Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Nov 26: The 12th edition of Alva''s Nudisiri, the cultural extravaganza organized by Alav''s Education Foundation, began on a grand note at Moodbidri on Thursday November 26.
A colourful procession highlighting the culture and tradition of Tulunadu marked the beginning of the event.
The event was inaugurated by literatteur Dr Veena Shanteshwara.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Shanteshwar said, "It is a unique experience for me to inaugurate Alva's Nudisiri. Moodbidri is a place of cultural, religious and literary richness, and also inter-religious harmony and tolerance.
Lauding Dr Mohan Alva, Dr Shanteshwar said, "If a person has a vision, moral standing, willpower and persistence, and if other like-minded people join hands with that person, then miracles can happen. The perfect example for this is Dr Mohan Alva. This programme is a role model to the entire country."
Echoing the views of several other literary figures on the issue of 'intolerance' in the country, she said, "Intolerance is growing in the country, hence, in the present scenario, it is essential to understand the meaning of harmony. Today there is violence, impatience and intolerance, and to counter them, we need music, literature and art in order to build our courage. Hence programmes like Nudisiri are important.
"Progress of the country is possible only through tolerance. If our country has to move economically forward, there should be an environment where anything can be questioned openly. Intolerance is a problem not only in our country. Recently, actor Kamal Hasan pointed out that intolerance in country was not new and no political party should be targetted over this. The recent terror attacks in France are a black dot on the entire civilization," she added.
On the theme of the event 'Karnataka: Hosatanada Hudukata', she said, "Looking for something new is fundamental to human behaviour. Be it literature, science, agriculture, industry or education, active minds will always search for new things."
Calling for a change in the education system, she said, "Today, education has become a burden on youngsters. We have to make education in Karnataka and India more child-friendly, so that it becomes more attractive to children. Ninety-percent of the universities in the country have old syllabus and old system, hence they are not able to rank among the best in the world. This was opined by scientist Bharat Ratna Dr C N R Rao, who also felt that we are not using modern technology enough in imparting education to children."
Commenting on water dispute in the state, she said, "Water disputes like Mahadeyi and Yettinahole can be solved through national-level talks. The chief ministers of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra along with experts should come together and our Prime Minister should intervene and take the initiative to solve the matter, while also ensuring that nobody faces injustice. We need a national water policy.
"We also require a national agricultural policy to fix scientific rates for agricutural produce, provide good seeds and fertilizers, proper irrigatiion facility and impart knowledge about agriculture. All politicians and experts should work on this. If it is done, farmer suicides can be prevented," she opined.
Stressing on the need for a strict law against sexual harassment and rape, she said, "Sexual harassment of women is increasing. Though the Nirbhaya case shook the entire country, rape cases are increasing unabated and culprits continue to escape the law. Government should strengthen the law on rape and speed up the justice system. No matter to which religion, caste or creed the culprit belongs, he should be punished."
Veteran scholar Dr T V Venkatachala Shastry presided over the inaugural ceremony.
In his address, Dr Shastry explained the history of the land and its languages. Commenting on the state of affairs in the country, he said, "Earlier, there used to be a mutual understanding and bond between the society and literary figures, but now it seems to be diminshing. There is a conflict and it is leading towards dangerous consequences.
"In the past few years, there have been attacks on intellectuals and literary figures, which is very painful and condemnable, and needs to be punished. We recently lost Prof Kalburgi. The society should protect the interests of literatteurs and literatteurs should protect the interests of society. Both sides should have patience and analyze. There are many problems in the country which affect the state and society. Other countries also have faced problems at various times. We have to seek solutions through tolerance, vision and harmony, without interference of any political interest."
Dr Mohan Alva felicitated both Dr Veena Santheshwara and Dr Venkatachala Shastry.
More than 200 guests including Dr Hampa Nagaraj and his wife Kamala Hampa, Erya Laxminarayana Alva, Harshendra Kumar, Prof Prabhakar, Amarnath Shetty, Sripathi Shastry and others were present on the dais.
Nearly 35,000 people gathered at the venue for the event.
Senior journalist Manohar Prasad compered the ceremony.