The Hindu

Mangalore, Oct 9: The Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy will organise a World Beary Meet here next year in order to bring the Bearys settled in different parts of the world together and promote the community’s culture and literature.

Beary, a small Muslim community concentrated mainly in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, has a unique culture and language of its own with Kannada as its script.

Abdul Rahman, president of the academy, told presspersons here on Thursday that there were about 14 lakh Bearys spread all over the world. A large number of Bearys, particularly the youth, were settled in the Gulf. Stating that Beary had been recognised as an ancient language and it had a rich unwritten literature and folklore, Mr. Rahman said that the academy would promote research in this regard.

Sushila Upadhyaya, member of the academy, had done Ph.D. on Beary language. This language and culture was facing the threat of extinction. Hence, the academy was keen on initiating steps to revive and protect the language, Mr. Rahman said.

It would bring out books to encourage writers in this language. It would honour three writers, including a poet, a short-story writer, and three others soon, he said.

The Karnataka Government had released Rs. 5 lakh of the Rs. 20 lakh it had sanctioned to the academy. Based on an assurance by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the academy had submitted a proposal seeking an additional grant of Rs. 20 lakh, he said.

Mr. Rahman said that the new office of the academy would be inaugurated at the Presidium Complex on Attavar Road here on Saturday by district in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar.