Mysore/Mysuru: An ethnographic study of Uppara Community will be taken out in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts from Feb. 15 to 17.

Announcing this at a press meet at Uppara Hostel in Saraswathipuram here recently, Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District Uppara Association Convenor D. Jagannath Sagar said that the Sociology Department of Hampi Kannada University will take up the three-day ethnographic study under sponsorship from  the Karnataka Government’s D. Devaraj Urs Studies Centre. 

Pointing that an ethnographic study will be taken out before including any community in the SC/ST list, Sagar said that in this backdrop, the ethnographic study of the backward Uppara community assumes significance. 

Noting that the team headed by Prof. K.M. Metri has already completed studies in the districts of Davangere, Raichur, Yadgir, Chikkamagalur, Tumakuru, Ballari etc., he said that the team will now undertake the study in Mysuru District on Feb. 15 and in Chamarajanagar District on Feb. 16 and 17.

Maintaining that Backward Classes Commissions headed by L.G. Havanur, Venkataswami and O. Chinnappa Reddy have highlighted that Uppara community has remained socio-economically backward and the community had little representation in Government service, Sagar stressed on the need for including the community under SC or ST list, if it has to enter the mainstream society.

Regretting that University of Mysore backtracked from its assurance of taking up ethnographic study of the community in 2019 for reasons best known to it, Sagar said that the team headed by Prof. K.M.  Metri has to submit its report to the Government by Mar. 31 and the team is carrying out its last leg of studies in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar Districts from Feb. 15 to 17.

The Association office-bearers Hanumanthashetty Kudlur, C.A. Mahadevashetty and Latha Siddashetty, former MUDA Chairman Vijaykumar and others were present at the press meet.