Arts, Culture & Entertainment

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: PROJECT DIGITISATION: Close to 12,000 books digitised in Bengaluru for All India Gandhi Library project

The collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes Mahatma Gandhi’s collected works, publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings.

The Servants of Knowledge, a non-profit group, has announced that 11,720 books from the library of Bengaluru’s Gandhi Bhavan have been digitised as part of the All India Gandhi Library project.

The group announced this at the valedictory session of a seminar held on Sunday to mark the 75th year of the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi Organisation.

According to a statement by the non-profit group, Gandhi Bhavan had already made 1,272 books publicly available online. The freshly digitised collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, his publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings of him speaking on All India Radio.

The digitised libraries have been presented to 12 Gandhian organisations.

Among the speakers at the seminar was American public domain information advocate Carl Malamud, who is also part of Servants of Knowledge and the founder of the US-based Public.Resource.Org.

“For the last several months, we have been digitising every book here at the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi libraries. Today we are presenting all of those books in digital format to the organisations here, making them the trustees of this knowledge….this is the first release of the All India Gandhi Library. We have offered to digitise at no cost additional Gandhi materials these organisations may possess to add to the collection. We have already assisted the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhis of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and we welcome additional materials…..as we say ‘scanning is the new spinning’,” he said at the seminar.

Explaining the digitisation process, Malamud told indianexpress.com later, “We make the scanners and frames here in India and have 17 scanners here at Gandhi Bhavan and can scan 15 lakh pages every month… Once you get good at it, you can do 500 pages in an hour. After the scan, a post-process happens where you crop the pages, de-skew it, run optical character recognition and create a PDF file—a whole chain of processes.”

Explaining the challenges of working with old books in general, Malamud added, “If the material is truly fragile, we work with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and they help us conserve the books. The same goes with fragile palm leaves. We’re careful while turning the pages with older books, but if the book is going to disintegrate we have it go through the conservation process.”

About some other work done by the Servants of Knowledge, Malamud said, “Om Shivaprakash (another archivist with the Servants of Knowledge) has been instrumental in finding old Kannada books and gotten permission to digitise old Kannada magazines from publishers…. We’re also working on Lalbagh right now and digitising their library of 6,000 books and digitising old and rare prints. There are all sorts of materials that are on the internet for the first time and that is something we’re particularly proud of.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL AWARDS: KARNATKA: ARTS &CULTURE – CINEMA: Hadn’t imagined this in my wildest dreams, says filmmaker Dinesh Shenoy on winning National Award

Filmmaker Dinesh Shenoy was shooting on St Mark’s Road on Friday when he got the news that the editor of his film Madhyantara is to be honoured for best editing in a non-feature section at the 70th National Film Awards. He immediately called Suresh Urs to share the news. A few minutes later, he got a call from Urs and this time, Shenoy was being congratulated. Initially puzzled, Shenoy later realised that his short had also won big – The best debut film of a director award.

Having been an ad and corporate filmmaker since his late 20s, Shenoy took a turn towards cinema in his 50s with Madhyantara. But he reveals that it was never supposed to be a short film. “I actually wanted to make a feature-length film. I have been doing ad and corporate films and made this short film as a different way to pitch my idea to producers, more like to convince them that I could work with a feature-film format,” shares the 56-year-old, adding that getting a National Film Award for his effort was never really on his mind. “I hadn’t imagined this [winning] in my wildest dreams,” he says. However, he still hopes he can turn it into a feature film when he finds a producer who believes in the project.

Set in Bengaluru of the ’80s, Madhyantara, which translates to intermission, is the director’s ode to Kannada movies and the people who work passionately on them. The genesis of the story began during the Covid-induced lockdown when Shenoy came across interviews with technicians and a producer who worked in the Kannada film industry.

“What was fascinating about the interview was they were talking about the movie which I had watched during my childhood. In one of the interviews, a producer revealed a story where he and his best friend shared a single movie ticket, where one watched the movie from the beginning to interval and the other watched the second half,” says Shenoy, whose eureka moment was right then, leading him to create his main characters, Raja and Kumara.

