The usual pomp and gaiety accompanying Kanaka Jayanti was missing this year due to the code of conduct imposed by the Election Commission in view of the polls to the Legislative Council from the local bodies.
However, the District Kuruba Sangha and other organisations made good the lack of grandeur in the celebrations organised by the State government, by taking out an impressive procession carrying a portrait of Saint Kanakadasa in a flower-decked van. The youths danced to the tunes of popular film songs in the procession that started from Nagreshwar School in Nehru Gunj locality to Sardar Vallabhai Patel Chowk.
None of the elected representatives except president of Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat Nitin Guttedar participated in the official function organised at the S.M. Pandit Rangamandir.
District officials, led by the Deputy Commissioner Vipul Bansal, Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat Anirud Sravan, and Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Singh, participated.
There was nothing on the dais except the portrait of Saint Kanakadasa and the officials and Mr. Guttedar offered floral tributes to the portrait and sat along with the public in the gallery.
Siddalinga Shakapur, a lecturer in the Government Junior College at Mudhol in Sedam Taluk, delivered a special lecture on the life and contribution of Kanakadasa to the Bhakti movement and Dasa Sahitya.
Raichur
The Raichur district administration also celebrated the Kanaka Jayanti in a simple manner keeping all politicians away from the dais.
Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil flagged off the event at Pundit Siddarama Jambaladinni Rangamandir by paying floral tributes to Kanakadasa. Chetan Singh Rathor, SP; Rudresh Ghali, Additional Deputy Commissioner; and Mukkanna Karigar Zilla Panchayat Deputy Secretary were among those present.
Earlier, floral tributes were paid to Kanakadasa by political leaders and civil society organisations at the Kanakadasa Circle.
Yadgir
Deputy Commissioner Manoj Jain garlanded the statue of Kanakadasa at the Kanakadasa Circle in Yadgir city. He said the saint’s keertans gave a new dimension to ‘Dasa Sahitya’ and Kannada literature. His hymns focused on ill practices and caste systems to eradicate such social evils from society.
Several government and private education institutions also celebrated the occasion. Heads of the institutions appealed to students to follow the ethics and principles of Kanakadasa to build a healthy nation. They also offered floral tribute to the portrait of Kanakadasa in the events.
Bidar
Gudur Bhimsen, zilla panchayat deputy secretary, inaugurated the celebrations with floral tributes to a portrait of the 16th century saint poet. He released a brochure brought out by the Department of Information and a book ‘Santa Kavi Kanaka Dasa’ written by Chikkamagaluru Ganesh.
Bhagwant Khuba, MP, asked the youth to follow the ideals preached by the saint, adding that great personalities should not be limited by any caste group. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Kanaka Bhavan at Gandhi Gunj Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee market in Bidar.
Sunil Bavikatte, president of Ambigara Choudaiah Yuva Sene, spoke at the celebrations organised by the Zilla Tokri Koli Samaj. Kanaka Jayanti was also celebrated in various educational institutions in the district.
Tributes were also paid to the saint at the Janata Dal (Secular) office and the BJP office here.
