Pics: Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Dec 24 (DHNS): The renovation work of Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Memorial building (poet's residence) will be completed by May 2014 and the construction of new auditorium building— Bhavanika will be completed by next December, promised Kasargod District Collector and Executive Secretary of Govinda Pai Memorial Trust, P S Mohammed Sagir to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Veerappa Moily.
While speaking after inaugurating the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of Bhavanika and restoration work of Poet's residence at Govinda Pai Memorial here on Monday, it was Moily himself persuaded the district collector to make an assurance regarding the completion of the work.
Moily said that the entire Gilivindu project—comprising construction of museum, open air-theatre, three guest houses, restoration of poet's residence, compound wall, landscaping etc—will be completed before the onset of monsoon.
“Kerala poet Vallathol and Govinda Pai were accorded Rashtrakavi status at the same time by the erstwhile Madras government. But when memorial for Vallathol has come up decades back, no one took interest in the case of Govinda Pai—Neither Kerala nor Karnataka government,” he lamented.
The Union Minister maintained that Kannada received classical language status mainly for the authentic and non-parallel in-depth works of Govinda Pai.
Gilivindu project
Kasargod District Collector Mohammed Sagir explained that Rs 35 lakh is the budget outlay for the renovation of Rashtrakavi memorial. The Union government will bear the cost.
The proposed state-of-the-art museum, Nalanda will cost Rs three crore and that also will be funded by centre. Out of the three guest houses—Vaisakhi, Saketha and Ananda—barring Ananda, construction of the other two have been completed spending Rs 28 lakhs. For the three crore estimated Bhavanika auditorium, Kerala and Karnataka governments will share Rs 50 lakh each, Rs 1.25 crore by Bharat Petroleum Corporation limited (BPCL) and 35 lakh from ONGC.
The whole project will come up in 83 acres of land available at the premises of Rashtrakavi's residence.
Kasargod Member of Parliament P Karunakaran presided over. Minister for forest, environment and ecology Ramanath Rai, BPCL Marketing Director K K Guptha, Trust working president, D K Chowta among others spoke. MRPL Managing Director P P Upadhya, K Thejomaya were present.