The film follows two friends with a deep passion for movies and their journey to become filmmakers. The film uses understated humour with a lot of the plot being inspired by Shenoy’s own experience with filmmaking. “I studied cinematography but when I ventured into filmmaking, I could not find my footing. I didn’t get a job immediately so I started my career as a light boy, just like my characters, Raja and Kumara in the films,” Shenoy shares.

With homages to Kannada superstars Dr Rajkumar and Ambareesh, the short is also a treat to cinephiles and enthusiasts of regional cinema. “It was important to get the costume and hairstyle right. I got in touch with a photographer friend who had categorised his shoots from different eras. That became the base of most of the looks,” says Shenoy.

Shenoy is quite happy that his film is sharing the spotlight with films like Kantara and KGF: Chapter 2 . “You hear a lot about feature films. But when a film like Madhyantara wins, which people hardly know about, that feeling is something else,” says Shenoy.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE: 19th National Kannada Cultural Conference celebrated in Andaman

The 19th National Kannada Cultural Conference was recently celebrated with great enthusiasm in Andaman. The event, jointly organized by the Vishnu Naik Memorial Forum, Hridaya Vahini Mangalore, Manjunath Education Trust, and Kannada Sangha Andaman, in association with the Kannada and Culture Department, took place at the S R Castle Hall in Port Blair.

Shubha Dhananjaya, president of the Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy, inaugurated the conference. In her address, she highlighted the global spread of Karnataka’s art and culture and attributed this to the generosity and warmth of Kannadigas. She expressed pride in this cultural expansion and its worldwide recognition.

Dr Archana Athani, the conference president, noted the emotional connection between Karnataka and Andaman. She emphasized the importance of remembering freedom fighters like Kittur Rani Chennamma and Ullal’s Rani Abbakka, whose bravery ignites patriotism.

Dr Malayashanta Muni Shivacharya Swamiji from Shivagange Melenagavi Math, who graced the event with his presence, stressed that every Indian should visit the Andaman Jail to understand the hardships faced by freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar. He spoke about the torture endured by many freedom fighters under British rule, underscoring the need to honor their sacrifices and fuel national pride.

Distinguished guests included renowned thinker and orator Mohammad Rafi Pasha, assistant commissioner of Commercial Tax, and Dr T S Ashok Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Andaman, who was honored by the conference committee.

K P Manjunath Sagar, president of the conference committee, explained that Hridaya Vahini Karnataka has been organizing these national Kannada conferences annually since 2004, providing a platform for thousands of Kannadigas, artists, poets, and resource persons from across the country.

S Ronica, secretary of the Andaman Kannada Sangha, presided over the inaugural ceremony. Notable guests included Gona Swami, chairman of Swami Enterprises, Bengaluru; Dr E Anjaneya, chairman of Kuber Groups, Raichur; Dr Shivakumar H D, executive committee member of Kannada Sangha Andaman; and Dr D S Vishwanath, retired district commissioner. K Nagaraj, president of the Karnataka Janapada Artists Association, was also present.

A poetry session, chaired by Dr Archana Athani and Dr Prakash G Khade, featured poets such as Prof Bindiganavile Bhagavan, photojournalist Arif Kalkatta, Aarti Suresh, and Manu Mangalore presenting their works.

The cultural programme included a comedy show by TV9’s Mahadev Sattigeri, Togalu Gombe Aata (puppet show) by Yashoda Shashidhar and team, Bharatanatyam by Natyantharanga artists, and various dance performances choreographed by Guru Shubha Dhananjaya. Performers included Anjana S, Harshita H P, Mudra Dhananjay, Maya Dhananjay, Yashika J Kumar, and Krithika R.

International dance artiste Anu Anand presented a Bharatanatyam performance, while the Rang Samaj (Regd) Bengaluru troupe performed a historical play on Kittur Rani Chennamma, featuring S Tilakraj and A S Aarti Suresh. Renowned folk singers Gona Swami and Shivraj Pandeshwar entertained the audience with their melodious songs.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : HISTORY: Historian and Epigraphist Gunda Jois remembered for making world know about Keladi dynasty

Gunda Jois’ son Dr Venkatesh Jois, Dr G V Kallapur and others are carrying forward his work.

