CM inaugurates 87th All India Kannada Literature Conference

Mandya: The 87th All India Kannada Literature Conference (Akhil Bharath Kannada Sahitya Sammelana) was officially inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today with a lamp lighting ceremony. The inaugural event saw the participation of several dignitaries, including Nirmalanandanath Swami, G.R. Channabasappa, and ministers such as Cha-luvarayaswamy, Mahadeveppa, Shivraj Tangadagi, as well as conference chairperson U.T. Khader and eminent writer Chandrashekhara Kambara among others.

The legislators and ministers also inaugurated the main gates, entry points, book stalls, and commercial stalls at the venue. This year’s theme for the literature conference is “Hombale Aralisi Kannada Nudi Aralali,” aiming to celebrate and enrich the Kannada language. MLA Narendra Swamy delivered a lecture on the constitutional framework at the conference.

For the first time in 30 years, the 87th All India Kannada Literature Conference is being held in the sugar city of Mandya, offering a grand celebration of language and culture over three days.

The festivities for the Kannada Language Festival are taking place in a sprawling 70-acre area behind the Sanjivani Hospital on the outskirts of Mandya. A grand entrance resembling the KRS Dam has been constructed. The main stage has been named after Rani Kempegowda and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Additionally, a magnificent plat-form dedicated to Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail has also been erected.

The seating arrangement accommodates around 30,000 people, and two parallel platforms are available for discussion sessions.The honorary president of the conference, Go.Ru. Channabasappa, was ceremoniously escorted to the stage through a grand procession from the statue of Sir M. Visves-varaya. The entire city has been adorned with Dussehra-style lighting in honor of the lit-erature conference. For literature enthusiasts, there are 450 book stalls and 350 com-mercial stalls set up. Given the anticipation of large crowds, a variety of traditional foods have been prepared, with 150 counters set up for breakfast and lunch featuring a single menu for all attendees.

Robust security measures have been implemented under the leadership of South Range DIG Dr. Boralingayya. Police officers and personnel have been deployed from 14 dis-tricts. The deployment includes 4 Superintendents of Police, 6 Deputy Superintendents, 21 Inspectors, 63 Police Inspectors, 190 Sub-Inspectors, 215 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 1,700 Head Constables and Constables, 165 female constables, and 1,000 Home Guard personnel, totaling about 4,000 staff members. In addition, a 20-acre area has been allocated for parking, and route diversions have been made on the expressway. Free bus services have been arranged for participants traveling from all taluks of the district to attend the literature conference.

For the first time, a police band has also been organized, and holidays have been declared for all schools and colleges in the district.