JOIN US'Saaligudi': an expressive kind of ‘temple run’ of literature
In the Karnataka countryside, people still call schools ‘Saaligudi’, transliterated as school temple. This nomenclature aligns with the ancient Indian way of education, where a place of learning was always considered sacred.
Keeping this sanctity in mind, a bilingual magazine, also named Saaligudi, has been launched at Kiresur village in Hubballi Rural taluk.
What is most notable about this magazine—the first of its kind in the district—is that it is full of writings by nine school students from the Government High School at Kiresur. The first issue of Shaaligudi is the brainchild of the school’s English teacher Lingaraja Ramapur (also the editor); it contains two school function reports (written in Kannada), five Kannada poems and two English poems. The maiden issue also includes a school photo album, an editorial by Ramapur, and a few news clippings about the school.
According to Ramapur, the idea behind the magazine is to promote writing and reading habits among the children, and to make them interested in literature. In the initial stage, the magazine would have four pages.
The magazine, which will be brought out once in two months, is also being distributed free of cost to students in other schools in the nearby area. The magazine’s editorial board has planned to bring out 15 issues in three years with the help of local donors; after that, they want the school alumni to take up the responsibility for the magazine.
Local support
In addition to the support by (SDMC) School Development and Monitoring Committee) and Gram Panchayat, local donors have sponsored the magazine. The first issue has been sponsored by Kiresur Gram Panchayat president B K Patil.
“For the first issue, children were asked to write during their vacation. With motivation, their number would increase, and more pages can be added. This is the first such initiative of bringing printed magazine for school children in the district,” said Ramapur. He also said that 1,000 copies of the magazine will be printed and distributed to schools free of cost.
According to Ramapur, the current plan is to ask only the Kiresur school children to contribute for the first five issues, and then to ask for contributions from students of other schools in the cluster and the taluk.