Dharwad: A two-day district level Kannada literary meet was off to a colourful start in Dharwad on Saturday morning. The colourful procession involving various folk arts, dignitaries which passed through important thoroughfares of the city added flavour to the meet.
Senior poet V C Airsang, the president of the Sammelana was brought to the Sahitya Bhavan in a procession where the meet was held.
Speaking after inaugurating the meet, noted writer Basavaraj Sadar said, “The dark clouds of intolerance and the tug of war between the right and left wing in society are affecting the health of our peaceful society.”
“Greed for power, amassing wealth illegally has become the daily practice among few of those who are in power and are influential. Under such circumstances, a writer and poet should not escape his responsibility. He has got to feel the pulse of the people and respond to their problems through his writings,” he said.
“A writer has to raise his voice when injustice is meted to the society. The time is ripe for writers to introspect on which direction the Kannada literature is heading,” he said.
Referring to the killing of Prof. M M Kalaburgi he said, “If a close watch is kept on the present circumstances, even the assailants of Prof ?Kalburgi could be traced.”
Writer Rajendra Chenni, the previous president of the meet said the influence of dictat given by those in power is making the people face hardships.
Elaborating on the significance of poetry especially in the wake of advent of social media, Prof Chenni said that poetry made the people’s hearts melt with emotions and that would naturally make them more humane.
Prior to this the dignitaries involving District Minister Vinay Kulkarni, Sammelana President and senior poet V C Airsang and others fed water to the sapling marking the start of the Sammelana.
