Low-key anniversary fete miffs Sharif enthusiasts

Hubballi: Santa Shishunala Sharif’s 200th birth anniversary went off as a low key affair. During the inauguration of the celebration last year, elected representatives had assured of inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the valedictory.

They had even aimed to re-print his philosophical songs and comprehensive literature and had planned to make a documentary.

Sharif’s enthusiasts from North Karnataka allege that the government which intends to erect the statues of Kempe Gowda, Ambarish, and name a flyover after Veer Savarkar in Bengaluru, has forgotten Sharif. They term it as another discrimination towards North Karnataka.

Satish Kulkarni, a poet in Haveri noted that Rastriya Santa Kavi Kanaka Samshodhana Kendra has published Sharif’s philosophical songs in one volume but comprehensive book on contributions of Sharif has not come.

“Though home minister Basavaraj Bommai has taken up some development works at Shishunala, demand for a separate authority for Sharif, on the lines of Sarvajna Kshetra Development Authority, is yet to be fulfilled. If the authority is set up, then all works will start. Though coronavirus started in the state in March, no programme or initiative was done before the pandemic. Only the inauguration was done in a grand manner,” he said.

Goolappa Aralikatti, a documentary film maker from neabry Mugali village recalled that the government announced Rs 5 crore for the development of Shishunala in this year’s budget.

“Sharif always propagated communal harmony and his messages are imbibed in the daily life of commoners in the region. His messages are reflected in many folklore songs and bhajans. These messages are needed for today’s generation. I regret to say the governments always rake up personalities like Tipu Sultan, Kempe Gowda, Ambarish and Veer Savarkar, who have vote banks. But Sharif doesn’t own such vote bank as he always upheld humanity rather than any religion. Moreover, he hails from North Karnataka which always witnessed discrimination by all governments,” he said.

Despite many calls and messages, home minister Basavaraj Bommai, who represents Shigaon-Savanur assembly constituency, under which Shishunala falls, was unavailable for comment.

Can’t Sharif get due respect?

A district level officer said the possibility of Sharif Development Authority being set up and funds being allocated for Shishunala is very low at the government level. “The district already has authorities or trusts in the name of Kanaka Dasa, Sarvajna, Ambigara Choudayya and Galaganath. The government is also observing jayantis in their name and the quota is already full for the district. Whenever, we go with a proposal, officials in Bengaluru ask us how many such trusts we need. Sharif continues to be unlucky,” he added.