Floods dampen Sammelan spirit

Although racked by uncertainties over the holding of the event till very recently, organisers had taken all steps to ensure that the meet got off to an impressive start. Sammelan President Dr Geeta Nagabhushan, the fourth woman to preside over the prestigious event, was conveyed to the venue, Danachintamani Attimabbe Vedike in a colourful procession.

“The country today needs heart of a saint and brain of a scientist. We will usher in a new era on the pillars of Buddha’s compassion, Basava’s determination, Baba Saheb’s self-respect and Gandhiji’s non-violence,” Dr Geeta Nagabhushan said in her presidential address.

“Atrocities on Dalits are increasing. Tolerance is at a ebb with attacks on churches and communal tension plaguing the contemporary society. The ruling dispensation needs will power to contain all these ills,” she noted.

Even after six decades of independence it has not been possible to educate 40 pc of the population. While the education system has been “leased” to private entities, the ruling governments are issuing ideal statements. “The role of litterateurs is more pronounced at a time when the establishment, responsible for spreading literacy is in slumber,” the president noted.

Reception Committee Chairman and Health Minister B Sriramulu, who inaugurated the sammelan in the absence of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, said that a Sahitya Bhavan would be constructed in Gadag at a cost of Rs three crore to commemorate the sammelan.
Nearly  30,000 delegates were treated to a typical North Karnataka cuisine with dishes like Godhi huggi on the first day of the literary meet.