Karnataka celebrates 70th Kannada Rajyotsava with fanfare

BENGALURU: The state celebrated its 70th Formation Day, or Kannada Rajyotsava, with fanfare on Saturday. In Bengaluru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led the celebrations while district in-charge ministers participated in events held at all the district headquarters.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offered flower petals to the statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari on the Vidhana Soudha premises before proceeding to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. He was accompanied by Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, Minister Madhu Bangarappa, MLAs Rizwan Arshad and Karemma Nayak.

At the Kanteerava Stadium, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah first offered floral tributes to Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, and others were present. Though the event was scheduled to start at 9 am, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived late and hoisted the flag 48 minutes behind schedule.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM greeted the people of Karnataka on the occasion and highlighted the importance of the Kannada language and culture. The CM noted that the government had allocated Rs 65,000 crore for education and will start new residential schools in the state. He also announced that 18,000 new teachers will be recruited and that the government will take steps to promote Kannada in minority schools and madrasas.

During the event, the Chief Minister and others witnessed a marchpast by 1,700 schoolchildren, which was followed by cultural programmes. The event concluded with the Chief Minister’s speech, where he emphasized the importance of preserving the Kannada language and culture and announced several initiatives to improve education in the state.

The Chief Minister criticized the central government for its alleged neglect of Karnataka and its attempts to impose Hindi on the state. He also expressed concern about the impact of artificial intelligence on employment and announced that the government would work on developing Kannada language technology.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also spoke at the event, emphasizing the importance of unity among Kannadigas and the need to preserve the Kannada language and culture. He recalled his own experiences as a student and expressed happiness at seeing the enthusiasm of the children participating in the event.

Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced that the government will organise a mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) on Children’s Day, November 14, to bridge the gap between parents and teachers. He also stated that the government will make it mandatory for private schools to hold PTMs, just like government schools.

Meanwhile, in Hassan, a massive procession with a 2,500-feet-long Kannada flag was held in which over 3,000 students and others participated. The procession started from the Deputy Commissioner’s office and passed through the major streets of the city, ending at the District Sports Stadium, where the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations were being held.

The procession, organised under the banner of ‘Kannadigara Nadige Souhardathadakke’ (Kannadigas’ walk towards harmony), saw a large number of students and Kannada enthusiasts carrying flags and participating in the event. The procession was inaugurated by dignitaries, who praised the efforts of the organisers and the participants for showcasing their love and devotion to the Kannada language and culture.