Media Release

Udupi, Dec 13: Manipal Universal Press, a unit of the Academy of Higher Education, organized a multilingual regional poetry symposium to celebrate Rashtriya Bhasha Utsav on December 12, announced by UGC to mark Subrahmanya Bharathi's birth anniversary, at Sirigannada Pustaka Malige, MAHE.

During the event titled ‘Sumadhura Bhashini’, poems from different languages were presented. The poets had composed them in diverse regional languages that they also translated into Kannada. Sujayeendra Hande, Anu Belle, Vasanthi Ambalapady, Poornima Janardhan, Yakubu  Khadar Gulvady, Raveendra Nayak Sannakkibettu, Pangala Babu Koraga, Jayadeva Hiranya, Rucha Sahasrabudhe were the poets who linguistically represented Kundakannada, Tulu, Beary, Konkani, Koraga, Havigannada and Marathi respectively. Additionally, Vandematharam was presented in Tulu and other regional languages. 

The chief guest, Poornima, director at the Kannada and Culture department of Udupi District, described how language is not just a tool for communication, but also a mirror of human feelings. When writers are unable to find expression in simple speech, they turn to poetry to express nuanced, deeper feelings. She also elaborated how by exploring Indian culture through the lens of Indian languages, a poetry symposium of this nature makes it possible to see Indian culture from a different perspective.

Chief guest Prof Rahul Putty, HoD, Languages, said, "Language is a window through which we can interpret a society, a culture, and a way of life. Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, has launched a Centre for Kannada and Regional Language Studies with teaching and research clusters focusing on language pedagogy, translation and literary studies.

‌Dr Neeta Inamdar, chief editor, Manipal Universal Press emphasized during her presidential address that India has a multi-linguistic and multi-cultural diversity. "There is a culture associated with each language. Multilingualism is essential for understanding multicultural India. Manipal Universal Press is working constructively to bring out multilingual books," she said.

The marketing assistant at Manipal Universal Press, Kavya D Saliyan introduced the guests.