No place for politics in literary world, says Anantharamu

K Anantharamu, president of the 15th edition of District Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, has suggested that the  government should form a team of Kannada scholars who are well-versed in various Indian languages.

After inaugurating the festival in K R Nagar, Anantharamu said that various works in Kannada and other languages need to be translated for nurturing literature. He said multi linguists are scholarly and have a better understanding of languages and state government should take the initiative to seek their assistance.

“There might be literature in politics, but politics should not exist in literature. Litterateurs must ensure that politics do not enter the literary world,” he said.

He said due to rampant digitalisation, values are declining among children and moral teachings are vanishing. Books and works must reach children and people in the villages and government must take measures in this connection, he said.

With regard to the Cauvery water row, he said the issue is long pending and has found a mention in a 13th century work. “It is necessary to take measures in an intelligent way,” he said.

District-level sammelana

The 14th district-level Sahitya Sammelana was inaugurated in Mandya on Friday. Convention president M Krishnegowda said that state and Union governments are playing “survival politics” while Tamil Nadu government is involved in “blackmail politics” over Cauvery river issue. Due to the lapses of the governments, people in Mandya district are facing hardships, he said.

As part of the sammelana, a large number of folk artistes and children took out a grand procession in K R Nagar and in Mandya.