A renowned historian and epigraphist Keladi Gunda Jois passed away on June 2. He was 94. The fraternity of ancient history and epigraphy in the state said, “We have lost a legacy of a scholarly research cum resource person who informed the world about the tiny dynasty of Keladi of Shivamogga district.”

Gunda Jois of Sagar taluk, popularly known as “Keladi Gunda Jois”, earned the prefix Keladi for his dedicated research and study of the dynasty.

His passion for the dynasty’s history made him set up an exclusive museum at Keladi village of Sagar taluk in 1960. For those visiting the Sri Keladi Rameshwara temple, a peep into the museum is a must.

Gunda Jois collected historical manuscripts, sculptures, paintings, coins, arms and ammunition, copper plaques, and documents of the dynasty and displayed them at the museum. Most of these were found by him in the Malnad region.

Interestingly, he joined an MA course in Ancient History and Epigraphy when he was over 50 years old. He translated the work ‘Nrupa Vijaya’ in Halagannada (old Kannada) to Hosagannada (New Kannada) and helped historians understand the history of Keladi dynasty.

“Jois was an authority on ‘Modi lipi’ and Tigalari dialect of Havyaka Brahmins of Malnad region. He taught many of his students to study it and helped carry forward the knowledge,” said Dr SG Samak, a research student of Jois.

Also an Indologist, Jois learnt how to read palm leaf inscriptions that was in Modi dialect.

Gunda Jois’ son Dr Venkatesh Jois, Dr G V Kallapur and others are carrying forward his work.

Gunda Jois had been presented with Rajyotsava and other awards. He has written 30 historical books.

The Keladi dynasty came into existence at the end of 1499. Keladi Nayakas, who were once part of Vijayanagara empire, ruled Ikkeri and Keladi, and picked, Keladi, a small town, as their capital. Their rise started with the decline of Vijayanagara empire, whose preeminence began to erode after their loss at the Battle of Talikota in 1565.

Keladi rulers fought against the Mughal army, which had set out to capture Raja Ram — son of the Chhatrapati Shivaji, who had taken shelter at Keladi. The dynasty was in power from 1499 to 1763.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE / KONKANI : Ground-breaking Konkani guide ‘Gino’s Guide for Conversational GSB Konkani’ by Italian-British author Gino Di Clemente launched

In a remarkable fusion of cultures, Gino Di Clemente, an Italian-born British citizen, has launched a ground-breaking Guide for Conversational GSB (Gowda Saraswat Brahmin) Konkani. Unveiled at the prestigious Digvijay Mahotsavm of Shri Samyameendra Thirtha Swamiji of Kashi Math in Ernakulam, Kerala, this guide marks a significant milestone in the preservation and promotion of this rich Indian language.

This guide, ‘Gino’s Guide for Conversational GSB Konkani’, represents an extraordinary commitment to cross-cultural understanding and language preservation, facilitated by the Youth of GSB Worldwide, a dedicated organization nurturing the GSB community’s heritage.

Shreemad Samyameendra Teertha Swami, in his address, highlighted the unique nature of this publication, emphasizing the significant impact it will have on both the local and international communities. “Gino Di Clemente’s work is a testament to the power of dedication and cultural appreciation. It is rare to see such profound engagement from someone outside our community, making this guide a monumental achievement in our linguistic preservation efforts,” said Shreemad Samyameendra Teertha Swami.

The guide offers a detailed overview of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, along with practical phrases and examples for everyday conversations. It caters to both beginners and advanced learners, making it an indispensable resource for anyone eager to master GSB Konkani.

About the Author

Gino Di Clemente, originally from Italy and now a British citizen, has a deep personal connection to GSB culture through marriage. Their spouse hails from Karkala, and this familial bond inspired Gino’s immersive study of GSB Konkani. Over the years, their passion for the language and culture has culminated in this comprehensive guide, making a significant contribution to the documentation and promotion of Indian languages.

Copies of ‘Gino’s Guide for Conversational GSB Konkani’ are now available for purchase online on Amazon.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Bandipur’s ‘Yuva Mitra’ In India Book Of Records

The ‘Yuva Mitra’ programme, initiated by the Forest Department at Bandipur Tiger Reserve to educate students about forests and environmental conservation, has earned a place in the India Book of Records.

