Bijapur teacher offers aid to Endo victims

A Bijapur born Kannadiga has come all the way from Chandigarh to Mangalore to join hands in the fight against Endosulfan and to offer monetary aid as a mark of sympathy to the Endo victims.

Pandit Rao Dharennavar, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Government College, Sector 46 at Chandigarh in Punjab, who is on a cycle rally to spread awareness about Endosulfan victims, arrived at Mangalore city on Friday morning with his message to help Endo victims.

He handed over a cheque for Rs 10,000, his hard earned money, to Deputy Commissioner N Prakash as a donation for the welfare of Endosulfan affected people. The financial aid he has offered is ‘special’ for it has been earned by selling the books on Dasas and Vachanakaras which he has translated from Kannada to Punjabi and sold them in Punjab.

Speaking to media persons, he said he has translated eight Kannada books to Punjabi and one Punjabi book to Kannada which fetched him Rs 18,000 during the last one year, of which, the partial amount he has offered as a help to Endo victims. “I started learning Punjabi language from 2005 onwards, after I got recruited in Chandigarh.

After learning the language, I began translating the biographies of Basavanna, Akkamahadevi, Purandardas, Kanakadas and others from Kannada to Punjabi and tried selling them to Punjabis. During last one year, I have spent my weekly holidays cycling to the villages in Punjab and selling the books,” he said.

When asked him the reason for taking up such a noble initiative, he said it served two purposes. Firstly, the publication of the translated work has helped to spread the preachings of Vachanakaras and Dasa litterateurs to Punjabis, which otherwise would have remained unknown to Punjabis and secondly, the earned money would help Endosulfan victims who are undergoing a pathetic life.

“The cheque I have handed over is only symbolic. The basic idea behind it is to motivate Kannadigas to contribute for the welfare of Endo victims. Unlike Punjabis who practise Dash-want, i.e., to render 10 per cent of their earning for the welfare of the downtrodden, we Kannadigas are very apathetic towards others problems. Hence, I would like the Kannadigas to draw inspiration from my attempt and donate towards the cause of Endosulfan,” he said.

Dharennavar who arrived at Mangalore by train will rally in the city in a cycle with a banner ‘Help-endo victims’ for next two days, following which he will visit Kasargod and other parts of Kerala resided by Endosulfan victims.

‘Basavanna, Kanakadasa in Punjabi’

Dharennavar has translated eight works to Punjabi. They include ‘Jagadguru Basavanna,’ ‘Prema Diwani Akkamahadevi,’ ‘Sangith Ratan Purandar Das,’ ‘Mahagyani Sarvajna,’ ‘Kaviratan Kanakadas,’ ‘Santha gyani Allamma Prabhu,’ ‘Bhimashankar,’ ‘Mai tha main hoon.’ He has also translated ‘Jap Ji Sahib,’ a Punjabi work on Gurunank into Kannada.