Hubballi: Its streets were decorated and colourful paintings adorned its walls on Thursday as Dharwad, the hub of Hindustani classical music, prepared to host the three -day Akhil Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelan from January 4, after nearly six decades.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will inaugurate the Kannada meet on Friday and former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah and Union Minister, D V Sadananda Gowda will attend the valedictory function on Sunday.
While over two lakh Kannada lovers from across the state are expected to participate in the convention, Jnanpith awardee, Chandrashekhar Kambar, who will preside over it, will be taken in a 5 km long procession to its venue, the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences. The procession will feature 1001 women carrying the traditional "poornakumbha" on their heads and around 50 folk art groups.
The district administration has declared a holiday for all schools and colleges to allow students to attend the event. The Kannada meet was first organised in Dharwad in 1957 after the unification of Karnataka and had passed a resolution urging the government to make Kannada its administrative language.
The current sammelan is expected to discuss the state government's controversial move to start English medium classes in its schools from the next academic year, the negligence of North Karnataka and regional imbalance in the state. A mammoth stage has been erected and 120 food counters set up for the participants. As many as 2000 personnel are being employed to take care of food stalls and other requirements.