Distinguished by its unparalleled participation, the programme saw a remarkable turnout nationwide. A total of 8,410 individuals, comprising 7,019 students, 655 teachers, 197 Gram Panchayat members, 395 local farmers and 143 tribal community members, actively engaged in the initiative. Over the period from Mar. 3, 2023 to Mar. 8, 2024, a comprehensive series of 162 awareness sessions on forest conservation were conducted.

The programme demonstrates forest and wildlife citizenship qualities through positive change in behaviour and action at individual, school, family and community levels. Not only students, but also teachers, Principals, parents and all those who demonstrate these qualities become ‘Yuva Mitras.’

Initiated under the leadership of Dr. P. Ramesh Kumar, during his tenure as the Bandipur Director (he is currently serving as Conservator of Forests – Project Tiger, Mysuru) ‘Yuva Mitra’ commenced in 2023, coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Dr. Ramesh Kumar accepted this honour along with ACF Navin Kumar, RFO Deepa, ‘Yuva Mitra’ Education Officer Mohan, safari guides Manju and Dharma.

This endeavour provides students with free safari and nature education. A notable feature is issuance of ‘Environment Volunteer’ identity cards to participating students, emphasising their role as custodians of environmental stewardship.

The programme envisages providing an opportunity for underprivileged students to explore, understand, experience and learn more about Bandipur and its wildlife in the context of their immediate surroundings. It will promote a learning-by-exploring approach through field visits and curriculum transactions related to forest, wildlife, forest ecosystem services and their conservation importance.

Originally tailored for students, the programme’s scope was later expanded to include local Gram Panchayat staff, farmers and tribal communities.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AWARDS: Anson Clement Nazareth receives prestigious ‘Yuva Ratna Award 2024’

Anson Clement Nazareth, hailing from the Diocese of Udupi, was honored with the prestigious Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops’ Council, Youth Commission – Yuva Ratna Award 2024.

The award ceremony took place during the 2nd YCS YSM regional convention held in Bengaluru from April 19- 21. Anson was recognized for his exceptional and selfless contributions to the youth ministry and the Catholic Church in India. Currently serving as the national president of YCS YSM INDIA, Anson Nazareth embodies dedication and service in his leadership roles.

Originally from Our Lady of Health Church in Shirva, Anson completed his primary and secondary education at Don Bosco School, Shirva. He is currently pursuing his education at St Aloysius Deemed to be University in Mangaluru. Anson’s commitment to the youth ministry has earned him accolades not only at the regional level but also nationally and internationally, culminating in the Yuva Ratna Award 2024. His multifaceted involvement includes various roles in YCS and YSM, along with active membership in the Indian Catholic Youth Movement.

Anson Clement Nazareth stands as a beacon of inspiration and service, embodying the values of leadership and dedication within the Catholic youth community. His recognition with the Yuva Ratna Award 2024 underscores his remarkable contributions and commitment to the betterment of youth initiatives in India and beyond.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE : BOLLYWOOD: From Mysuru To Mumbai… City’s Ritika Gupta Forays Into Tinsel World Of Glitz And Glamour

Mysuru has a rich legacy of producing talented actors and technicians who have carved a niche for themselves in the film industry. In fact, some of them have even gone on to become G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Times). Among the aspiring actors who wish to make it big in the industry is Ritika Gupta of Mysuru.

Born and brought up in Mysuru, Ritika studied acting from Second City, Chicago and Kreating Characters from Mumbai. This young actor from Mysuru has been featured alongside actress Pooja Bhatt in the series ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ directed by Nitya Mehra and Sudhanshu Saria on a popular OTT platform.

Ritika has also featured in a Hindi movie ‘Tamso’ that was screened at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, USA, during February 2023 which is expected to release in an OTT platform later this year. A true Kannadiga by nature, she has acted in the movie ‘Srinivasa Kalyana’ directed by M.G. Srinivas.

“I always aspired to become an actress but there is so much taboo around it that I was scared to speak about it. But, as soon as I joined a course in Arts (Journalism), I was assigned to write about movies, music and theatre and that is when I realised that I should pursue a career in acting. Following this, I enrolled myself into acting classes,” said Ritika.

