Pics by Sphoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Oct 23: To symbolically protest against the delaying tactics employed by the union government in according the 'classical' status to Kannada and the step-motherly treatment meted out to the language by the central government departments, activists of Dakshina Kannada district unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) laid siege to the Mangalore Junction (Kankanady) railway station on Thursday October 23.
KRV activists led by office- bearers, then, handed over a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister of the country through the station master of the railway station. Through the memorandum, the KRV has reminded the central government that Kannada is older than many of the world's leading languages including English and Hindi and that Kannada is the language which has won the highest number of Jnan Pith awards. Because of the pressure exerted by politicians from Tamil Nadu, the central government is keeping the demand of according the classical status to the language in limbo, it has alleged.
The KRV has demanded for providing employment for Kannadigas in various central government departments on priority, building of Kannada Bhavan and Kannada College in Talapady of Kasargod district and making it mandatory for all the institutions, organizations, central government departments and commercial establishments in the state to display their name boards in Kannada.
While warning of taking up a strong struggle for the cause of these demands, the KRV has informed that a huge vehicular jatha will be taken out from Kadri Park to the office of the district deputy commissioner at 10 am on November 9, led by writers, pro-Kannada organizations, district-in-charge minister etc. It has asked the citizens to join this jatha and make it a success.
The KRV will be hoisting the Kannada flag at Rashtrakavi Govind Pai Circle on November 1, after which fruits will be distributed to the poor patients at Lady Goschen hospital.