Udupi (The Hindu): The 11th Udupi District Kannada Sahitya Sammelan would be held at the Government Pre-University College at Brahmavar from January 13 to 15. The sammelan is being organised by the Udupi Zilla Kannada Sahitya Parishat and Ajapura Karnataka Sangha.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Neelavar Surendra Adiga, president of Zilla Kannada Sahitya Parishat, said that the diamond jubilee celebrations of Ajapura Karnataka Sangha would coincide with the sammelan. M. Ramachandra, writer, had been chosen as the president of the sammelan.

The sammelan would also include a children’s literary meet, seminars, release of books, cultural programmes and a book exhibition. The students of Vagjyoti School for the Hearing Impaired would participate in a seminar at 3.30 p.m. on January 13.

In addition, there would be a children’s poets’ meet, a youth poets’ meet, a humour meet, a seminar on Yakshagana literature and a seminar on media. A seminar on Kundagganada would be held at 10.45 a.m. on January 15. This would be followed by an interaction programme with Prof. Ramachandra. A collection of articles written by Prof. Ramachandra would be released.

Vaidehi, writer, would speak on “Contemporary issues facing women” on January 14. K.P. Rao, software expert, would deliver a lecture on “Kannada literature and Information Technology” at 9.30 a.m. on the same day.

As many as 11 persons and 19 organisations, who had contributed to different fields, would be felicitated during the sammelan. They 11 persons are: N.S. Adiga and Moideen Saheb (education), Ramakrishna Achar and Matti Lakshminarayana Rao (organisation), V. Ganesh Koraga and Chandrakshekar Shetty (social service), Sadhu Pana (folk), Yashwanti S. Suvarna (literature), Mahabala Nayak (folk medicine), Rev. Fr. Valerian Mendonca (music) and Umesh Gautham Nayak (Ashtavadhana).

Umashree, Minister of Kannada and Culture, would inaugurate the sammelan on January 13. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, would inaugurate the cultural programmes, while Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president of the zilla panchayat, would inaugurate the book exhibition. Mukhyamantri Chandru, former president of Kannada Development Authority, would participate in the valedictory session on January 15, Mr. Adiga said.

Aroor Thimappa Shetty, Ashok Bhat, Sural Narayana, Prashanth Shetty, members of Organising Committee, were present.