Non-Kannadigas too must protect state’s culture: Mandya Ramesh

MANDYA: The 13th edition of the Mandya Zilla Sahitya Sammelana called upon all Kannadigas to protect the language and its culture.
Addressing the gathering here on Wednesday, Sammelana president and actor Mandya Ramesh said that he was pained at the lackadaisical attitude of Kannadigas in protecting their language, culture, border and water. He said that the necessity of living in harmony with non-Kannadigas does not mean we have to sacrifice our interest.“Kannadigas are very proud that our state has sheltering lakhs of other non-Kannadigas. We need to live in harmony with other people but we should not let our interests be jeopardized,” he said.
Ramesh said that non-Kannadigas too must play a role in protecting Karnataka’s pride and culture. Kannada and Kannadigas are passing through tough times because of the onslaught from all quarters. In these difficult moments, non-Kannadigas too must share our pain and agony,” ramesh added.
Actress Bharati Vishnuvardhan who inaugurated the Sammelana said that she and her late actor husband, Vishnuvardhan, have always shared a close relationship with Mandya and its people. “My husband used to often visit Hallegere village, his ancestral in Mandya district. It is my pleasure to inaugurate Zilla Sahitya Sammelana in Mandya,” she said.
Bharati called upon Kannadigas to be patriotic about Kannada language and culture. “If we do not protecting our mother tongue, our boundary and water who else will protect them,” Bharati asked.