3 yrs after the tag, Classical Kannada Centre opens today

It will undertake research, documentation of the language

The Centre, set up at the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), will promote research, documentation, propagation and teaching of the language. It will also co-ordinate works undertaken by individuals, institutions in states and Union Territories and abroad, and serve as a link to studies in other classical languages worldwide.

Multifaceted functions

The Centre will also work to identify sources of classical language, procure manuscripts and take up digitisation, publish works related to Classical Kannada, award certificates of honour to distinguished scholars of national and international repute, explore linkages between classical language with classical music and dance forms, apart from building a repository of knowledge. It will work as a clearing house pertaining to queries on civilisation and culture of Dravidian times.

The Centre will institute a lifetime award for an Indian scholar, with a purse of Rs five lakh, two international awards for lifetime achievement — one Indian and another non-Indian —which carries a cash reward of Rs five lakh each, and five young scholar awards for the scholars in the age group of 30 to 40 years, which will carry a cash reward of Rs one lakh each.

R Subbakrishna, Head of the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada, said the Centre started functioning in October last, though recruitment for the 37-member unit headed by a project director, was yet to begin. To begin with, applications had been called to fill up seven posts. In all, there will be 15 research scholars and fellows each and six staff, excluding the project director. The project director will work under the supervision and guidance of the director of CIIL.

S N Barman, the in-charge director of the CIIL, told reporters that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda would inaugurate the Centre. Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M Veerappa Moily will preside over the function. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandareswari, Mysore district in-charge Minister S A Ramdas and Kannada Development Authority Chairperson ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru will be present on the occasion. Historian M Chidanandamurthy will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural function. T V Venkatachala Shastry, retired professor of the University of Mysore, will launch the website.

A high-power committee set up by the Centre had recommended according classical language status to Kannada and Telugu in 2008. The tag was granted to Tamil earlier and Kannada secured the status in November, 2008. The Telugu Centre was first set up at the CIIL and eventually shifted to Andhra Pradesh.