Mysore/Mysuru: The ‘Kannada Jyothi,’ which was launched from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district as a prelude to Kannada Sahitya Sammelana to be held at Haveri next month, was accorded a grand reception in city on Monday evening.
The ‘Kannada Jyothi,’ which arrived from Mandya district after covering a distance of over 2,500 kms across the State, was received with grandeur at Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple, Palace North Gate, in the presence of Mayor Shivakumar, Deputy Mayor Dr. G. Roopa, MLA L. Nagendra, Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, Tahsildar Girish, Kannada and Culture Assistant Director Dr. M.D. Sudarshan, District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Maddikere Gopal, former President M. Chandrashekar, Rajya Hindulida Vargagala Jagruta Vedike President K.S. Shivaramu, Kannada activist Mugur Nanjundaswamy and other officials and leaders.
The ‘Jyothi’ was received with a host of folk troupes. The dignitaries offered floral tributes to the two idols of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Devi, installed in attractive ‘Mantapas’ atop the specially decorated bus carrying the ‘Jyothi.’ The bus has been lent by KSRTC and is so modified to make it look like a tableau.
More than 20 artistes from across the State have put in a lot of efforts for creating this specially designed ‘Kannada Jyothi’.
The ‘Kannada Jyothi,’ which was flagged off from Bhuvaneshwari Temple at Siddapur near Sirsi on Dec. 1, has travelled through Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, Vijayanagar, Ballari, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru, Ramanagara and Mandya districts, covering a distance of over 2,500 kms.
The ‘Jyothi,’ after covering the rest of the districts, will reach Haveri on Jan. 5, where the 3-day 86th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana will take place from Jan. 6 to 8.
Arera, one of the two drivers (the other is Doddamani) of the KSRTC bus which is carrying the ‘Jyothi,’ said that the ‘Jyothi’ will travel across the State and has thus far travelled a distance of over 2,500 kms.
The ‘Jyothi’ will reach Haveri on Jan. 5, a day ahead of the grand Kannada Literary Festival, he added.
Veeresh, the Mechanic who is part of the ‘Jyothi’ carrying bus, said that the ‘Jyothi’ is being accorded with a grand reception wherever it has travelled to. We had food recipes of different hue in all districts, he said adding that 10 artistes are an integral part of the ‘Jyothi.’
At this Sammelan, there will be the usual rants from Kannada poets and literary figures to abolish English and English medium classes, comfortable in the notion that their sons who studied in English medium schools and became doctors and engineers have all left to work in the USA.
A bunch of hypocrites