11.5 cents for Kannada Bhavan in Udupi

Kannada Sahitya Parishat’s long-pending demand finally conceded

A view of the plot allotted for the Kannada Bhavan at Brahmagiri in Udupi.

The government has allotted 11.5 cents of land to the district unit of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) to construct a Kannada Bhavan here.

Although it has been 18 years since Udupi district was formed, the district unit of the parishat, which has 2,000 life members in the district, still does not have a building of its own. Land to construct a Kannada Bhavan has been a long-pending demand of the parishat.

Neelavar Surendra Adiga, president of the district unit of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, told

The Hindu that the government had recently handed over the records of rights, tenancy and crops (RTC) of the 11.5 cents of land next to the IMA Bhavan at Brahmagiri here to the parishat.

The parishat plans to construct the bhavan by approaching the legislators and parliamentarians and seeking a part of their Local Area Development Funds and also seeking funds from the State government.

“We will soon approach Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, who is also the district in-charge Minister, and seek funds from the State government for the bhavan. We will also approach philanthropists and seek donations for it,” Mr. Adiga said.

Besides housing the offices of the parishat, the building will have a library and a hall. “We can organise activities related to Kannada language and literature round the year once we have our own building. We want to hold seminars, book releases and exhibitions at the Kannada Bhavan,” Mr. Adiga said.

Currently, the house of Mr. Adiga functions as the office of the district unit of the parishat. The books and other materials of the parishat have been kept in a room of Christian High School here.

“Since we have now got 11.5 cents of land, our first priority is to build a compound wall and secure the land,” said Subrahmanya Basri, treasurer of the parishat.

Ambatanaya Mudrady, writer, said that a Kannada Bhavana had been a pressing demand. “Writers have to depend either on college halls or hotels to release a book. They have to pay rent for it. A Kannada Bhavana will be of great help to both Kannada writers and readers,” he said.

Writer Madhavi Bhandary said that it was difficult for budding writers to pay the high rents of college halls or hotels. “Budding writers will be the major beneficiaries if a Kannada Bhavan is built,” she said.