Restored house of Rastrakavi Govinda Pai to be inaugurated this month

December 05, 2016 01:46 am | Updated May 18, 2021 07:34 pm IST - Manjeshwar (Kasargod district):

The restored house of Rastrakavi Govinda Pai and the 800-seater auditorium on the same premises at Manjeshwar in Kasargod district of Kerala will be inaugurated during the last week of this month. Chief Ministers of Kerala and Karnataka, Pinarayi Vijayan and Siddaramaiah respectively, will attend the event, the former Karnataka Chief Minister, M. Veerappa Moily, has said.

Interacting with presspersons of Mangaluru, who were taken on a visit to the house of late Manjeshwar Govinda Pai on Sunday, Mr. Moily, also the chairman of Rastrakavi Govinda Pai Memorial Trust, said finishing touches were being given for the restoration works of the house and the auditorium. The works had started in 2005. Chief Ministers of Kerala and Karnataka have agreed to inaugurate the two buildings sometime between December 20 and 30. “We will fix the mutually convenient date for the two CMs,” Mr. Moily, also an MP, said. About Rs. 5 crore has been spent on the works so far.

The restoration of the house and other works were taken up by under the “Gilivindu Project” of the Trust. Apart from Mr. Moily, artist D.K. Chowta and the Kasargod District Collector are also trustees. The two State governments have also given funds for the project. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and ONGC have also given funds for the project.

Museum

The old house of Govinda Pai has been restored into a museum showcasing varied interests of the poet. A portion of the house has been converted into a Yakshagana museum. The traditional kitchen has been recreated where old cooking tools are exhibited.

One room will be displaying the personal belongings of the poet. An audio-visual room has been set up to screen documentaries on Govinda Pai. Mr. Chowta will be displaying some of his paintings in another room. Mr. Moily said that 300 of the 4,500 books collected by Govinda Pai have been digitalised and they will be available at the house.

A state of art “Bhavanika” auditorium has been built on the premises at a cost of Rs. 2.9 crore. Two guest houses have also been built and a third guest house has been proposed. The trust has planned to build an open air auditorium. Kasargod District Collector Jeevan Babu K. said there will be regular cultural and literary activities at the venue.

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