Stress on protecting Dharwad lakes

Stress on protecting Dharwad lakes
Newindpress.com

Wednesday February 1 2006

DHARWAD: Da Ra Bendre’s literary works should be preserved, opined Dr U R Ananthmurthy, Gnanapeeth awardee.

He was speaking at the ‘Ambikathanayadatta’ national award and fellowship presentation ceremony organised by Da Ra Bendre Rashtriya Trust, in connection with Bendre’s 110th birth anniversary here on Tuesday.

Ananthmurthy underscored the need for protecting the lakes of Dharwad, which had been the perennial source of inspiration for the poet, and now the same lakes were on the verge of extinction in the city, he said.

The Bendre Trust had to work on the lines of Kuvempu Trust, a trust constituted to look after the locality that inspired poet Kuvempu, because it was the lakes of Dharwad that inspired Bendre to write epics like ‘Sakhigeetha’ and ‘Nakuthanthee’, he added.

While examining the works of Bendre, he said concepts like ‘imperfect understanding’ and ‘egotism sublime’ were unparallaled when compared with works of great poets of 20th century like William Blake and Wordsworth.

Disorder and nostalgia of the mind had always been the spirit and driving force for Bendre to write eternal poems, he added.

Recalling life with Bendre, G S Amur, critic, said Bendre had never opposed criticism in the right spirit and was a guide and philosopher for young writers.

Dr M M Kalburgi, president of the Bendre Trust urged the state government to assist the Trust with more financial support.

The annual grant presently given by the state was about Rs 1 lakh, which was not enough for undertaking various novel programmes in commemoration of Bendre, he added.

Karnataka Sangha of Shimoga and G S Amur, critic, were given ‘Ambikathanayadatta national award’ which has a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a bronze statue of the poet in recognition of their service rendered to preserve and spread the values propogated by poet, Bendre.

Gundanna Kalburgi, Vithal Rao Gaikwad, Dr Shridhar Bhadran Hegde and Dr Veena Kulkarni, were presented the Bendre fellowships for research work on Bendre’s work.

On the occasion, a website prepared by SDM Engineering College, Dharwad, on Bendre’s life and literary works, was inaugurated by H V Sudhakar, Principal of the engineering college.

Panduranga Udupa, president of Karnataka Sangha, Shimoga, spoke on the occasion.

Shyam Sunder Bidarakundi, Chennaveera Kanavi, Giraddi Govindaraj, Siddalinga Pattana Shetty and Veena Shantheshwar, were present.