Chikmagalur district literary meet from today

As the district awaits the 11th district Kannada Sahitya Sammelana to be held in Birur on July 25 and 26, the preparations have caught pace at the venue, Taralabalu Kalyana Mantapa.

The Kannada literary meet, organised by the district Kannada Sahitya Parsihat, was originally scheduled to be held at the grounds of Government Junior College in Kadur in March.

The meet was postponed due to Lok Sabha elections. The district committee later planned to conduct the lit-meet at Taralabalu Kalyana Mantapa in Birur.

The literary convention will make a start on Friday, with the procession of the literary meet President from Virabhadraswamy Temple in Halepete at 8.30 am. Various cultural troupes will add colours to the procession.

Literary meet President Dr Rehmath Tarikere will be offered a welcome at Dr K V Venkatalakshmamma Mahadwara at the venue. He will be brought to Mahakavi Lakshmisha Mantapa on Ajjampura G Soori stage, after which, 80th All India Kannada Literary Convention President, Litterateur Na D’Souza will inaugurate the literary meet.

Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Pundalika Halambi, orator Hiremagalur Kannan, MLA Y S V Datta and others will attend. The literary meet souvenir will be released on the occasion.

The valedictory programme will be held on July 26. Litterateur Dr Patil Puttappa will deliver the valedictory address. ‘Sahitya Siri’ award will be conferred on Dr Rameshchandra Datta on the occasion. An open summit will be held from 4.30 pm onwards and the resolutions will be passed.

On the first day of the lit-meet, sessions will be held on the works of poet Lakshmisha, influence of rural life in literature, burning issues of the district and solutions and media. A lighter vein programme ‘Hasya Sanje’ will be held in the evening.

Poets’ symposium, session on women, session on the topics ‘simple living and clean politics’ and ‘Kannada Sahitya Parishat in its centenary celebrations’, will be held on Saturday.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, District in-Charge Minister K Abhayachandra Jain, Minister for Kannada and Culture Umashree, MP Shobha Karandlaje, poets B R Lakshmana Rao, B T Lalita Nayak and S G Siddaramaiah, ‘Prajavani’ Executive Editor Padmaraja Dandavathi, Alva’s Education Trust (Moodbidri) President Dr Mohan Alva, veteran freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, former ministers B L Shankar, Motamma and others will take part in various sessions.

Food and accommodation facilities will be arranged for the representatives from various places. Around 40 book publishing houses will put up their stalls at the lit-meet venue and the reception committee has been striving towards making the lit-meet successful.