Shravanabelagola, the place of the mighty 57-ft. Gomateshwara statue and an important Jain pilgrimage centre, is preparing to host the 81st Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan.
The Kannada Sahitya Parishat, in association with Hassan district administration and the Jain Mutt of Shravanabelagola, is working hard to make the event memorable, as thousands of people are expected to arrive from different parts of State and outside from February 1.
The mutt has taken up the responsibility of providing food and accommodation for the participants. Five dining halls have been constructed, besides one each for policemen on duty, guests and the media. The total expenditure for the event is expected to cross Rs. 7 crore. This is almost double the amount spent for the last sammelan in Madikeri.
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The organisers have booked rooms for guests and delegates at Shravanabelagola, Channarayapatna and Hassan city. The main venue is designed to accommodate over 20,000 people and has been named after Nalwadi Krishanraja Wadiyar, the founder of parishat. More than 600 book-stalls will come up at the venue.
For the first time in the 80-year-old history of the sammelan, as many as 100 CCTV cameras will be installed and 50 police personnel will keep a hawk’s eye on the congregation with handycams. Nearly 1,200 policemen will be on duty in shifts on all four days.
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The event will begin with a procession of Siddalingaiah, poet, who chairs the sammelan. Specially-designed bullock carts will take the poet and office-bearers of parishat in the procession, which will cover main streets of the town. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the sammelan on Sunday.
Tribute to R.K. Laxman
The Karnataka Cartoonists’ Association will hold an exhibition of cartoons at the sammelan in memory of cartoonist R.K. Laxman, who passed away on Monday. The association has invited noted cartoonists and youths interested in this art to participate in the exhibition. A two-day workshop of artists will also be held.