Will mull over offering on-site registration for sahitya sammelana, says Mahesh Joshi

Haveri: Following criticism from certain quarters of the literary community on its decision to restrict registration for delegates at the 86th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana online, president of Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) Mahesh Joshi on Tuesday said that suggestions from members of the executive committee to provide potential delegates the chance to register at the venue would be considered. Joshi, interacting with representatives of the media in Haveri, however, pointed out that the response to the parishat’s app had been overwhelmingly positive.
Stating that the app allowed for a hassle-free registration process, Joshi added, “But for those in the remote areas of the state where internet connection is not very reliable, we want to offer the chance to register offline. December 18 is the last date for delegates to register for the sammelana, for which we have restricted attendance to 20,000. We will consider increasing the capacity based on the extent to which we can offer accommodation.”
The KSP chief expressed disappointment with people needlessly levelling allegations at the parishat, and for questioning all of its decisions on the sammelana. Charging the naysayers with needlessly stirring up confusion, Joshi said that decisions on app-based registration for delegates, hike in fee for delegates, and mandating all delegates to be members of the parishat were taken collectively by the executive committee, and not one individual. “Our critics must learn that we are always open to constructive suggestions, but will not suffer nonsense,” he added.
Joshi affirmed that all officebearers of the parishat were working tirelessly to ensure the success of the sammelana in Haveri. He said that the district administration and the state government had extended unstinting support to the endeavour. The KSP chief added that the fete would offer a platform to several new faces in the literary domain.