Mysuru: Noted Kannada writer and literary critic Prof. Chandrashekar Patil, popular as Champa, has said that Lingayat is a separate religion and minority status must be accorded as per the Constitution and as per legal provisions to the religion.
Champa, who has been designated as the President of the three-day 83rd Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, was interacting with media persons at Pathrakarthara Bhavan yesterday. He said that till now there is no clarity on the word Hindu and as such Vedic religion can be attributed to it. Likewise, Lingayats and Veerashaivas are not branches of Hinduism and Lingayats deserve a separate status like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, he opined.
He said that Veerashaivas are creating confusion over a separate community for Lingayats. “Rambhapuri Swamiji and Virakta Mutt pontiffs are in confusion. Hindu means Rightists and Lingayats mean Leftists, but, Veerashaiva is in between. There is no confusion between Rightists and Leftists. There is no clarity about Hindu community. I am proud to tell that I am a Lingayat. Lingayats must get minority status,” Patil added.
“Though I believe in the ideologies of Left wing, there should be an interaction between the Right and Left wings,” he said.
He blamed BJP State President B.S. Yeddyurappa and said that he had joined Yeddyurappa as he had floated Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), a regional party. But he rejoined the BJP after the elections. He betrayed the voters.
State-wide tour
Champa said that he would tour the State urging the government to implement the resolutions passed at the 83rd Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. He said that many resolutions adopted at the meet are not taken seriously by the government. “The resolutions adopted at this meet will be implemented,” he said.
Champa said unlike other writers who presided over the meet, he will tour the State to make sure the resolutions become a reality. It is a custom that at the end of every Sammelana, resolutions are passed, but most of the time they are not implemented.
“The Kannada Sahitya Parishat is not a political body, but it is built and led by people. Hence the resolutions speak the mind of the people. It is the duty of the Parishat and the President of the meet to make sure the resolutions reach the government and force it to implement them,” he added.
On the development of Kannada literature on social media platforms, he said there was a need for diversity in expression. “Language is an integral part of humans and they can express their literary skills on any platform. If social media is stronger than the traditional literary form, it will sustain,” Prof. Chandrashekar Patil said.
This post was published on October 22, 2017 6:53 pm