The annual two-day Kittur Utsav, to commemorate the rebellion of Rani Channamma against British rulers in the early 19th century, took off today on a hopeful note that a permanent drinking water supply scheme would be a reality for Kakti village, the native place of the Queen of Kittur, in four months. The celebrations were a low-key affair in view of the prevailing drought conditions and series of farmers’ deaths this year.
Small Scale Industries and District in-charge Miniter Satish L. Jarkiholi, who addressed a gathering at Kakti in the morning, said the permanent drinking water supply scheme for the village, on the outskirts of Belagavi city, would be implemented in the next four months.
He appealed to the farmers not to take the extreme step of committing suicide under financial duress but adopt economical farming practices to improve their lot. Former Mayor Siddangouda Patil, descendant of Rani Channamma Babasaheb Patil, Kakti Gram Panchayat president Suman Shahpurkar and Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram were present.
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Later, the Minister accorded a warm reception to the Kittur Vijay Jyoti (taken out from Rani Channamma’s memorial at Bailhongal town) at Kittur town, which was followed by a cultural procession consisting of various contingents of folk artistes. He also inaugurated an exhibition and a special exhibition organised by Department of Information and Public Relations at Kittur fort premises, the venue of the Kittur Utsav. D.B. Inamdar, MLA, State government’s chief whip Ashok Pattan, MLA, Mahantesh Koujalgi, MLC, and KPCC Mahila Congress president Laxmi R. Hebbalkar were present.
In Belagavi city, various Kannada organisations also celebrated the occasion by garlanding statues of Rani Channamma and Sangolli Rayanna during the day.