Memorial to Bendre in Dharwad in a shambles

Memorial to Bendre in Dharwad in a shambles
The Hindu

DHARWAD: The prestigious Bendre Bhavan, a national memorial erected in memory of the doyen of Kannada poetry and Jnanpith Award winner Da. Ra. Bendre, has been turned into a godown for dumping books that the Department of Kannada and Culture has not been able to sell.

The bhavan, a magnificent edifice constructed at a cost of Rs. 70 lakhs on land donated by the poet's family, is adjacent to the poet's family home in the Sadhanakeri area here.

It overlooks a lake and was conceived as an important centre of learning for students of Kannada literature.

However, the indifference of the Department of Kannada and Culture and the failure of the Government to provide for recurring expenditure have resulted in the structure remaining uncared for.

The Department of Kannada and Culture was using the premises to house the office of the Assistant Director of Kannada and Culture despite a resolution passed by the National Memorial Trust Committee barring the use of the building to house government offices.

Emotional

The former Minister of Kannada and Culture H. Vishwanath, during whose term the project was conceived, became emotional when he paid a visit to the bhavan on Tuesday evening. He could not disguise his anguish over the bureaucratic callousness in the maintenance of the building.

What shocked Mr. Vishwanath initially was the parking of department vehicles in the portico, blocking the magnificent view that the edifice presents to visitors.

"The sight of a government vehicle outside such a place is unimaginable," Mr. Vishwanath said.

More surprises were in store for the former Minister as he went round the complex. The meeting hall at the ground floor looked unkempt with plastic chairs used for functions stacked on one side.

The first floor, which was supposed to have a library of the works of the poet, had been converted into the office of the Assistant Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture and for dumping books of the department.

The showcase held very few books on Bendre and was stacked with publications of the department and other academies marketed by the department.

No new additions

The exhibition hall on the second floor was in a pathetic state. Nothing new has been added after the trust committee's collection of rare photographs of Bendre was put up in the early days of the bhavan.

One of the rooms, which should have exhibited books on scientific works by Bendre, remains empty while a room that should have been a replica of the poet's study is now covered with cobwebs.

The failure of the Government to maintain the building prompted the Bendre family to refuse to part with over 17,000 volumes of the poet's personal collection of books.

Instead, the family chose to house them in the Bendre Research Institute which has been set up in Hubli.

Grants returned

The trust committee has not been able to use the amount of Rs. 5 lakhs given by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development when S.R. Bommai was the Union Minister.

The trust also had to return the donation given by Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd. as it failed to comply with certain stipulations.

Mr. Vishwanath was informed by officials who were present that the Government has not been giving any grants for the upkeep of the memorial and that the fellowship and award given in the name of poet are being given using funds generated internally and contributed by members of the poet's family and admirers.

Speaking with this correspondent Mr. Vishwanath said: "This is a shocking state of affairs. I shall certainly take it up with the Chief Minister."