Smitten by ಕನ್ನಡ

Having been the first Kannada Sahithya Sammelana I got to witness, the words I am left with is - I am proud to belong here! An absolute brilliant show by Mr.Nallur Prasad(driven by sheer will to work towards kannada) and BJP members to some extent. Grand old man of Kannada lexicography,ಜಿ ವೆಂಕಟಸುಬ್ಬಯ್ಯ of ಇಗೋ ಕನ್ನಡ fame deserved every bit of respect, honor and more. A mobile dictionary himself, it might be his enthusiasm that has kept him like a mercury at 98! So much for them to pass on to our generation! & that means a rise in the bar of responsibilities and expectations to be met by us!

I read some articles where the authors and intellects are skeptical on spending crores of rupees on such occasions, that the modest ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನ of the 1920s and 30s do not exist any more. C'mon - ದಿವಸ ಗಣೇಶನ ಪೂಜೆ ಮಾಡ್ತಿವಿ ಅಂತ ಗಣೇಶನ ಹಬ್ಬ ಮಾಡೋದು ಬಿಡೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗುತ್ಯೇ? A celebration is a celebration! Each of us play important role in preserving our language and all of it is hidden in small things like - teaching children ಚೈತ್ರ, ಆಷಾಡ, ಜೆಷ್ಠ or at the national level where Anantha Kumar (and many others at center) takes oath in Kannada and signs in Kannada. Such small gestures make huge impact.

And ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನ ನಡೆಯುವ ಸ್ಥಳವನ್ನ ಗೊತ್ತು ಮಾಡುವ ಬದಲು, ಆ ಮೂರೂ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನ ರಾಜ್ಯದಾದ್ಯಂತ ಆ-ಆ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಳನ್ನ ಹೊಮ್ಮಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಹಾಗೆ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದರೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಸಾವಿರಾರು ಪ್ರಾದೇಶಿಕ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹ ನೀಡಿದಂತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ಗದಗ, ಬಾಗಲಕೋಟೆ, ಬಿಜಾಪುರ - ಈ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿನ ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ, ಕೊಡಗು ಅಥವಾ ಮಂಗಳೂರು, ಬೀದರಿನ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಗಿಂತ ವಿಭಿನ್ನವಾದುದು. ಗದಗ-ಬಿಜಾಪುರ, ಬಸವ ಮತ್ತು ವಚನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಎತ್ತಿ ಹಿಡಿದರೆ, ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ ತಾನು ಬೆಳೆಸಿರುವ ನೂರಾರು ತೀರ್ಥಹಳ್ಳಿ ಕಲಾವಿದರನ್ನು ಬಿಂಬಿಸಬಹುದು. ಮೈಸೂರು ದಸರಾವನ್ನ ನಾಡ ಹಬ್ಬದಂತೆ ಆಚರಿಸುವ ಹಾಗೆ, ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನವೂ ಒಂದು ಊರಿಗೆ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗದಂತೆ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಪ್ರತಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಚರಿಸಬೇಕು. I think this will also help to make the event more intricate and detailed.

The governor of the state has become a pain - no doubt. He is digging his own grave by throwing his never ending tantrums. Not granting doctrate to a well-renowned legend Chidananda Murthy based on political interests is just ridiculous and unpardonable. Personally felt that it was a disgrace to have Mr.Siddaramayya who pursued his political interests on-stage, in-spite of having been warned not to do so! Yes, all the politicians of Karnataka looked like dirt smeared on a neat shimmering white coat amidst the resplendent cultural cauldron! Anyway, he(and the whole government) got a virtual slap from ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಚಂದ್ರು the very next minute in his speech(which was superb!). Memorable speeches - Bhuvaneshwari Hegde, Mukhyamanthri Chandru, Nallur Prasad. In the end, that has taken my respect for these people to a new strata.

Last but not least, one trivia - Karnataka has bagged 4th place in must-visit-places along with Orissa from India in an international travel organization. Again, proud to belong here. I hope more kannadigas realize the importance to work towards conservation of the same.ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಂದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆಗೆ ಆದ್ಯತೆ ಇರಲಿ.