The 84th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, which is scheduled to be held in Dharwad — the land of literary luminaries and Hindustani musicians — from January 4 to 6, 2019 will primarily see discussions on issues pertaining to land,water, language, and culture.
Dharwad is hosting the literary festival after a gap of over 60 years. The last time the sammelan was held there was in 1957, the year of unification of Kannada-speaking regions, and there have been no major changes in the issues plaguing the region in the past six decades. The recent decision of the State government to introduce English as medium of instruction in 1,000 government schools from 2019-20 has become a cause for concern among littérateurs and educationalists. Jnanpith recipient and writer Chandrashekar Kambar has hinted at raising the issue if the government failed to amend its stand by the time of the sammelan.
According to the schedule of events released in Dharwad on Monday, there will be special sessions on challenges to the development of north Karnataka, survival of Kannada schools, problems of areas bordering Karnataka, burning issues of irrigation, dubbing of films into Kannada, the agrarian crisis in the State, new outlooks of the history of Karnataka, and challenges before the culture of intolerance and radical thinking.
The sammelan will be held on the sprawling campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. While the main venue is named after Pampa, the Adi Kavi (first poet) of Kannada, the central podium has been named as Ambikatanayadatta platform, after the pen name of Jnanpith recipient and writer D.R. Bendre. The entrances to the venue are named after writers representing Dharwad region — Deputy Channabasappa, Alur Venkata Rao, V.K. Gokak, and Betageri Krishna Sharma.
Sessions will be held on two parallel platforms named after Sham Ba Joshi and D.C. Pawate. Poet Chennaveera Kanavi released the schedule of events.
Throwback to 1957
Noted writers Chennaveera Kanavi and Siddalinga Pattanshetti on Monday became nostalgic about the 39th All-India Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, which was held here in 1957.
Recalling that event, Mr. Pattanshetti said it bore historical significance as it was the first such event after the formation of the unified linguistic province of Karnataka. Moreover, legendary Kannada poet K.V. Puttappa (Kuvempu) had presided over that sammelan. Mr. Kuvempu actively took part in the festival on all three days.
Mr. Kanavi said that Kuvempu had delivered his presidential address on ‘cultural Karnataka’, a most relevant topic at the time. What is more, among the participants that year was Kayyara Kinhanna Rai from the border area of Kasaragod.