Mandya: The commemorative souvenir Belladarathi, prepared to mark the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, was ceremoniously released on Sunday. The compilation was brought out to mark the Sammelana held in Mandya from Dec 20 to 22 last year.Speaking after the release, Sammelana president Go Ru Channabasappa described Belladarathi as a symbol of pride and devotion for the Kannada literary world. “This will remain an unforgettable milestone,” he said. The souvenir, running over 1,000 pages, carries 132 articles across five sections: Sammelana presidents, Karnataka, India and the World, Developing India, and Sweet Mandya. Channabasappa noted that the compilation reflects the cultural identity of Mandya district and will serve as an important literary document.“Today, our nation is surrounded not by the nine planets of astrology, but by nine destructive forces created by distorted modern thinking—poverty of character, the gamble of globalisation, the craze for money and power, intellectual folly, misuse of resources, blind religious fanaticism, inefficiency in politics, misinterpretation of religion, and lack of spirituality. These forces have filled our social, religious, and political life with selfishness, arrogance, intolerance, corruption, and betrayal. Peace has become an illusion. We must liberate ourselves from this state,” added Go Ru Channabasappa.Mandya district minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said participating in the Sammelana was itself a matter of fortune. He announced the construction of a Kannada Bhavana (Kannada Cultural Centre) in memory of the Sammelana. A reserve of Rs 2.20 crore from the event has already been set aside, with MLAs Dinesh Gooligowda, Ramesh Bandisiddegowda, and P Ravikumar each pledging Rs 1 crore from their funds. The proposed Kannada Bhavan will be built at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
