Honakere Nanjundegowda/DH News Service

Chitradurga, Feb 5: Kannada Sahitya Sammelana President Prof L Basavaraju has said that dalits in the country are deprived of their livelihood even after sixty years of independence.
 
Delivering the presidential address at the inaugural day of the four-day literary fest which commenced here on Wednesday, he alleged that the governments, both at the Centre and the State, have neglected their welfare.

“Dalits continue to lead pathetic lives even after six decades of national independence. While they are deprived of livelihood, their children have no access to education,” he said.

Deviating from a prepared text, Basavaraju, known for his straight remarks, said: “We are caught in the whirlwind of globalisation and liberalisation. The education system has deteriorated with the intervention of the affluent class and mutt heads. Doctorates on sale at universities stand testimony to this stark reality.

Basavaraju requested Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who was also present on the dais, to open exclusive residential schools for children of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
 
“You will certainly retain your power consecutively if you achieve this task,” he said, but with a caution not to entrust the job to incompetent people.

“Valmiki, the author of Ramanayana belongs to Beda (hunter) community. A majority of the people in this district also belong to the same community. However, there is no improvement in their living conditions,” he lamented.

In his 16-page speech, Basavaraju lamented the state interference in literary activities. He  said state control over the institutions constituted for the development of Kannada has defeated the very purpose of their formation.

By restricting their responsibilities to a handful of tasks, Kannada Sahitya Academy, Kannada and Culture Department and Kannada Book Authority have strayed away from laymen.

“Publication of only selected writers’ works, seminars of a skewed kind, failed implementation of Kannada as an administrative language and organising award functions are the only works being carried out by these institutions,” Basasavaraju alleged.

He urged the government to vest Kannada Sahitya Parishat and Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha of Dharwad with the responsibilities of the above three institutions.