Karnataka   

Row over sammelan ends as AHINDA drops parallel meet

Chitradurga: The controversy over the 75th Kannada Sahitya Sammelan has settled down following the district unit of AHINDA deciding to drop the plan of holding a parallel sammelan here.

The four-day long sammelan is scheduled to commence on January 29.

The decision was announced at a press meet here on Tuesday by AHINDA (forum of minorities, backward classes and Dalits) members after confabulations with the State and district functionaries of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.

In a meeting, the district unit had demanded that any writer from the backward, dalit or minority community such as Baragur Ramachandrappa be made president of the sammelan. However, the parishat selected writer L. Basavaraju for the post.

Though the AHINDA unit here did not oppose the selection of Dr. Basavaraju, it stuck to its demand. As the parishat did not meet its demand, the unit had decided to hold a parallel sammelan.

It is learnt that several writers of the backward and dalit community urged the unit to drop the plan. In a letter to the unit, the writers had said that Dr. Basavaraju was a “suitable choice” as he had worked for the welfare of the downtrodden and oppressed classes.

AHINDA leader Murugharajendra Wodeyar said that the unit had decided to drop the plan as the parishat president, R.K. Nallur Prasad, had promised them that their demand would be met when sammelans were held in the future.

“As the parishat has given us an assurance and writers have advised us, we have decided to drop the plan. We will contribute to the success of the event in the best possible way,” he said.

In his address, Mr. Prasad expressed happiness over the decision and promised to meet their demand in the future.

With regard to the preparation, he said that as part of the sammelan, two stages would be built. Nearly 10 seminars would be held on the main stage and seven seminars would be organised on the second stage.

Cultural and entertainment programmes would be held in the evening at various places in the city. Seminars and symposiums on crucial issues such as communalism and terrorism would be conducted.

A special lecture session on the problems of the district and their solutions would also be organised, he said.

District Kannada Sahitya Parishat president K.M. Veeresh was present.

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