Indeed, this annual event has become a big deal. Local politicians, both of the political as well as literary and cultural variety, are keen to see themselves in the limelight. Let us also not forget the changed circumstances.Ĭities compete to host the sahitya sammelana and rarely do we see caste groups or local communities boycotting the event. And picking the president of the sahitya sammelana has become a big, somewhat political affair. Colleges are closed so that students and teachers can experience the festivities. Politicians and swamijis compete with each other to participate, often overshadowing the real heroes, the writers. Tens of thousands of people attend the event. Vast amounts of money is mobilized from various sources, including the government. I was reminded of this story on the eve of the 77th edition of the sahitya sammelana,which begins in Bangalore on Friday. While a section of Davanagere didn’t attend the sammelana, DVG reports, the organisers managed to get the pots and pans, as well as a venue. The next day, the DC arrived at the high school where all the visiting dignitaries were staying and ensured that the sahitya sammelana was conducted smoothly. So they reluctantly wired their concerns to the diwan. The next day DVG, Karpura Srinivasa Rao, Bellave Venkatanaranappa and others went to Davanagere and tried to negotiate with the prominent local leaders, but couldn’t make any headway. The Maharaja himself was the chief patron of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat and so assuring his visitors of government assistance, the diwan asked them to leave for Davanagere without any anxieties. Since the deputy commissioner, Chitradurga, couldn’t be contacted quickly enough, DVG went to meet with the then diwan, Albion Bannerjee. So, the advance party reported the matter to the office-bearers of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat. In any case, these details aren’t relevant for our story. While DVG hints at this, he never spells out the details. There was quite likely some caste animus against a Brahmin-dominated Kannada Sahitya Parishat. The local community, it appeared, had decided to be non-cooperative, if not downright hostile. The advance party couldn’t buy groceries from the local stores nor could they get pots and pans to cook their own food. So, in 1922, when a small advance party arrived in Davanagere, no arrangements had been made even the venue hadn’t been decided. An advance party would go from Bangalore to the designated city and work with the local literary figures on the logistics. In those early years of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, the sahitya sammelana used to be a modest affair. Venkatakrishnaiah, also known as “ Tataiah“, who was the doyen of Mysore journalism, presided over the session. Gundappa (more popularly known to all as DVG) reports on the 1922 Kannada sahitya sammelana in Davanagere M. PRITHVI DATTA CHANDRA SHOBHI writes from Bangalore: In his classic Jnapaka Chitrashale, D.V.