Bandh to Greet Thiruvalluvar’s Statue Unveiling  on Aug 9
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

BANGALORE, AUG 3: Notwithstanding opposition from Kannada activists, the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government in Karnataka has taken the courage to give its consent for unveiling the statue of the celebrated Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar in Bangalore, 18 years after its installation near the  Halasuru Lake on August 9, even as the various Kannada outfits have decided to observe a bandh in the city.

Fortunately for the Yeddyurappa regime, majority of the participants including leading Kannada writers and leaders of different opposition political parties like Congress, JD(S), JD(U) and the Communists pledged their support to the government’s move to allow the unveiling of the statue at a function on the coming Sunday, in which Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi would participate.

Even as the decision taken at the three-hour-long  all party meeting held at Vidhana Soudha spread, leaders of Kannada activists like Karnataka Rakshnana Vedike convenor R S N Gowda, Kannada film producer and Dr Raj Kumar Fans Association President Sa. Ra. Govindu, Prabhakar Reddy and  Kannada Chaluvali leader and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj  and their supporters staged a noisy protest and dharna in front of the state secretariat.

The unveiling of the statue of Tamil poet-saint was stalled following opposition to installation of a statue of noted Kannada poet Sarvagnya at Ayanavaram Park in Chennai and also the vexed inter-state Cauvery river water dispute and the more recent Hogennakal drinking water project to cater to the neighbouring Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts of the neighbouring state.

Backed by the support extended by the leaders of all political parties and leading Kannada writers in favour of the government’s decision in favour of unveiling the statue on the ground that it would help  ``furthering the ties between two states in the federal arrangement,’’ the chief minister declared that the government was committed to ``protect Karnataka’s interests on land, water rights and language issues.’’

"Saint-poets like Thiruvalluvar and Sarvagna, who have ruled the imagination of the people  of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for several centuries, were above regional boundaries and languages,’’ Yeddyurappa said adding: ``Both poets preached universal brotherhood and peace.’’

Incidentally, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi has already arrived in Bangalore, ostensibly for a ``week-long rest at his daughter’s residence in Bangalore’’ and has agreed to unveil the statue of Thiruvalluvar on Sunday.

The Tamil Nadu government has already issued an order regarding unveiling the statue of Sarvagna in Chennai, the chief minister said.

Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated Tamil poet-saint, who wrote the epic Thirukkural, a classic work on ethics in Tamil literature.  The word ``Thiru’’ in Thiruvalluvar Tamil means a polite salutation like ``Sri’’ or ``Mr’’ and ``Valluvar’’ is a polite Tamil name ``Valluvan’’ and ``Thirukkural’’ is regarded as the most revered ancient Tamil work with ``Kural’’ being considered as ``World Common Faith.’’ Like Bible and Quran, Thirukkural has been translated into over 60 languages with Constanzo Beschi translating it into Latin as far back as in 1730 and a Christian missionery and educationist Rev Dr G U Pope translated it into English in 1886. Thirukkural is divided into three sections of  133 chapters of 10 couplets each with a total of 1330 couplets.

The Kannada poet-saint Sarvagna is believed to have lived in the first of the sixteenth century. The name Sarvagna in Sanskrit means ``all-unknowing’’ depicting the poet-saint’s humility despite the vast knowledge and philosophical content in the three-line Vachanas or triplets.  Sarvagna is believed to be the pseudonym  of the Kannada poet-saint, who grew up a wandering monk. Scholars believe that the poet-saint’s father was a Shaivaite Brahmin and his mother was a Shudra or untouchable widow named Mali. Sarvagna is believed to have written about 2,000 three-liners, though scholars believe that some of the triplets attributed to the poet-saint may have been written by others much later. The protestant missionary Rev Uttangi Channappa of Dharwad had popularized the Sarvagna’s vachanas.

Prior to the all-party meeting, Kannada Chaluvali Vatal leader Vatal Nagaraj and leaders of pro-Kannada organisations strongly opposed unveiling of the Thiruvalluvar’s statue and urged the Government to exert pressure on the Tamil Nadu government to withdraw a petition field in the Chennai High Court challenging the Centre’s decision to grant the classical status to Kannada and drop the multi-crore drinking water project at Hogenakkal.

Tamil Nadu Government should also cooperate with Karnataka to set right injustice meted out to the State in the sharing of Cauvery waters, they said.

"If you allow unveiling of the Tiruvalluvar statue,  Dr Rajkumar’s soul will not rest in peace. The S M Krishna government had agreed to install the Tamil poet’s statue following the demand by slain forest brigand Veerappan who had kidnapped Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar,’’ Vatal Nagaraj said.

Yeddyurappa declared that he would discuss all problems mentioned in the meeting with his Tamil Nadu counterpart and sincerely work for solving them. ``For me peoples’ interests are far more important than the Chief Minister’s chair,’’ he said.

Based on a suggestion given by Kannada Sangha of Chennai, the decision was taken to install the Sarvagna’s statue at Ayanavaram Park in Chennai as a large number of Kannadigas were residing around the Park. The Tamil Nadu Government had announced the unveiling of the Sarvajna’s statue in its State budget recently.

"I have also made an announcement in the Legislative Assembly about unveiling the Thiruvalluvar’s statue in Bangalore,’’ the chief minister said.

He said the Chennai High Court has admitted the writ petition challenging the classical status to Kannada language and had not issued any stay orders. He would take a delegation to New Delhi and apprise the Prime Minister on injustice meted out to the Kannada language. More funds would be sought from the Centre for promotion of the language, the Chief Minister said.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President R V Deshpande, Leaders of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and Council, Siddaramaiah and V S Ugrappa, respectively, M C Nanaiah of the JD-S, M P Nadagouda of the JD (U), Marasandra Muniyappa of BSP, V G K Nair of the CPI (M), Kannada writers and thinkers spoke and welcomed the Government’s decision to unveil the statue of Thiruvalluvar.

Rashtrakavi Prof G S Shivarudrappa, Kannada Sahitya Parishad President Nallur Prasad, historian Suryanath Kamath, researcher M Chidanandamurthy, former Mysore University Vice-Chancellor D Javare Gowda, veteran journalist Patil Puttappa, former Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Hampa Nagarajaiah, Kannada Book Authority Chairman Siddhalingaiah, Kannada Development Authority Chairman ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru, writer Pradhan Guruduth, and several other writes hailed the Government’s decision.

Prof Shivarudrappa,  said that it was a good opportunity to improve ties between the two States in a federal set up. Tiruvalluvar and Sarvajna were not restricted to a particular language or religion. Their works had been translated into many languages, he said.

Prof Javare Gowda urged the Government that the statue of Sarvajna should be installed in a prominent place in Chennai. ``The government should see that it is installed in a prime location,’’ he said.