Within three years, Kannada language will be made a model and the finest language, with help of technology, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said on Tuesday.

“A language will develop, the more we nurture it,” he said, after inaugurating the 87th Sahitya Sammelan organised at Amruthavarshini hall as part of the Lakshadeepotsava celebrations in Dharmasthala.

The deputy chief minister also declared that the next world Kannada literary conference will be held in Shivamogga in 2020.

Prof B A Viveka Rai, former vice chancellor of Kannada University, presided over the Sammelan. He said that both literature and a writer will never be outdated. “They will be relevant at all times. Well-known writers Karanth, Bendre Kuvempu and Basavanna, among others, and their literary works remain relevant today,” he pointed out.

Earlier, Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade said that a life without values is like a body without a soul. “We must lead a life on the strong foundation of values cherished by society. When writers and their writing reflect values, it is possible to build a society that is culturally rich and idealistic,” he said.