When the State of Karnataka was formed by agglomerating the Kannada speaking regions of South India in 1956, it was decided then to mark the occasion with festivities and celebrations, which eventually came to be known as the Rajyotsava Day.
This festival, which falls on November 1, is celebrated by Kannadigas across the world throughout the month with pomp and grandeur, as was witnessed here on Sunday.
The Karnataka Rajyotsava Samithi, a body of Kannada organisations based in Chennai, came together for the day-long Rajyotsava celebrations at the U Rama Rao Kala Mantapa, T Nagar.
A host of events, ranging from cultural dances to recitation of ‘chutuku kutuku’ (quadruplet poems), were held on the occasion. The event also witnessed the honouring of achievers in various disciplines, as is done in Bangalore by none less than the chief minister himself.
On the dais was a huge poster depicting the literary achievers of the State, from Da Ra Bendre to Kuvempu, U R Ananthamurthy and Girish Karnad – all recipients of the prestigious Jnanpith award.
The event began with the recitation of the Nadageethe (anthem of the State) – a composition by the renowned litterateur Kuvempu — that describes the State in all its glory. Speaking on the occasion, Samiti president Vasanth S Hegde recalled that the Rajyotsava celebrations outside the State had grown in stature over the years.
He underlined the significance of the celebrations, given that it recognises the achievers in various fields.
Noted cardiologist Dr H V Hande, actor and theatre personality Arundhati Nag and litterateur Hampa Nagarajaiah were among those felicitated on the occasion.
The applause reached a crescendo when Arundhati — wife of the late Kannada actor Shankarnag and founder of Ranga Shankara — was honoured and the Mysore peta, placed on her head. Nag lamented the loss of the aesthetic sense during such celebrations — an opinion she shared with Nagarajaiah.
Others felicitated included Dr V Gopalakrishnan, Dr M Ananth Bhat, Rekha Shetty, B Srinivasa Rao and Pranamya Rao.
K P Acharya was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to literature.Cultural programmes were organised in association with the Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka, in the evening.