BANGALORE: The Department of Kannada and Culture will organise a five-day workshop to explore the possibilities of economically empowering women through cultural means.

The workshop on "Women and culture" will be held from December 13 at Kuppalli, birthplace of Kuvempu, near Theerthahalli in Shimoga district.

Representation

The department has selected 30 women from fields such as literature (poetry), painting and dance with the assistance of Sahitya, Sangeeta, Nritya and Lalithkala academies and the Kannada Book Authority.

The selection process has ensured representation to all districts.

Texts

Based on the texts prepared by experts, the workshop will deal with each of these disciplines from sociological, ecological and economic perspectives, according to Joint Director of Kannada and Culture K.T. Chikkanna, writer.

Impact

He said that the workshop would attempt to study the design and impact of globalisation on traditional culture and women.

It would seek to answer questions related to the commercial approach of multinational agencies towards traditional art forms.

The intention of the workshop was to promote various art forms by women without giving room for commercial avarice, Mr. Chikkanna said.

Cultural festival

The department organised a workshop and a cultural festival in association with the National Service Scheme of Karnataka State Women's University of Bijapur and Stree Shakti groups in 2003.

In 2005, the department organised a similar event in association with the women's wing of the National Service Scheme of a private college at Ujire near Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada, he said.

Response

The response to them made the department realise the importance of adopting a multiple approach to popular cultural forms in rural areas for raising awareness among women, Mr. Chikkanna said.

Spurred by its experience, the department was now organising a workshop for women at Kuppalli, Mr. Chikkanna said.

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