The Mysuru girl also has a liking towards performing arts which inspired her to learn Kathak and Belly dancing and Bachata, a Latin form of dance. In fact, Ritika represented India in the opening of World Latin Dance Cup that was held in Columbia in February 2024.

On completion of her dance course, Ritika shifted to Mumbai where she has been trying to foray into Bollywood. “Life in Mumbai has been very challenging from finding a place to stay to building a network, making friends and having a sense of community. But I am slowly getting there. Also there is so much of learning and growth that happens in Mumbai,” she said.

Ritika added that she visits Mysuru, her home town, often to recharge and rejuvenate amidst nature, friends and family.

Her entry into ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ was not easy. She was tested for multiple roles during which she had to give 12 auditions over a period of five months before she finally bagged the role of ‘Mithya Nagraj.’ Ritika is popular in social media through her Instagram handle ritika_gupt.

She also aspires to enter Kannada film industry. “Being a Mysurean, I am familiar with the Kannada language which I can speak fluently. This apart, I am aware of the rich culture and tradition of Karnataka,” she added.

Ritika is the daughter of C. Anil Kumar, owner of Bombay Tiffanys Annexe and late Anita Gupta. She has two siblings Anish Gupta and Anjul Patel. Here is wishing good luck to the Mysuru girl. — VNS

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : ARTS & CRAFTS: “TFA Award Winner for Creative Writing in Kannada”, Naveen Tejaswi: ‘Privilege has a lot to do with making art’

Winner of the TFA Award for Creative Writing in Kannada, Naveen Tejaswi, talks about his attempts to be heard in a language he understands.

“If someone asks me ‘Why do you make films?’ I tell them it’s because it has everything I like — music, photography and acting,” says Naveen Tejaswi. Naveen may have won an award for Creative Writing in Kannada from TOTO Funds the Arts, but behind that unassuming mien lies a creative soul who expresses himself through theatre, photography and films.

Hailing from Hosabale in Shivamogga, Naveen is a first generation student from his family and after completing his primary education from his village, came to Bengaluru to pursue a BSc degree from St Joseph’s College.

“I wanted to become a scientist, but after a while I realised that though I was good at it, I did not enjoy it.“

Launchpad

“I was doing theatre in college and had started watching films. I had come to Bangalore in 2014, and would watch English movies everyday with subtitles to learn the language. Soon, I fell in love with the media.”

His stay in the city brought him exposure to world cinema, literature and photography, which only fuelled his creativity as he used to write poems, essays and short stories in Kannada, even as a youngster.

Naveen used to work part-time jobs in college and when he earned enough, he gifted himself a second hand DSLR camera and began taking photographs, eventually gaining a proficiency in it.

Today, Naveen writes and directs films casting people from his village. So far, Naveen has directed four short films and all of them done the festival circuit. Bidugade (Redemption) was a finalist at KIKSFF at California in 2019 and The Sicklehook was the official selection for EFF, Khanty Mansi in Russia for 2018.

More recently, his short film Habba Haridina Suggi Shivaratri was released on YouTube after it was rejected for its politics by a few film festivals.

“Over a 100 people from my village have been part of my films shot with minimal or borrowed equipment. They say it takes a village to raise a child — the same holds true for homegrown cinema. I call these my sustainable films.”

Though his short stories and films are in Kannada, “Last year I started writing in English too,” says Naveen, adding, “Called Track One, it won the Barbra Naidu prize for personal essay writing.” It motivated him to keep writing despite initial setbacks. Today, that story is part of St. Joseph’s Communicative English syllabus.

“When I first started writing, I used the dialect of my village because that’s what I think in. But when it came to validation — from established writers or professors, they couldn’t connect to those language patterns and nuances.”

Naveen turned down an offer to publish his stories in 2018 because the editors wanted to bring in a lot of changes to the language and approach to make it more suitable. That put a spanner in his imaginative works for almost five years. “During that time I battled with confusion on confidence on what is accepted and what is not. There were no other examples or a reference to the context of social, economic or political background of my village in mainstream media, making it harder to be accepted.”

In 2023, I finally decided to couldn’t stifle it any longer, couldn’t wait for the world to say it was okay. So I started writing again. These stories are set in my village which has 300 houses. Of these, perhaps 10 belong to members of the Brahmin community who are the landowners, while the rest of us work for them. We are the first generation to go to school and my stories look at the lives of people in the village.

