The Hindu : Karnataka News : Academy: representation sought for Kodava-speaking communities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Academy: representation sought for Kodava-speaking communities

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, JUNE 22. The former member of the Karnataka Nataka Academy, Addanda C. Cariappa, said on Tuesday that the State Government should consider people of eminence from among Kodava-speaking and non-Kodava groups in Kodagu for representation in the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy.

He told The Hindu here that persons having political connections should be kept away from the academy because it had not aided the growth of the Kodava language and culture for which the body was set up 10 years ago. The tenure of the academy ended on June 15.

Mr. Cariappa, who is a former member of the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, said there were 20 Kodava-speaking communities in Kodagu of which 17 belonged to the backward category, two to the SC and one to ST categories. The academy should have members from these communities. He said when the academy was constituted in 1994, there were five members, including the president, and all belonged to the Kodava community. In the next body, all the 12 members, including the president, were Kodavas. He too was a member then and had demanded that other Kodava-speaking communities and non-Kodavas who excelled in Kodava literary activities be given representation in the academy. However, three Kodava-speaking members, who belonged to Amma Kodava, Airi and Heggade communities, were included in the third body of the academy. During the constitution of the fourth body, the other Kodava-speaking communities had organised a "Vidhana Soudha chalo" demanding that they be nominated to the academy, he said. The academy was interested in associating with various units of the Kodava Samaja to organise cultural conventions. Such events should be organised in association with the samajas of other Kodava-speaking communities. The Konkani, Tulu and Urdu academies had members from various communities. The Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy should emulate them, Mr. Cariappa said.

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