JOIN USA lit meet with a difference !
Amidst the greenery in the concretised city which was a matter of surprise for most the visitors, a green stage was set up, drawing the guests to be a part of a literary meet on environment.
The venue witnessed multiple activities, right from the talks and discussions to staging of play on environment as the theme, from launching of dry leaf post card campaign against Yettinahole project to display of books for book lovers, all for the love of environment.
The house warming ceremony of environment enthusiast Herikudru Shashidhar Shetty which could have been like any other family affair, took shape as a literary convention to create awareness on environment. The result was, a group of environment lovers and concerned individuals joined their hands with Shetty in his venture to organise a unique literary meet exclusively on environment.
Addressing the gathering, lecturer and columnist Narendra Rai Derla said river diversion should not be merely viewed as diverting water from one region to another, but as diverting a culture of one region.
“How can we forget the fact that it was in water that the human for the first time ever saw his own reflection?” he said, pointing at drastic steps taken by human beings, like Yettinahole project, to exploit the water source.
He also felt the need for environmentalists and writers from the region outside the beneficiary and victim districts of Yettinahole project to voice out their opinion on the pros and cons of the project.
“If we stand from the point of view of Dakshina Kannada, we tend to see the project as harmful, while if we stand from the point of view of Kolar, Chikballapur and other rain deficit districts, perhaps, our views differ,” he said.
Anarchy in DK
Turning critical towards the recent developments in Dakshina Kannada, Narendra Rai said that there was a kind of ‘anarchy’ in the district due to massive migration, casteism, industrialisation, excessive promotion of religious institutions etc.
People here have embraced maths and science to such an extent that we tend to calculate even relationships. Anarchy paves way for creativity and same is happening in the district, he said refering to the creative idea of literary meet on environment.
Environment scientist Nagesh Hegade who inaugurated the literary meet, predicted the earth undergoing devastation in next 20 years, if the exploitation continues. The world can recover its greenery with the unification of creative mindsets, Nagesh Hegade said.
Ramakrishna Mutt Chairperson Jithakamananda Swami released ‘Bithi Sagarada Alegalu’ and ‘Kaade Koogu’ authored by Shashidhar Shetty. Litterateur Na D’Souza delivered valedictory address. A panel discussion was held on ‘Neerigagi Baduku.’ Artist Dinesh Holla and Gopadkar’s team displayed post cards on dry leaves, with limericks on Netravati river.
Pillars were also carved under the title ‘Yettinahole Thaleburude Yojane,’ with skulls displayed on the trees, to emphasise the negative impact of Yettinahole project.
Students of Swaroopa Study Centre staged a play ‘Kaade Koogu,’ in the programme that was organised under the banner Rashtriya Parisara Samrakshana Okkuta.