it convenient for people to participate, he said.
“Extensive discussions will be held in the conference on many issues, including the issue of closure of Kannada schools,’’ he explained. Speaking on the draft of the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill, 2022, he emphasised the need to speed up its implementation.
86 books
“We are publishing 86 Kannada books through KSP and 37 books are related to Haveri district’s art, literature, and culture. In addition of this, we will honour and felicitate 86 people who have worked for the development of Kannada and Karnataka,’’ he said.
“We have already formed overseas units and we will try to involve them in this conference,” Mr. Joshi revealed.
Hindi in Culture Dept. website
Reacting to the official website of the Kannada and Culture Department using Hindi while publicising ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ and Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav, Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Mahesh Joshi said it was “shameful.” The parishat, he said, would be writing to the Minister concerned in this regard. The Leader of the Opposition had condemned the use of Hindi in the website in a series of tweets on Friday, following which the department had removed the material.
