MANGALORE: The Vishwa Kannada Sammelan to be held in Belgaum in February would not only be a literary and cultural meet, but would seek to reflect issues that concern Kannadigas and the State today, Secretary, Kannada and Culture, I.M. Vittalmurthy said at a meeting with artistes, academicians and members of literary academies here on Sunday.

He said 18 conferences on a number of subjects would be held. Discussions on issues that affect agriculture and related fields would be given prominence. The purpose of these conferences was to assess the progress made by the State in the last 50 years and plan for the future, he added.

Mr. Vittalmurthy said one of the highlights of the event would be the "Suvarna Karnataka Teru", in which members from 127 taluks and Kasaragod would take out a procession of "Kannada terus" (chariots) reflecting the culture of their regions.

An exhibition spread over 8.5 acres would seek to reflect the history, culture and achievements of the State, he said. Fifty Kannada films would be screened at a "Chitrotsava". A one-day cricket match would be conducted by the Karnataka Cricket Association, he added.

Representatives of Dakshina Kannada district submitted a few suggestions for the event, including a play on Rani Abakka, arrangement of several food stalls to avoid crowding at one point and provision of a separate platform for folk art performances.

The Department of Kannada and Culture had made arrangements to provide one bus each between the districts and Belgaum for the event. It was also considering allowing artistes to travel by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses at concessional fares to Belgaum, Mr. Vittalmurthy said.

He said the Department was thinking of launching a scheme, "Namma Mane, Namma Athithi", to provide accommodation to participants. Under the scheme, the people of Belgaum would be requested to volunteer to lodge participants at their homes. The K.L.E Education Society had agreed to provide accommodation to delegates at their hostels and institutions, he added.

The sammelan's programmes would be telecast live in 58 countries, he added.

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