Students object to 'Shivalinga' grass art at Karnatak University

HUBBALLI: Grass art in the shape of Shivalinga, Nandi and a snake at Karnatak University in Dharwad are making many heads turn. A section of students are trying to voice out against the religious signs being carved out of grass in the garden. They are now demanding signs of other religions too if the university plans to keep it. The art pieces have come up in the garden area in front of the main administrative building of the KUD. The students, who are opposing it, said that the KUD is an educational institution and there is no scope for displaying religious symbols in the campus.

“There was a hue and cry recently when people wanted to construct a temple inside Bengaluru University. It’s good to keep the varsities free from religious issues. The students are asking why the grass cutting is done to show religious symbols belonging to one particular community.

If the KUD wants to go ahead with the project they should ensure symbols of all the communities as the students who study here come from all walks of life and belong to different religions,” said a senior student from the KUD. The work was taken up a few weeks ago.

An official from the administration of Karnatak University in Dharwad said that the students who are opposing it are seeing religion in everything. “One of the main lines at the entrance of the university states that one must bow before entering the temple of knowledge. Now you can interpret it in another way as well. Hence I request the students not to indulge in such acts of opposing everything. In fact, there were no orders given to the gardening staff to make shapes of religious symbols. The work is done by the gardening team,” the official said.