Kannada and Culture Minister lays foundation stone for district Rangamandira at Udupi

It is surprising that culturally vibrant Udupi and Dakshina Kannada did not have Rangamandiras, Sunil Kumar

Minister for Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar on Sunday, October 2, said it was surprising the culturally vibrant districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada did not have district-level Rangamandiras to showcase the rich heritage of the region.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Rangamandira in Udupi district at Adi Udupi, Mr. Kumar said as many as 13 districts, including Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, did not have district-level Rangamandiras when he assumed office. A policy decision was taken to get them constructed at all district headquarters.

There were no clear guidelines either about the cost to be incurred for such buildings in the department. He then decided to provide ₹5 crore grant for district-level Rangamandiras and ₹2 crore for talukl-level Rangamandiras. Wherever Rangamandiras are not in existence, such places would come to have ones, he said.

The issue of building a Rangamandira for Udupi was in logjam for over a decade. The absence of district Rangamandiras in Udupi and Mangaluru demonstrated the lack of will power, he said. Mr. Kumar said he had ordered the release of ₹2.5 crore as initial grant out of the total ₹5 crore grant for the Udupi Rangamandira while construction of the one at Mangaluru would commence soon.

With the completion of the Udupi Rangamandira, Mr. Kumar hoped various cultural forms of the district, including theatre and Yakshagana, would thrive and grow.

The Minister said though the department had announced that an expert committee would select eminent personalities for the state-level Rajyotsava award, as many as 9,823 applications were received in the department seeking awards this year.

Government’s intention was to select persons who have made considerable contribution to society in various fields but have remained in the shadows. The identification process was on and soon the awards would be announced, Mr. Kumar said.