RAICHUR: Mukkanna Karigar, Commissioner, Kaginele Development Authority in Haveri district, is popular in North Karnataka not only as a bureaucrat, but also as a poet and litterateur.
Karigar, a senior KAS officer, has 27 years of experience in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department and has worked as taluk panchayat executive officer and zilla panchayat deputy secretary in various taluks and districts.
An authority in Kannada, Vachana and Dasa literature, Karigar has 62 books to his credit. His works include poems, moral stories, plays, research articles, competitive exam guides and reforms in the panchayat raj system.
He hails from Gabbur village in Devadurga taluk of Raichur district. As president of the Mahashaiva Dharmapeetha in Gabbur, he promotes literary and cultural activities in the region. Every year, Dharmapeetha confers “Mahatapasvi Shri Kumaraswamy Sahitya Bhushan Award” in honour of Mukkanna Karigar’s guru Mahatapasvi Shri Kumaraswamy of Tapovan in Dharwad. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a memento and certificate.
Dr GS Shivarudrappa, Dr Chandrashekhar Kambar, HS Shivaprakash, BA Sanadi, Prof Shashwataswamy Mukkundimath, Siddarama Honkal, Banu Mushtaq and other Kannada writers have received the award.
Book launch
“Kanakadasara Muktatma Tatva Darshana”, a collection of articles by Karigar on Kanakadasa, will be released at Mahashaiva Dharampeetha in Gabbur village of Devadurga taluk in Raichur district on June 7.
“My love for literature blossomed during my high school days. When I was in Class 8, I wrote a Kannada play, “Hanada Amalu”. My poem on the Sun in Kannada, English and Hindi during my college days was well received. Dr Sadanand Patil, a Kannada lecturer, recognised my talent and encouraged me to write. Kuvempu is my favourite poet,” Karigar told TNSE.
Literature plays an important role in shaping one’s life. However, most writers lack social commitment. Writers who focus on personal glorification, are not committed to building a healthy society. A true writer should always work towards creating a better society, Karigar said.