Taluk literary fest opens with drumbeats

Streets of Malur come alive with local and Karnataka heritage tableaux

Playing the 'nagari' near the Rashtrakavi Kuvempu statue on Araleri Road, Manjula Venkatesh, Zilla Panchayat president, inaugurated the second taluk-level Kannada literary fest in the town on Thursday.

Kannada Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer Masti Krishnappa presided over the inaugural function. The two-day fest, organised by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, started with a procession on the streets of Malur, a town bordering Andhra Pradesh as well as Tamil Nadu.

The procession included a tableau that displayed the cultural richness of the State, with performances by folk troupes and school children from all over the taluk.

Former legislator A Nagaraju felicitated Krishnappa by placing the Mysore Peta on his head and garlanding him. Krishnappa was then led to the podium named after Harikatha legend the late T Sonnappa.

Tahsildar H Amaresh, Parishat taluk president A Ashwattha Reddy, Town Municipal Council president Gulabjaan, vice-president A Rajappa, TMC chief officer Rudramuni, APMC director Doddi Rajanna, block education officer Venkatarama Reddy, Department for Agriculture assistant officer Rangaswamy and others were present.