Date:30/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/30/stories/2006013007600500.htm

Karnataka - Bidar

Moily delivers address before poets' session at sahitya sammelan

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

He left the venue before the start of session

BIDAR: The former Chief Minister and the author of "Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam" came in for criticism at the 72nd Akhila Bharta Kannada Sahitya Sammelan for his decision to deliver his presidential address and leave the venue without presiding over the scheduled session here on Sunday. The session, scheduled to start at 2 p.m., was delayed for over two hours. Mr. Moily arrived at the venue on time.

After learning about the delay, he hurriedly addressed the gathering and left for Hyderabad.

In his address, Mr. Moily said: "Movements like the ongoing literary conventions serve as powerful tools for cultivating taste for writers and readers. They come in handy for the development of language."

"Kannada as a culture and language has never been identified with communalism.

Having known for its rare cultural ethos, it has ever been identified with the notion of Vishwamanava tatva right from the first poet Pamapa to this day through its classical literature," he said.

Later, at the poet's session in which over 30 poets read their poems to the estimated audience of 3,000, poets took objection to Mr. Moily's attitude to literature and fellow poets.

They said that Mr. Moily had exhibited his "irresponsibility in delivering his presidential speech before the session began. It would have been decent on his part had he waited for the session to take off or left without delivering his speech."

Although over 30 poets read their poems, only a handful of them held audience attention. Sidrama Honakal's political limerick "Dhramanna ippattu dinagala dinachari mattu vidaaya" (Dhrammanna's diary of 20 days and farewell), Abbas Abbalagere's "Havu bartaave joke" (beware snake coming), a satire on politics, and Vinaya's "Geleya" drew applause. Over 45persons includingthe former Minister Bhimanna Khandreand film artiste Mukhyamantri Chandru, were felicitated in recognition of their services to the cause of Kannada at the valedictory session of the sammelan.

Delivering his welcome address at the valedictory session, the former Minister and the chairman of the reception committee of the sammelan, Gurupadappa Nagamarapall said that his intention in inviting Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh for the inauguration and his deputy M.P. Prakash for the valediction was to convince people about the Government's concern and commitment for the development of Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

Mr. Prakash, Legislative Council Chairman V. R. Sudarshan, and the former Minister Merajuddin Patel were present.