Kannada Rajyotsava: 'Ekikarana movement' brought light to 'Karnataka'

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: November 1 1956 was a bittersweet date for Kannadigas. This was when Karnataka was unified, but only to form the "Mysore State."

Twenty years on, under the leadership of Devaraj Urs, the state was renamed to “Karnataka,” bringing joy and relief to eminent auteurs like Kuvempu, Da Ra Bendre and Alur Venkata Rao, the ones who passionately wrote poems and songs before India’s independence, that Kannadigas sing today.

The etymology of the word “Karnataka” had roots from different places. “Karnad” meant the lofted land of the Deccan Plateau, and another meant the “land of the black soil.”

Chandan Gowda, Kannada author, explained the backlash of the renaming to Mysore. "The people wanted a unified Karnataka. They were dissatisfied with the state mistakenly renamed it to Mysore," he told News Trail.

Gowda explained the pivotal role played by Alur Venkata Rao, who led the "Kannada Ekikarana movement” in 1890. The movement, which gained momentum as many writers were drawn into an idea of a unified Karnataka, had its waves passing all the way to Delhi.

This resulted in the state getting renamed to “Karnataka” fifty years ago, today. "It was a logical move," Gowda said.

"Although Devaraj Urs was first hesitant to rename, the process of it was welcomed by the Kannada speaking people," he added.

Speaking to Shiv Prasad YS, a retired Kannada professor who has taught for 30 years, shared a similar voice to how the name was formed.

“It was the Ekikarana movement that brought together people from different parts of the current state. “Irrespective of the region and dialect, the shared feeling of unity prevailed,” he told Newstrail.

“Writers and novelists were the ones who took the movement into their own hands. They fought for a very long time for this name,” he explained.

The unity fostered in language needs to be safeguarded by the people of the state.

“The use of Kannada in other dialects is one of the key reasons for a unified state and it is our responsibility to withhold the significance of it,” said Prasad.

Chandan Gowda ended with an appeal for introspection. “It is a day of looking back at our poets and writers and introspecting it with the society in present.”

A complete list of Rajyotsava Award winners for 2023

The Department of Kannada and Culture has informed that 68 achievers who have rendered considerable service in various fields in the year 2023 are being given the Kannada Rajyotsava Award 2023 during the 68th Kannada Rajyotsava.

The award is given by the state government every year on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1.

During the 68th Kannada Rajyotsava celebration in the year 2023, the state government announced the award to the dignitaries who have shown achievements in 68 different fields.

MUSIC/DANCE

1. Dr Nayana S More – Benagluru

2. Neela M Kodli – Dharwad

3. Shabbir Ahmed – Bengaluru

4. Dr.S Balesh Bhajantri – Belgavi

FILM

1. Dingri Nagaraju – Bengaluru

2. Bank Janardhan – Bengaluru

DRAMA

1. AG Chidambara Rao JambeShivamogga

2. P Gangadhara Swamy- Mysuru

3. HB Sarojamma- Dharwad

4. Dr Vishwanath Vanshakrita MathBagalakote

5. P.Thippeswamy-Chitradurga.

SCULPTURE, PAINTING, HANDICRAFTS

1. T.Shivashankar-Davanagere

2. Kalappa Vishwakarma-Raichur

3. Martha Jakimovich-Bengaluru

4. P. Gouraiah-Mysuru

YAKSHAGANA, BAYALATA

1. Argodu Mohandas Shenye-Udupi

2. K. Leelavati Baipadittaya-Dakshina Kannada

3. Keshappa Shillikiatara-Koppal

4. Dalvai Siddappa (pig farmer) – Vijayanagar

FOLK FIELD

1. Hussainabi Budain Saab SiddhiUttar Kannada

2. Shivangi Shanmari-Davanagere

3. Mahadev-Mysuru

4. Narasappa-Bidar

5. Shakuntala Devalanayaka-Kalaburgi

6. HK Karamanchappa-Bellary

7. Dr. Shambu Paisigara-Gadag

8. Vibhuti Gundappa-Koppal

9. Chaudamma-Chikkamagaluru

SOCIAL SERVICE

1. Huchammabasappa Chowdhury – Koppala

2. Charmadi Hasanabba- Dakshina Kannada

3. K. Roopla Naik-Davanagere

4. Venerable Nijagunananda Mahaswami, Nishkala MandapaBelgawi