Mangalore: Kannada Nudi Teru Artistes Treated Poorly, Apathy of Officials Exposed
Prakash Samaga
Pic: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Oct 14: Kannada Nudi Teru campaign, though organized with an object of creating awareness about the language and culture of Kannadigas, has brought to light the negligence and lack of committment on the part of the organizers, a fact which was evident in the poor arrangements made for the artistes.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Pavan, one among the team members of Dollu Kunita and a member of Kempegowda Janapada Kala Sangha, Ramanagar district, Bangalore, said that he was a BESCOM employee, but interest and passion towards art brought him to take part in the event.
However, when the team of 60 artistes reached the hall in Kadri temple premises at 7 pm, nobody was there to arrange blankets or pillows for them to sleep overnight. It was only later that the officials of Kannada Development Authority themselves came and saw that artistes were given blankets and pillows to sleep.
This was not Pavan's experience alone, but also Ramakrishna's, a second-year PUC student who was also of the same opinion. Female artistes, members of Puja Kunita team from Mandya also expressed the same.
Mukyamantri Chandru, chairman of KDA, too voiced his disappointment at the lack of facilities and arrangements for the visiting artistes, especially regarding the way they were forced to spend the night.
Nagaraj Moorthi, convener of Janapada Jathre said that it was the task of Kannada and Culture department assistant director Mangala Nayak to ensure that arrangements were made for artistes as the tahsildar had assigned the responsibility to her. Nevertheless, there seemed to be confusion among the organisers and officials as to who was supposed to take care of the arrangements.
A few other artistes were of the opinion that when film actors or celebrities visit the city, they are given priority and all sorts of facilities like stay at star hotels, posh cars etc. But artistes who work with passion to safeguard and enrich the culture and tradition of the land are accorded such poor hospitality, they lamented.