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The hard questions
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EVENT Souharda Sahitya Sammelana, taking place alongside the Sahitya Sammelana at Udupi, will raise questions that are crucial to language and literature N. DIVAKAR
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The 74th Kannada Literary meet, Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, is scheduled to take place at Udupi, from December 12 to 15. Though an annual affair conducted with much enthusiasm and fanfare, this time over, the event will raise a storm i
n the literary circles before and after the conference.
This year the literary meet is facing a fresh challenge from a parallel meet organised by progressive groups in Udupi under the banner Souharda Sahitya Sammelana (Harmony Literary Meet). This development, though not new to the State considering the wide difference of opinion between various ideological blocs of the Kannada literary world, has come at a wrong time when the State is in turmoil.
Two major issues that has rocked the conscience of intellectuals are teaching of English at the primary level and according classical language status to Kannada. The literary and intellectual community in the State is vertically divided over both these issues. While one section of litterateurs are opposed to English education, a majority of progressive writers and artistes are supportive of the Government’s move, which has been implemented. And the demand for a classical tag to Kannada, has few takers amongst progressive writers.
The major crisis of our times being farmers’ suicide, unemployment, displacement of tribal and rural population, the agrarian crisis, lopsided development and the unrest in Coorg and North Karnataka, with separatist tendencies gaining ground in both the regions, communalisation of society with the onslaught of fascist forces in Mangalore and other cities, and above all the political crisis looming large over the State, have made little impact on the literary world, as most Kannada litterateurs have turned their back on burning issues.
Most literary meets are conducted as mere conventions without dwelling upon the burning issues. Major resolutions passed at the meet would remain on paper and end up as mere rhetoric. Apart from these issues concerned with the literary world, the parallel convention organised by the progressive writers led by G.Rajashekar, G. Ramakrishna and others, are more concerned with the communalisation of the whole convention with Hindu fundamentalist groups taking centre stage of the 74th literary meet at Udupi. Recent disturbances in Mangalore and Chickmagalur have armed the fundamentalists with new teeth, with obvious support from powers at be.
It is in this backdrop that the present literary convention and parallel convention gains importance.
Celebrating 50th year of Unification, the state of Karnataka needs a progressive outlook and one hopes these conventions would end in a healthy debate for the betterment of the state and language.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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