Abbakka Bhavana still a mirage

The long-pending demand for Abbakka Bhavana has not materialised even after three years of laying the foundation stone behind the Thokkottu bus stand.

Termed as the first woman freedom fighter of the region, Abbakka was a 16th century queen of Ullal who fought against the Portuguese. It was planned to construct a three-storey building in memory of the queen, to restore the legacy of Abbakka through various activities.

The foundation stone for the Bhavana was laid on June 21, 2014, by District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai and Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader, who is also the legislator of Mangaluru constituency (formerly Ullal), where Abbakka had ruled.

Although every year, the state government has been sanctioning amounts to organise Abbakka Utsava, no efforts have been made to initiate the work on the Bhavana.

It was D V Sadananda Gowda who, as chief minister, announced construction of an Abbakka Bhavana during the Abbakka Utsava and earmarked funds for the same in the budget. Accordingly, a sum of Rs 2 crore was released. During the foundation stone-laying programme for the Bhavana, the amount was revised to Rs 5 crore and now it has reached Rs 8 crore. As per the initial plan, it was proposed to have basement of the complex earmarked for parking spaces and dining space over a space of 22,000 square feet, while the sloping auditorium on the ground floor can accommodate up to 1,000 people. An attached Gadi Bhavan – for Kannada cultural activities in border areas – was estimated to cost Rs 1 crore was also planned.

Rani Abbakka Utsav Committee members have been stating that there was no space in Ullal to conduct cultural activities. Moreover, they wanted the name of Abbakka to continue in
the areas where she had ruled.

Once completed, the Bhavan will hold the annual Rani Abbakka Utsav, a cultural and literary meet organised every year in memory of Abbakka.

The concept of Abbakka Utsava was mooted in 1997 by Prof B A Viveka Rai, the first president of Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy. A meeting of then MLA B A Iddinabba was convened to chalk out the Utsava. Accordingly, a committee was formed and Rani Abbakka Utsava was organised on November 8 and 9 in 1997 at Bharath High School grounds in Ullal Mastikatte. The Utsav was also organised in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010 with the help of donors.

It was only later that the government started sanctioning fund for observing Abbakka Utsava.

DH News Service