Writer’s clock

Naveen has been working on a collection of short stories set in his village. “I’m interested in contemporary films and literature. I want to know how different artistes are seeing the world we are living right now.”

His winning entry for the TOTO Award were two stories from that collection.

“I believe the stories we tell or create stem from the place we live our experiences. Though there are famous writers in Kannada, due to their socio-political backgrounds, I couldn’t relate to their work. As a first generation student from an oppressed caste, and even while growing up, I would wonder why the stories of those around me were rarely found in any media.”

He agrees that Art imitates Life, and that, “people in pop culture exist too, but their stories are not real for me. I cannot relate to the things they do. I have come to understand that privilege has a lot to do with making art.”

He goes on to elaborate, “Art takes a lot of time and resources. For someone coming from a privileged background these things come easily.”

TFA wins

Talking about the stories which won the TFA Award, Naveen says, “One story is called ‘Suraghi’— it’s a flower whose fragrance lingers for days even after it dries, but it is not used as a temple offering. The story is about a father and his daughter. The father like his father before him have been workers in a Brahmin family for generations now. The story is from the daughter’s point of view — she wants to become a pilot when she grows up.”

“The other story is ‘Bangara,’ also the name of a flower called gold-petalled dahlia in English. This is a story about a mother and her daughter. The mother is a single parent and like most women in our village, after her day as a daily wage earner, she sits with them to dehusk areca from 9pm-11pm to supplement her income.”

“This lady is 60 years old now, and her daughter is married and living away. The mother wants to spend more time with her grandchild but not able to. The story explores the dynamics of their relationship, the gap caused by liking and disliking certain things about each other.”

Both ‘Suraghi’ and ‘Bangara’ won the TFA Award for Creative Writing in Kannada this year. At his acceptance speech, Naveen said he would be using the award money to start an art centre in his village. “It’s called Bheema Shale and on April 6, 2024, we will officially launch the centre where we will conducts a camp for spoken English and music.

“My friends from Adavi, a Bengaluru-based collective will teach us to play the tamate (a hand drum), while I will take the English class.”

The TOTO Awards were instituted 20 years ago by Toto Funds the Arts, a non-profit trust set up in 2004 in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani. The annual Toto Awards are intended to encourage and recognise potential in artists under the age of 30.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CRAFTS / LITERARY : Kannada poet Mamta G. Sagar wins international award

The Bengaluru-based writer was conferred the World Literary Prize from the World Organization of Writers (WOW) on April 6 at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria

Mamta G. Sagar, a Bengaluru-based Kannada poet, writer, academic and activist, has recently won the World Literary Prize from the World Organization of Writers (WOW) for her contributions to the world of literature. Dr Sagar, a facilitator at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, known for her involvement in diverse forms of transdisciplinary creative writing and cultural industries, received the award on April 6 at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria.

“I am deeply honoured to receive the award and diploma. This recognition is a testament to the power of literature to inspire and provoke thought irrespective of the language,” said Dr. Sagar on receiving the news of her win. “I am humbled to be acknowledged among such esteemed writers.”

In addition to this award, Dr. Sagar, who has always actively engaged in community-based projects centred around poetry, has also been honoured with the LIFFT award, the gold medal, and a diploma for her outstanding achievements in the field of literature. Some of the themes she has addressed in her work, over the years, include identity politics, feminism, and cultural diversity.

Sagar produced Interversions 1,2, & 3, three films based on her poetry collections, with Srishti Films as part of the Wales-India collaborative projects (2018). She has also written and produced For Gauri, a video presentation of her poem written for the late journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. She has several works to her credit including Kaada Navilina Hejje, Chukki Chukki Chandakki, Nadiya Neerina Teva, and Illi Salluva Maatu.

Congratulating Dr. Sagar on the occasion, Dr. Arindam Das, Director, SMI said, “Dr. Sagar’s achievement not only reflects her exceptional talent but also underscores our commitment to cultivating a community of erudite and exemplary practitioners who bring their real-world experience into the classroom, enriching the academic journey of our students.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)