Telangana issue should be lesson for all: Na D'Souza

The 80th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana President Na D’Souza has said that the situation in Telangana should be a lesson for all of us. The State governments have a responsibility to ensure that all its citizens are treated equally with basic facilities and citizens do not feel left out.

Delivering his presidential address, he said that Aloor Venkataraya, Kadapa Raghavendra, Mudaveedu Krishnaraya had fought for the unification of Karnataka without self interest. “We need to keep our Kannada land as it is. Addressing region as Hyderabad Karnataka, Madras Karnataka, Mumbai Karnataka is not right,” he said.

Flaying the schemes of the State government, he said “it makes people to extend alms for help. It shows that there is lack of self-confidence.”

It is a tragedy that farmers who were cultivating the land are made as the watchmen of a factory where he is cultivating. The progress in information and technology has provided vast knowledge and not the thinking capacity, he said.

He also came down heavily on parents for their interest in English language. D’Souza flayed the officials for refusing to permit to hold Bangalore Book Festival beyond three days. “Book fairs” should be promoted.

“Destruction of nature has called for a report by Kasturirangan on conservation of Western Ghats. We should not live in an illusion that nature is for human being. However, if we destroy nature, we will have to face the consequence of it,” he said.

The government should appoint an officer for the Sahitya Sammelana. He should make a note of all the suggestions in the Sammelana and should ensure that all the resolutions passed in the meet are implemented effectively.

Displeasure

Na D’Souza was supposed to read out a 24-page speech. However, as the Sammelana commenced late, he had a pressure to cut short his speech.

Expressing displeasure, he said, “a situation should not arise wherein the President is asked to cut short his speech leaving behind all the important issues.”

Issues pertaining to moral policing, politics in universities, and other issues were part of his lengthy speech. However, he could not deliver it owing to paucity of time.