Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (KM/AF)

Mangalore, Mar 19: The 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Rashtra Kavi Manjeshwara Govinda Pai will be held on Sunday March 23 at Govinda Pai Memorial Hall, Manjeshwara.

The celebrations will be followed by foundation stone laying ceremony for Gilivindu project and presentation of Govinda Pai National Award, said B V Kakkillaya, president of Karnataka Samithi here at a press conference on Wednesday March 19. The award will be presented to eminent scholar and noted Kannada writer Dr L Basavaraju, by Kannada Development Authority chairman Dr Siddalingayya.

The celebrations will be inaugurated by Dr M Veerappa Moily, chairman of Union Administrative Reforms Commission and M A Baby, minister for education and culture, government of Kerala will lay the foundation stone, he added.

MP P Karunakaran and director of department of Kannada and culture Manu Baligar will be the chief guests for the inaugural ceremony.

'Nandadivige,' a souvenir will be released on the occasion by I M Vittal Murthy, principal secretary of department of Kannada and culture, which will be followed by a literary meet and various cultural programmes, he added.

MLAs C T Ahammed Ali, K V Kunhiraman, Pallipram Balan, K Kunhiraman, district panchayat president Balakrishnan Master, former Kerala minister Cherkalam Abdullah, Manjeshwara block panchayat president Golden Abdul Khader and Manjeshwara gram panchayat president U A Khader will be felicitated on the occasion.

When asked about the funds sanctioned for the programme, Kakkillaya said 'we have received Rs 30 lac and Rs 20 lac from Karnataka and Kerala governments respectively.'

Tejomaya and others were present at the press conference.