Children’s LitFest in Barkur from Saturday

Nearly 600 students expected to take part in the two-day sammelan

The Department of Public Instruction, Shantivana Trust and others are jointly conducting the 15th annual District-level Makkala Sahitya Sammelan (Children’s literary meet) at the SRSM National College at Barkur in Udupi district on January 10 and 11.

Addressing presspersons at Barkur on Wednesday, Sajangadde Ram Bhat, chief coordinator of the organising committee, said nearly 600 students from different parts of the district would be participating in the sammelan. The objective of the sammelan was to create interest among children in Kannada literature.

Six seminars would be held during the course of the sammelan.

The topics to be discussed during the seminar include ‘Literature: Reading and Writing’, ‘Role of fine arts in the developing creativity among children’, ‘Literature and values’, ‘Arts and development of personality of children’, ‘Message of Swami Vivekananda’, ‘Problems of teenagers’, and ‘Development of personality through literature’.

S. Praveen, a student of class eight of Government High School at Heskethur village, has been chosen as the president of the Sammelan.

Besides excelling in academics, he was also good at drawing, poetry writing, crafts and clay modelling. He also edited the class journal ‘Balara Prapancha’.

Cultural programmes would be another highlight of the sammelan. The Santana Natyalaya, Mangaluru, will render a cultural performance at 6.30 p.m. on January 10. A programme ‘Rashtradevo Bhava’ would be showcased at 6.30 p.m. on January 11.

An exhibition of folk culture of the district would be held at the venue of the sammelan. Over 240 rural items would be on display at the exhibition.

The venue of the sammelan had been named after the educationist late K.R. Hande. A book exhibition would also be held. Jayashree Arvind, music director and literatteur, would inaugurate the Sammelan at 11 a.m. on January 10, Mr. Bhat said.

Six seminars on both the days

Dance performance at 6.30 p.m. on January 10

‘Rashtradevo Bhava’ at 6.30 p.m. on January 11

Exhibition of folk culture

Book exhibition