MANDYA: The 87th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana that started off with confusion over the food, ended up with controversy with non-vegetarian food being served at the venue.
Tension prevailed for some time as members of progressive organisations served non-vegetarian food, including chicken curry, egg, kabab and traditional ragi ball to the public at the counters. The police tried to stop them from serving the non-vegetarian food and even seized the food. But, a few others managed to take it back to counters and served it to more than 200 persons.
The controversy had erupted in the beginning when the Kannada Sahitya Parishat included non-vegetarian food along with alcohol and smoking in the restricted items, which was opposed by activists. The activists claimed that the organisers have no right to question their food habits or choices.
Laxman, an activist, said they have upheld the Bahujan food habits by serving non-vegetarian food in the Sammelan. He said it was denied on all other 86 Kannada meets where they had projected consuming non-vegetarian food as a crime. A few felt that it is the venue and forum to discuss various issues including the plight of farmers, cane producers and jaggery units.
Navya, a budding writer, said they are not against serving non-vegetarian food at the Sammelan. She, however, added that it is humanly difficult to serve non-veg food to lakhs of people participating in the meet. Some people felt that a bad precedent was set by serving non-vegetarian food at the literary meet.
The district administration, District Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy, office-bearers of Kannada Sahithya Parishat were tight-lipped on the issue and declined to comment on the issue.
Event ends with a call to improve infra in schools
The curtains were drawn on the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahithya Sammelana with a call to improve infrastructure in government-run Kannada schools which include buildings, libraries and playgrounds, alongside filling vacant teaching positions.