Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy will organise Vishwa Beary Sammelan in Dubai in this November, according to chairman of the academy Rahim Uchil.
Beary is an ethnic Muslim community, concentrated largely in coastal Karnataka and parts of North Kerala, from the Chandragiri in Kerala to Barkuru in Udupi, with its own distinct traditions and language. According to the academy, over 20 lakh people speak Beary all over the world.
Mr. Uchil said that in addition to West Asian countries, the Beary-speaking people are spread out in large numbers in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Canada, the U.S. and London in the U.K.
The sammelan is being organised to establishing an identity for Beary at the global level. A 75-member reception committee which will comprise representatives from different parts of the world will be formed to ensure that the sammelan is a success, he said.
There will be felicitations to achievers, literary sessions, cultural programmes and competitions during the sammelan. The meet will also focus on the need for more and more people from the Beary community to get higher education, Mr. Uchil said and added that it will not be organised as a religious convention.
Till recently, Beary was dependent on Kannada script and Arabic numerals. Following six months of work by an expert committee, the academy released an independent Beary script and numerals last year. The language has 13 vowels, 33 consonants and nine numerals.
Apart from Beary script and numerals, the academy has named 12 months in Beary — Surumada (January) and Cheremada (February), while days have names for example, Nyarase (Sunday) and Tingalase (Monday). Months have been named mostly based on climatic conditions and normal activities that are on at the time. For example, as May will be very hot, it has been named Chudumada and April has been named Nalmada as this particular month will see many activities in society.
He said that the academy has taken up a proposal for introducing Beary as the third optional language in schools from Class VI. At present, it has been planned to use Kannada script and Arabic numerals in the proposed textbooks. But the academy will also introduce Beary script and numerals to students then. As per a preliminary survey, 3,750 students in Dakshina Kannada have evinced interest in opting for Beary as the third optional language.
