Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Apr 9: The 40th annual State Journalists’ Conference of the Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association (KUWJ) will be held for two consecutive days on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, under the leadership of state president Shivanand Tagadur. The event will take place at the Lokanayak Dr Bhimanna Khandre stage at Zeera Convention Hall, Navadgeri, Janawada Road, Bidar.
During the conference, journalists from across Karnataka who have excelled in various fields of Kannada journalism will be honoured. For the first time, a special award will also be presented recognising the outstanding service of Kannada journalists working outside the state, particularly in Maharashtra. Senior journalist Sridhar Uchil of Karnataka Malla Kannada daily has been selected for this prestigious honour.
The inaugural function will be held on Saturday at 11.00 am and will be inaugurated by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar will inaugurate the exhibition. Forest, ecology and environment minister and Bidar district in-charge Eshwar Khandre, who is also the reception committee president, will release the souvenir. Minister for municipal administration Rahim Khan will inaugurate the photo exhibition, while Bidar MP Sagar Khandre will inaugurate the cartoon exhibition.
Religious heads including Poojya Dr Channaveer Shivacharya of Harakud Hiremath, Basavakalyan, and Nadoja Dr Basavalinga Pattaddevaru, president of Anubhava Mantapa Trust, Basavakalyan, will be present as special guests. Former minister Rajshekhar Patil Humanabad will also be present. Bidar district working journalists’ association president Anand Devappa will deliver the introductory address, while Vishweshwar Bhat, editor-in-chief of Vishwavani, will deliver the keynote address.
Legislative Council members Dr Chandrashekhar Patil and Dr Bhimrao Patil, Basavakalyan MLA Sharanu Salagar, Bidar Urban Development Authority president Basavaraj Jabashetty, former MLA and NICE chairman Ashok Kheny, Shaheen Educational Institution president Dr Abdul Khadeer, Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Bidar president Sardar Dr Balbir Singh, Lingayat leader Gurunath Kollur, Bidar deputy commissioner Shilpa Sharma, superintendent of police Pradeep Gunti, Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Girish Badole, ADMAC committee member Shivakumar K Swami, Kannada Prabha Kalaburagi bureau chief and ADMAC member Apparao Saudi, among others, will participate as dignitaries.
A grand procession of dignitaries will be taken out at 9.00 am from Basaveshwara Circle to the venue. The procession will be inaugurated by Sri Gurubasava Pattaddevaru of Hiremath Bhalki, Sri Nijagunananda Swami of Nishkala Mantapa Bailur, and B K Pratima Behenji of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Centre, Bidar.
A total of four seminars will be held over the two days. The first seminar on ‘Gandhi, Ambedkar and Journalism’ will be held at 2.00 pm and inaugurated by Law and parliamentary affairs minister H K Patil. Legislative Council member and senior journalist K Shivakumar, senior journalist Belaguru Sameeullah, and Vijay Karnataka editor Sudarshan Channangihalli will participate, with N Ravikumar moderating the session.
The second seminar on ‘Kalyana Karnataka Development and Media’ will be held at 3.30 pm under the chairmanship of B V Mallikarjunayya, president of the Indian Journalists’ Union, Delhi, and will be inaugurated by Prajavani editor Ravindra Bhat Ainakai. Special guests include Sri Shivananda Mahaswami of Hulsoor and Dr Gangambike Akka of Basavaseva Pratishtana, Bidar. Speakers include Ramu Patil, assistant resident editor of The New Indian Express, senior journalist Dr Nirmala Yaligar, and Kannada Prabha senior special correspondent Sheshamurthy Avadhani. B R Udaykumar, Hassan district reporter of Indian Express, and Kannada Sahitya Parishat district president Suresh Chanashetti will respond. The session will be moderated by Somashekhar Keragodu.
An interactive session on border issues with Karnataka Border Development Authority chairman Somanna Bevinamar will be held at 5.00 pm, followed by a lecture on ‘Media and Industry’ at 5.30 pm by Public TV Belagavi district reporter Dilipkumar Kurundawade. Bhavani Singh Thakur will anchor the session. A musical evening will be held from 7.00 pm as part of the cultural programme.
On Sunday, April 12, a delegates’ meet and general body meeting will be held at 9.45 am under the chairmanship of Shivanand Tagadur. General secretary G C Lokesh will present the report, while vice-president H B Madanagouda will deliver the introductory remarks. Vice-presidents Mattikere Jayaram and Ajjamada Ramesh Kuttappa, secretaries Somashekhar Keragodu, Ningappa and Chavadi Pundalik B Balogi, and treasurer Vasudeva Holla M will participate in the proceedings.
The third seminar on ‘Rights and Journalists’ will be held at 11.30 am under the chairmanship of Karnataka Information Commission member B Venkatasingh and will be inaugurated by commissioner Rudranna Hartikote. Commissioner Badruddin will present the topic. Speakers include Samyukta Karnataka assistant editor K V Paramesh, Kalaburagi journalists’ association president Baburao Yadrami, senior journalist Mohammed Basha Goolyam, and Chidanand Patel from Bengaluru.
The fourth seminar on ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Impact of Digitalisation’ will be held at 12.30 pm under the chairmanship of Karnataka Media Academy president Ayesha Khanum and will be inaugurated by Kannada Prabha editor-in-chief Ravi Hegde. Suvarna TV news editor Prashanth Nathu and Prajavani senior journalist S Rashmi will participate. Mattikere Jayaram will moderate the session.
Members of the KUWJ Maharashtra unit, including founder president Rons Bantwal, president Dr Shiva Moodigere, honorary treasurer Sadaram N Shetty Sampadamane, and Karnataka Journalists’ Association Maharashtra president Dr G P Kusuma, along with awardee Sridhar Uchil and several others from Mumbai, will take part in the conference.
The organisers have appealed to journalists from across the state and outside Karnataka to participate in large numbers and make the conference a grand success.