Bengaluru, Dec. 29: Expressing sadness over sending Kannada Rakshana Vedike President Narayanagowda and others to jail, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Kannada activists tread the path of agitation if the state government fails to implement the rule. Need of the hour was to support those activists.
Speaking at the inauguration of the renovated Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Auditorium in connection with the birth anniversary of Kuvempu at a function organised by Kannada Sahitya Parishat here on Friday, he said, as the CM, he had ordered the withdrawal of over 2,000 cases filed against the Kannada activists. The current situation was because of not strictly implementing the Kannada nameboard rules. The administrators must have sensitivity. “Our government had implemented a bill for the implementation of Kannada. It is a matter of sadness that they have to invoke law for the mandatory implementation of Kannada in Karnataka even after 75 years of independence. Unless they frame rules, it will become difficult for our kids. It is unfortunate if the law is not implemented. The Kannada activists are holding stir for the non-implementation of law. The agitations are not held where there is implementation of rules but they are held where the rules are not brought into force”.
Bommai said the Kannada Sahitya Parishat has put in lot of efforts for the survival of Kannada. When he was the Chief ministers, the miscreants had disfigured the statue of Sangolli Rayanna in Belagavi. But the previous government installed the statues of Sangolli Rayanna, Kittur Rani Chennmma, Dr B.R.Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi in front of the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi. The Kannadigas must be awakened if they want the Kannada language to remain forever. The world is changing and the children must be preapred to face the new challenges. If IT/BT has progressed here it was because their kids were learned and achievers. For this reason, the IT/BT companies have come to Karnataka.
Kuvempur, a Vishwamanava
Describing Kuvempu as Vishwamanava, the former CM said Kuvempu had a different personality and could be called as ‘Yuga Purusha’. Taking a deep look into his personality, one would understand the human qualitieis which were nothing but of a ‘Vishwa Manava’. Kuvempu had the quality of taking on the whole world to defend his thinking and he never wrote anything under anybody’s pressure. When the people of South Karnataka took objection to the Karnataka Unification Protest in North Karnataka region, he had said the hearts of Kannada must unite. At that time, Kuvempu stressed on the concept of Ekikarana and his stand was accepted by everyone. Now the hearts of Kannada have united and several literary works had been done in this regard.
He said Rashtrakavi Kuvempu has reviewd the thinking of Jagajyoti Basavanna. Since the thinking and literature of Kuvempu was found everywhere, he was still living amidst them. There was solution for everything in his literary works.
Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Dr Mahesh Joshi and others were present.
