Shadow over organising 88th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in December

With the appointment of an administrator to the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) and ongoing case against Mahesh Joshi, president of KSP, in connection with alleged irregularities, there is uncertainty whether the 88^th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana would indeed be held by December-end in Ballari as scheduled.

It has been five months since the KSP selected Booker winner Banu Mushtaq as president of the 88^th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. However, considering the state of affairs in KSP, not much has got moving in terms of organising the Sammelana.

Only inspection done

Apart from the district in-charge Minister inspecting the venue for the Sammelana on September 29, no other work has been done so far. There is no official word from the government of Karnataka as yet on holding the conference by the end of December, or postponing it.

After the 87^th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Mandya in December 2024, the KSP had announced that it would hold the 88^th Sammelana in Ballari over three days starting December 26. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had allocated a grant of ₹10 crore in the State budget for 2025-26 for the event.

However, following allegations against Mr. Joshi and the ongoing case, the State Government appointed K.M. Gayathri, Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture, as the administrator of KSP.

So far, more than a week into the month of November, there has been little conversation about the funding and conduct of the conference.

“As per the usual procedure, the president of the KSP should submit a request to the Chief Minister regarding the Sammelana. Then, through the Chief Minister, instructions should be issued to the Kannada Culture Department, district administration and district In-charge Minister. After that, the process begins. But none of these activities have taken place so far. It is doubtful that the Sammelana will be held in Ballari in December,” said Nishti Rudrappa, president, Bellary district KSP.

Prakash Murthy, president, Bengaluru Nagara district KSP, concurred. He pointed out that no official communication has been sent to Ms. Mushtaq about being chosen to preside over the Sammelana.

Meanwhile some writers, like Prof. S.G. Siddaramaiah, argue that the government should not hold the Sammelana until the current confusion in the KSP comes to an end.

‘Will discuss with CM’

Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi told The Hindu, “We will discuss with the Chief Minister about holding the 88^th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Ballari, and take an appropriate decision.”