JOIN USA committee constituted to choose a writer for the Rashtrakavi title has recommended that the practice of bestowing the honour should be stopped altogether as it is not suitable in a democratic set-up.
The 12-member committee headed by litterateur Ko Channabasappa submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Thursday. It said the process of honouring a writer with the Rashtrakavi title (bestowed on a person for lifetime) went against the spirit of the Constitution, which favours abolition of such titles. Besides, the concept was imperialistic, the committee opined.
The committee has come to this conclusion after extensive discussion and consultation with writers and people from various walks of life. Letters had also been despatched to 100 senior writers to enable them to suggest names for the title but the majority opinion was against selecting anybody for the title.
The last Rashtrakavi of the State was G S Shivarudrappa and the title has not been conferred on anyone since then. Previously, the committee had come up with guidelines stating that the candidate for the prestigious post should not be selected on the basis of caste, religion, language or region. “In the interest of the integrity of the State, we have not recommended any name for the Rashtrakavi title. We recommend that the practice should be dropped henceforth, as selecting a candidate from one region could lead to resentment among people from the other regions,” the committee said in its report.