Jnanpith award winner Chandrashekhar Kambar inaugurated Dharwad Sahitya Sambhrama, a three-day Kannada literary festival, at the Golden Jubilee auditorium of Karnatak University here on Friday.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Kambar regretted economic development is proving detrimental to traditional art, culture and values.
Such economic progress was affecting rural life and along with it, the rich cultural traditions rooted deeply in rural areas and among rural folk too have started catching rust, he said.
Referring to a paradigm shift in Kannada literature, Mr. Kambar said that earlier writers were producing work for the masses.
But today, they have shifted their focus on individuals, he added.
He suggested that writers focus on creating works that benefit humanity.
Though the literary event was dedicated to the slain writer M.M. Kalburgi and provided a forum for debating the issue of intolerance, Mr. Kambar refrained from touching upon any of these issues.
In his keynote address, writer T.P. Ashok expressed reservations over the Sahitya Akademi maintaining silence over issues such as Kalburgi’s murder and the award wapsi campaign.
He said both the Union and State governments have failed to live up to the expectations of the people.
Referring to the anti-superstition Bill, he said that there was no need to for such bills, if the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were to be implemented in letter and spirit.
The organising committee chairman, Giraddi Govindaraj, Karnatak University vice-chancellor Pramod Gai, poet Chennaveer Kanavi and critic G.S. Amur were present.
