Bengaluru: Senior Poet and Writer Doddarangegowda has been selected to preside over the 86th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana to take place at Haveri from Feb.26 to 28.

The Executive Committee of Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP), the organiser of  the event, which met here on Friday, unanimously chose Doddarangegowda, also a former MLC,  to be the President of the 3-day sammelana at Haveri.

Parishat President Manu Baligar said that though the names of Go.Ru. Channabaappa, Prof.K.S. Bhagawan,Veena Shanteshwar and Prof.B.A.Viveka Rai too were in consideration, but Doddarangegowda was an unanimous choice.

Gowda, who is from Madhugiri taluk in Tumakuru district, studied Kannada Literature at Bangalore University and taught Kannada for over three decades in Bengaluru. He has brought out 48 poetry collections, 6 Ballets and 29 Anthologies of critical essays and travelogues, among other works. His main area of work has been Folk Literature. He has also worked in several Kannada films as a lyricist and dialogue writer. He has won three State film awards for lyrics.

A vocal supporter of BJP, he was nominated to the Legislative Council by the then BJP Government in 2008. He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 2018.