Federal character of the country is under threat, claims Rajendra Chenni

The federal character of the country is under threat. There are regular attempts at the national level to destroy federalism, claimed writer and critic Rajendra Chenni in Dharwad on Sunday.

Efforts are on to politically undermine the federal system, Prof. Chenni claimed and said that this needs to be condemned.

He was speaking at the Nirdingata Utsav organised by Nirdingata Institution at the Srujana Ranga Mandir.

“The federal structure is the lifeblood of the Constitution. It is the basic structure and cannot be alienated. We must all uphold the concept of federalism. We should not accept any attempts to impose a unitary system,” he said.

“Every region in our country has its own distinct culture. These different regions have voluntarily come together in a spirit of harmony to form a federation. The aim of such festivals should be to uphold the concept of federalism. In a federation, each unit retains its functional autonomy. There is no scope for autocracy here. Everything coexists, but there should be no pressure to conform to a single structure,” he said.

“North Karnataka is a land of linguistic and religious confluence. Such blending is its way of life. Kannada culture is not a monolithic structure but a federation of various regional cultures. In North Karnataka, harmony is an essential part of daily life. Coexistence and communal living are ingrained in the lifestyle of artisans who cannot survive without it,” he said.

“Each culture has accumulated experiences through literature, speech, theatre and various other art forms. Culture is continuum. However, in the present times, we are becoming distant from memories, leading to cultural orphanhood,” he said.

“Folk culture serves as a platform for protest. Even the uneducated and semi-literate have created outstanding folk poetry. This is a tradition of knowledge. Mystical poets have shown the inseparable relationship between physical labour and wisdom. Professional theatre has instilled a sense of community consciousness. It is essential to align professional theatre with its true purpose,” Prof. Chenni said.

Wildlife photographer Senani Hegde of the Krupakar-Senani team spoke on Land-Water-Life.

“Human beings have existed on this planet for over 3,00,000 years. But the connections among land, water and human life that have been woven together for so long have been rapidly disappearing over the last 40 years,” he said.

“Land, water and life are deeply interconnected. But we have drilled borewells and punctured the earth everywhere, indiscriminately. Farmers once had an emotional bond with their land but that is no longer true. Now land is becoming a corporate commodity. Farmers are selling their fields and turning into workers. It seems like human beings fail to learn from history,” he said.

He urged the people to understand and protect every aspect of nature, including air, water and soil. He opposed river-linking projects, saying they will lead to environmental disasters.

Meanwhile, Mr. Krupakar said that grasslands and plant species must be preserved.