Muslim Writers Excluded from Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, Prominent Writers, Scholars Allege

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New Delhi: A section of Kannada writers have alleged that the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Haveri in Karnataka ignored Muslim writers and poets, the New Indian Express reported.

When the Kannada Sahitya Parishat announced the names of writers and poets who are participating in the sammelana, some writers objected to the exclusion of Muslim writers from the list. They told the newspaper in December that the state had hundreds of Kannada Muslim writers, however, only a few were considered for the sammelana.

Thus, some veteran writers in Kannada have told the daily that they are planning to hold an alternative literary festival, Jana Sahitya Sammelana, on January 8 at Alumni Hall, Bengalurus KR Circle, to protest against the exclusion of Muslim writers.

However, a member of the organizing committee told the daily: “There are six Muslim writers and poets who are part of the Haveri Sammelana. It has become routine for some people to create controversy during the Kannada mega event.

The three-day Sahitya Sammelana started on January 6, Friday, in Haveri, the home district of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The Sammelana is funded by the Karnataka government and its activities, including the literary meeting, are funded by taxpayers’ money, the News Minute reported.

According to the Hindu, some writers alleged that the selection process excluded even female writers and Muslims from key sessions. They withdrew from participating in the event as a sign of dissent.

The newspaper reported that HR Sujatha, who was supposed to chair one of the poetry gatherings at the sammelana, announced that she would not be attending. In her letter, she said she could see the deliberate exclusion of Muslim writers from the panels.

She made the announcement shortly after the schedule for the various literary sessions was published, the daily reported.

Chand Pasha NS, who was among the few Muslim writers on the panels, also announced his decision to boycott the event, according to the report.

He said the parishat discriminates against writers based on religion, caste and gender also in Haveri, known as the land of Shishunala Sharif and Kanakadasa.

Another poet, Ramesh Aroli, also decided to stay away from the sammelana, the daily reported.

Purushottama Bilimale, an academic and professor of Kannada, wrote on Facebook that the exclusion of Muslim writers from the event is no accident, but rather a reflection of how some writers have historically been excluded from literary conferences in the region, TNM reported. He also published a list of notable Muslim writers in Kannada literature and called for their inclusion in the event.

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