Valmiki research, extension centre mooted

Medical education and district in-charge minister S A Ramdas announced that a research and extension centre to study the works of Valmiki would be set-up at the University of Mysore.

He was speaking at the Valmiki jayanti celebrations organised jointly by district administration and various Nayaka community organisations here on Monday.

Addressing a jam-packed audience at Kalamandira, Ramdas said the state government would grant Rs one crore for setting up the research and extension centre at the university. He said this is the first such initiative taken by any government.

He said the state government has also considered to provide Valmiki awards in the coming days. He said plans are afoot to provide booklets to all government schools on the works of Valmiki such as Ramayana. He said the equality of castes preached by Valmiki should be known to each person.

He said that Valmiki was not only a scientist, but also a historian and an astronomer. Ramdas said Valmiki had understood during his time that if natural resources are destroyed then the region would be facing problems such as drought.

Ramdas said that the Valmiki Bhavan inaugurated by chief minister Jagadish Shettar recently would be completed within the next 11 months.

MP A H Vishwanath said education is an important aspect for any community. He said unless the community becomes educated, it would be impossible for them to gain the best of benefits.

Alternative system

He said successive governments have failed to provide an alternative system to the community. He lamented that fishing, which was one of the major occupation of Nayakas had been taken over by others.

MLAs Tanveer Sait, M Satyanarayana, MLC Siddaraju, Zoo Authority of Karnataka chairman M Nanjundaswamy, deputy mayor Mahadevappa, zilla panchayat vice-president M K Suchitra, deputy commissioner P S Vastrad, ZP CEO Dr Ajay Nagbhushan and others were present.

Earliers, hundreds of people belonging to the Nayaka community participated in a rally, which began at Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple and culminated at Kalamandira.