KOCHI: The event that brought together the huge Kannadiga population in the city was all about celebrating the community's history and culture. Among the many programmes that were played out for its audience, it was a ballet that was the centre piece. The history of Karnataka, the silk adorned sandalwood land in South India, was narrated through a dialogue between Yaksha, the mythical celestial spirit and the Apsaras, the charming damsels from heaven. The ballet that documented the valour and wisdom of the epic characters of the state, began with a salutation to the poet- king Nripatunga. It then went on to depict the literary genius of poet Pampa through a scene enacted from his work, 'Adi Purana'. The-two-hour ballet was organised as part of the 'Vaartha Cultural festival', put together by the Department of Information along with Kannada Sanghama Cochin, an association of the community in the city. The event held in memory of Bhimsen Joshi was inaugurated by K Babu, the minister of excise and ports. A feature film, 'Bangaarada Manushya', based on T K Rama Rao's novel, that was released in 1972, starring Rajkumar and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan was screened later. A Hindustani classical music concert by J Srinivasa Joshi, the son of Bhimsen Joshi was the highlight of the event. A show by the children of Kannada Sanghama Cochin saw them donning costumes of 'Akkamma Devi' reciting Bhajan Sahithya, 'Rani Channama', the Rani of Kittur and several other prominent figures. There was also a folk song recital, 'Sugama Sangeetha' by N L Shivashankara, Mysore Mahadevappa and his team. Also held was a talk by G S Phanibhushan on 'Humour and Human relationships in life' that dealt with the importance of having fun in life. Shivnath Kawdi, the president of Kannada Sanghamam Cochin said, “The event belongs to 'horakannadigaru', ie people of Karnataka all over the world. It is held throughout the month November known as 'Kannada Rajyotsava' since it is the birth month of the state. This is the third event held in India. The first two held in Delhi and Mt Abu were hugely successful with the support of the Kannadigas living there. We expect the same support for the next programmes to be held in Indore, Ooty and Goa.”A laser show and an exhibition 'on progressive Karnataka' were also a part of the event.
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