Holiday to deliberate saints ideals

BANGALO: Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda presented the Kanaka Sri awards to three prominent scholars from the state for their contributions to Haridasa literature on the occasion of Kanaka Dasa Jayanthi at an event organized by the Kannada and Culture Department here on Monday. The awards for 2009, 2010 and 2011 were presented to Dr T N Nagaratna, retired professor of music, University of Mysore; Dr H J Lakkappa Gowda, former vice-chancellor, Hampi Kannada University; and noted academician Dr Jyothi Hosur. The award carries a purse of `5 lakh, a bronze miniature of the poet, a citation and shawl.In his keynote address, the CM said that Kanaka Dasa Jayanthi had been declared a state holiday to facilitate deliberation on the 15th century poet. “Kanaka Dasa was a figure beyond his time.”