Poet Chennaveera Kanavi inaugurats Mysuru Dasara

www.mangaloretoday.com

Mysuru, October 02, 2016: Octogenarian poet Chennaveera Kanavi, who inaugurated the 406th Dasara festivities atop the Chamundi Hill by offering floral tributes to an idol of Chamundeshwari on Saturday, said Dasara or any other government programme should always be observed in a simple way, not just during years of crisis.

 

He was referring to the Cauvery crisis in South Karnataka and the floods in North Karnataka. The inauguration was held in a traditional way with thin attendance of people, unlike in previous years.

“Dasara, as a cultural festival, should be celebrated in all districts in their local flavours to propagate our culture. Just law and rules will not make people civilised, culture is a sure way for civilisation,” he said.

Speaking about the Cauvery and Mahadayi issues, he said, there is a need for a national water policy, based on the recent amendments to international law.

Urging the state government to enact the Anti-Superstition Act, he said, even though social justice, equity and secularism have been enshrined in the Constitution, they have failed to materialise. “Intolerance has resulted in the murder of scholar M M Kalburgi,” Kanavi said.

“Even though there are a few flaws in the draft of the National Education Policy-2016, the positive proposals are introduction of either mother tongue or the official state language in primary education and kindergarten in government schools. So, the state governments should take steps to make their respective official languages the medium of instruction in primary schools,” he said. Badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa and Paralympics gold medalist athlete Deepa Malik were felicitated on the occasion.