Metro Plus
Chennai
Hyderabad
Mangalore
A fitting tribute to a giant
|
Soon, visitors to Udupi will have to include the Shivarama Karanth Smaraka Kalagrama in their itinerary, reports GANESH PRABHU
|
An artist's impression of the Dr. Kota Shivarama Karanth Smaraka Kalagrama complex
THE TEMPLE town of Udupi, famous for the Krishna Temple and the fine beach at Malpe, will have a new landmark in the form of the Dr. Kota Shivarama Karanth Smaraka Kalagrama, for which Rani Satish, Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, laid the foundation stone late last month.
The Kalagrama is a befitting institution in memory of one of the greatest Kannadigas, K. Shivarama Karanth (1902-1997), who was born in Kota in Udupi district. This multi-faceted genius left his imprint on practically every cultural arena. A literary giant, his invaluable contribution to Kannada literature earned him that literary Holy Grail, the Jnanpith, in 1978. His literary output includes over 40 novels, four anthologies of short stories, two volumes of poems, over 90 plays, nine encyclopaedias, and hundreds of articles on various issues and subjects. Besides being hailed for his progressive views on education, he introduced several innovations in the field of Yakshagana. Apart from all this he was a painter, an environmentalist, and an anti-nuclear activist. Karanth was known for his anti-nuclear views. In fact, he contested in the Lok Sabha elections from Kanara parliamentary constituency because he fiercely opposed the Kaiga Nuclear Power Project.
A memorial to this magnificent man was long pending, especially in his native Udupi district. The Rs. 4-crore project, conceptualised by S.R. Umashankar, Deputy Commissioner, will be taken up in four phases and will be located on 60 acres of land on the Manipal-Alevoor Road. It was for this purpose that the Government constituted the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Smaraka Samsthapana Mandali with Ms. Satish as its President. The Mandali had sanctioned Rs. 50 lakh for the Kalagrama, of which Rs. 24 lakhs has been released. The remaining amount is expected soon.
The Kalagrama will take four or five years to be completed. It will come up at the location earlier earmarked for the Jinke Vana, a picturesque locale in Udupi. The Kalagrama will comprise three enclaves: the first consisting of a training centre in the arts and a museum of Karanth's literary works and artefacts native to Udupi district. Karanth's personal belongings are likely to be displayed too.
The training centre will impart instruction in Yakshagana, drama, dance, and folk arts. It will have a a ranga mandira, and the Rs. 10 lakh allotted for the District Ranga Mandira will be used for this purpose.
The Hampi Kannada University proposes to set up a Karanth Samshodhana Kendra to facilitate in-depth research of the great man's works. Also in the pipeline are a permanent and temporary art galleries.
The second enclave will skirt the rivulet flowing through the hilly terrain of the Jinke Vana. There is a plan to form a pond by constructing a small dam across the rivulet. Acknowledging the special place Karanth had for children, a children's park and a children's science centre will come up here. Information on various branches of science will be disseminated through multimedia presentation. There will be facilities for young people to do basic experiments at the science centre.
Also on the cards are a bayalu ranga mandira and a camping ground, besides residential quarters for scholars and dormitories for NCC and NSS cadets would be constructed.
The third enclave will have a nature information centre that will have data on the flora and fauna of the region. Fittingly, Kalagrama will have a trekking path too. There is a proposal to construct a meditation centre atop the hill here and organisations such as the ISKCON and others would be asked to take meditation courses in turns. This enclave will promote geo-art.
Harmony is the keyword and all the three enclaves will complement one another. The idea is to develop Kalagrama as both a cultural and tourist centre.
With co-operation from local experts, the authorities cut the costs of consultancy charges for the project by about Rs. 10 lakh -12 lakh. They will seek public donations while the Central Government will be approached for Rs. 1.5 crore for the Karanth Memorial Museum. A sum of Rs. 5 lakh saved by the Udupi Utsav Committee will go into the project.
Apart from the Kalagrama, the Mandali proposes to build a memorial on the land housing Karanth's samadhi in Kota.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Chennai
Hyderabad
Mangalore
|
