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Memorial to Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai

KASARAGOD: In a rare initiative, the Kerala and Karnataka governments have joined together with the active support of the Union government to build a fitting memorial to poet Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai on the premises of his ancestral home at Manjeswaram in Kasaragod.

Minister for culture and education M.A. Baby laid the foundation stone of the Gilivindu project at a function at the ancestral home of the late poet. Chairman of the Central Administrative Commission and the Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Memorial Trust Veerappa Moily inaugurated the function.

The memorial, estimated to cost Rs. Two crore would have an open air theatre, venue for staging plays, exhibition halls, a well-equipped library and a centre for research and studies on various art forms. The State governments of Kerala and Karnataka and the Union government had declared financial aid for the project.

It is expected that the Kasaragod district panchayat, various other local bodies here and people’s representatives from the district would chip in with their contribution.

In his inaugural speech, Mr. Moily said the late poet, who had been a doyen of Kannada literature, had a pan-Indian vision and the memorial being constructed at Manjeswaram would emerge as a national pilgrim centre.

Besides Malayalam and Kannada, Govinda Pai had been the master of more than 15 other Indian and foreign languages. Mr. Moily pointed out that the walking stick used by Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi originally belonged to Govinda Pai. The poet had presented it to freedom fighter Kaka Kalekkar who in turn gave it to Mahatmaji.

Mr. Moily said the stick which was now preserved in Delhi should be brought back to Manjeswaram and should be kept at the memorial.

Mr. Moily said the Govinda Pai trust would institute an award for the best poet in Malayalam and Kannada in alternate years. The award would include a cash prize of Rs. One lakh.

Mr. Baby said he welcomed the suggestion of Mr. Moily to bring back the walking stick to the Manjeswaram memorial. He pointed out that though the late poet was an exponent of several languages, he was proud of his mother tongue. Govinda Pai had been of the opinion that one should have one’s education in his mother tongue, remembered Mr. Baby. But at present, people were reluctant to send their children to schools which had local languages as their medium of instruction. He noted that the Karnataka government had begun an initiative to control English medium schools and added that he wanted to do the same in Kerala.

“But I don’t know how people of the State would react to such an effort,” said Mr. Baby.

Kannada scholar L. Basavaraju was presented with the Govinda Pai National Award at the function.

Kannada Development Authority chairman Siddalingaiah presented the award. I.M. Vittala Murthi, Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, Karnataka, released a souvenir. C.H. Kunhambu, MLA, presided.

The family members of the late poet also participated in the function.

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