Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Trust of Kuppali is all set to construct a memorial for Kuvempu in Bengaluru too. The trust has 30 guntas of land at Nagarabavi in the State capital and has decided to build a hall that accommodates around 200 people, besides facilities for the guests.
The trust, set up by the State government, has been managing Kavimane, Kavishaila, a museum, and the Tejaswi Memorial at Kuppali in Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district.
Mantra Mangalya
Former Minister B.L. Shankar, the president of the trust, told The Hindu that the process to construct the memorial in Bengaluru had begun. “We are planning a hall where events like Mantra Mangalya, staging of plays, book release functions, and other literary events can be organised,” he said.
Mantra Mangalya is a simple wedding ceremony designed by Kuvempu back in 1966 where the bride and groom take wedding vows in the presence of a small gathering of friends and relatives. Many couples got married at the Kuvempu Memorial in Kuppali in this ceremony.
Raising money
“The budget for the construction plan is being worked on. We have to seek funds from the State government and raise funds from other sources,” Mr. Shankar said.
The trust gets an annual grant of ₹7 lakh towards the salaries of the workers. Besides that, the trust earns money through the sale of books and entry tickets to Kavimane, Kuvempu’s house at Kuppali. Kadidal Prakash, secretary of the trust, addressing the gathering on Kuvempu’s birth anniversary at Kuppali on Friday, said on an average, two lakh people, including students, visit Kavimane. “Teachers across the State bring their students to the place. We have also sold books worth over ₹3 crore at the Kavimane since the trust was set up,” he said.
Though some locals say that the Trust’s idea of building a memorial in Bengaluru might over time diminish the value of the memorial at Kuppalli, Ramesh Shetty, president of the Tirthahalli taluk unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, felt that any attempt to expand the reach Kuvempu’s literature to more people should be welcome. “The memorial in Kuppali will retain its significance as this is the place where his house is,” he said.
However, a resident of Tirthahalli who did not wish to be named said, “Kuppali was chosen by Tejaswi and others as the ideal place for Kuvempu’s memorial. They did not favour a memorial either in Bengaluru or Mysuru.”
