Mangaluru (The Hindu): Reminding people of the need to build a society where members of different communities coexist, actor Prakash Raj on Friday said events such as Karavali Utsav should celebrate human values.

Inaugurating the 10-day festival, Mr. Raj said he was proud to have been born in the coastal region where festivities are a daily affair.

“People from there are known for hard work and the way they live with nature. It’s because of their belief in temples, nagabanas and daivastanas that the environment has remained pristine. Like the sea, people too are known to give back what they gained from society,” he said. Mr. Raj said this climate of coexistence of communities was being destroyed by forces trying to divide society on communal lines.

Criticising those who threatened him on Facebook against participating in the utsav, the actor said it was unfortunate that these critics have prevented people from enjoying the festival. “But nothing will prevent me from enjoying the life in the coast,” he said.

On the comment of Pratap Simha, MP for Mysuru, on the actor’s use of the names “Prakash Raj” and “Prakash Rai”, Mr. Raj said Mr. Simha had failed to understand that Prakash Raj was his screen name while his actual name was Prakash Rai. “Whatever I have achieved in the field of art, it is because of this soil, the language and the literature. I am a proud son of this coast and Karunadu,” he said.

In light of the threat to Mr. Raj, police personnel were posted in large numbers.

Earlier, Food and Civil Supplies Minister U.T. Khader flagged off a procession from Nehru Maidan to the Karavali Utsav grounds, with 80 teams of folk artistes from Dakshina Kannada and other parts of the State taking part.

District in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai inaugurated the exhibition at the Karavali Utsav grounds.