Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal

Bantwal, May 25: Odiyoor Sri Gurudevananda Swami of Sri Gurudevadatta Samsthana emphasized that Tuluvas must unite and fight for the survival of their language and culture. He cautioned that in the rush to embrace modernity, the community must not lose its originality.

He was delivering the benedictory address after inaugurating the release of Tulu books, a poetry session, and a prize distribution ceremony. The event, organized on the occasion of the anniversary of Mangaluru's 'Tuluvere Kala', was held at the Odiyoor Sri Gurudeva Jnanamandira on Sunday, May 24.

Highlighting the importance of inner awareness, the seer stated that one needs both 'arive' (clothing) and 'arivu' (knowledge) in their heart. He urged the community to harness 'matrushakti' (women's power) and 'yuvashakti' (youth power) to preserve the language and culture, noting that one must visit the coastal region to witness the true beauty of this cultural heritage.

Multilingual writer Muddu Moodubelle, Seraje Ganapathi Bhat of Odiyoor Sri Gurudeva Vidyapeetha, lecturer Raghu Idkidu, journalist and organizer Mithun Udupa, and writers Rupakala Alva and Narayana Rai Kukkuvalli participated as chief guests.

Four Tulu books, namely 'Bana Chandrame', 'Guttugonji Kalata Suttu', 'Paer Parnd', and 'Pada Paaddana', were released during the event.

Vishwanath Kulal Mittur, Prashanth Acharya, and Hamsaraga Shetty were felicitated on the occasion.

In the Tulu children's poetry category, Divya Rai, Permukha Subrahmanya Bhat Sharada, and Banashree Avinash secured prizes. Meanwhile, P Ramakrishna Shastri and Savitha S Bhat Advayi won prizes in the Tulu children's story writing competition.

Padmanabha Poojary led the prayer. Geetha of Tuluvere Kala welcomed the gathering. Jayarama Padre proposed the vote of thanks, and Renuka Kaniyoor compered the programme. Following the formal stage function, 31 poets participated in a poetry recitation session.