Belgaum Jamboree Ends
Belgaum, Mar 13 (DHNS): Curtains came down on the three-day World Kannada Conference (WKC) here on Sunday at a glittering closing ceremony as Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced that a proposal to rename Belgaum as Belgavi had been sent to the Union government.
“Now with the demand (for renaming Belgaum) gathering more momentum, we along with Union ministers from the State would apprise the union government about the aspirations of the people and urge that the city should be given a Kannada name”, the chief minister said while delivering his valedictory address at the WKC.
The city witnessed a three-day virtual feast with lakhs of people from the district, other places in the state and Kannadigas residing across the country and abroad converging in large numbers to witness the festivities.
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said he was overwhelmed by the success of the event which would inspire the youth to carry the legacy of Kannada forward.
It was grand curtains to the World Kannada Conference on Sunday as thousands of artistes from all parts of the state and the country displayed and enthralled the audience.
The Kittur Rani Chennamma stage was filled with artistes, Kannada litterateurs and people from all walks of Kannada society.
Sahana Bhat Srinivasa Henchur and others, a team from Hubli and Dharwad, performed ‘Vishwa Vinuthana Vidyachetana’ - the song composed for the glory of Karnataka - lighting up the entire stadium. Beginning with the birth of the Kannada language, it traced its history and praised the kings who made Karnataka culturally rich.
Dignitaries’ address
The valedictory programme ended with dignitaries from various fields including Minister Govind Karjol, Council Chairman D H Shankar Murthy and senior journalist, Patil Puttappa addressing thousands of people present on the occasion.
Litterateur Dr D Javare Gowda urged the Yeddyurappa government to levy heavy taxes on English medium schools so that it helped promote Kannada education.
Gowda also demanded that Kannada should be implemented at all levels of administration and jobs should be given to Kannada medium educated graduates.
Patil Puttappa, a senior journalist, speaking on the occasion, warned forces trying to divide people on linguistic grounds and called upon the people of Belgaum not be influenced by such ‘outsiders.’He said Kannada and Marathi might be two different languages, but are similar in culture and tradition.
Meet triggers NRK interest in Belgaum
Delegates bowled over by all that it had to offer and enthusiasm of its residents
Belgaum has received a pat on its back from the 200 Non Residents Kannadiga (NRK) delegates attending the World Kannada Convention (WKC). They are thrilled by the enthusiasm shown by the people of the City.
The City, dogged by the border dispute and negligence by successive governments, has now been portrayed in positive light. Thanks to the WKC, to which the region played a perfect host, the visitors are now keen to come back.
Describing the event as a grand success, the visitors said they had never seen such enthusiasm among the people.
“We never expected so many people to come. It is a pleasure to see such huge response. The procession on Day One was colourful,” said Sadhana Shankar, a resident of New Jersey. She said she loved the food of North Karnataka, especially the taste of ‘kunda,’ a popular sweet of Belgaum.
Amarnathgowda, chairman of the Association of Kannada Kootas of America (AKKA) and a resident of Detroit, congratulated the government for the success of the event and said it was a massive programme with colourful events, especially folk art performances.
“We never thought people would sit through the late hours and attend all the events spread across 15 venues,” he said.
Ravish Gowda, a hotelier from Dubai, expressing happiness over the arrangements, said he had heard about Belgaum, but was visiting it for the first time.
“I liked this place. The programme was great and weather is favourable. I am even planning to extend my business here, if given a chance,” he said.
The book exhibition and the food were the main attractions for the delegates. “The book expo is huge. We never saw such a huge collection. It is a fantastic experience,” said Dr H Vishwamitra, former secretary, AKKA and a resident of Texas.
Shankar Shetty, a resident of New Jersey and director of AKKA and Amarnathgowda, appreciated the local delicacies, especially ‘kardantu’ and jowar roti. They said, except the regulation of traffic flow, everything at WKC was good.
“The events were planned and organised meticulously and the people also were not bored,” said Amarnathgowda. Shetty had a word of praise for the City police, especially Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil, saying, “I found the police personnel handling things calmly.”
Srinivas, an industrialist from Toronto, felt at home in the city. Having stayed for about a year in the city in the early 80s, he said it had the potential to grow. “This city has grown substantially since then. There is no scarcity of basic infrastructure. But what we need is proper planning,” he said.
However, the delegates have some suggestions for the State. “They should have planned better to avoid the stampede at the entrance on Day One,” said Srinivas.
Ravish Gowda said the government should have ensured that the airfares were kept low as there were many people with lesser income who wanted to be a part of the mega event.