Aside from being the first BJP government below the Vindhyas, there has been nothing—zero, zilch, nada; sonne, poojayam, shoonya—to write home about the B.S. Yediyurappa government.
Although the words “governance” and “development” trip off the chief minister’s tongue at the sight of a mike, the only “change” that the people of the State have seen is a change of hands and heads steeped in scandal, sleaze, controversy, corruption, communalism, dissidence, not to speak of rank non-performance.
However, if there is one area in which “Yeddy” can even half-way claim credit, it is in breaking the shameful deadlock with his Tamil Nadu counterpart Muthuvel Karunanidhi over the installation of the statue of Sarvagna in Madras—for the reciprocal installation of a statue of Thiruvallur in Bangalore.
For nearly a decade, the busts of the great Kannada and Tamil poets lay hostage to the verbal and physical terrorism of the language chauvinists on both sides of the Cauvery, acting in the name of a life-giving, life-sustaining river. Thankfully, hopefully, that is now a thing of the past.
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On Tuesday, Thiruvalluvar’s statue, which lay covered in the Tamil-dominated locality of Ulsoor, was first smoked out of its honey combs, and then removed and lowered, to make space for a new bronze structure statue waiting to be installed on August 9.
The BJP’s motive may be suspect—political analysts say the party is eyeing the Tamil vote in the Bangalore City Corporation elections—especially given Yediyurappa’s despicable attempt to ratchet up the Hongenakal row, but even so, few will grudge the sight of the two States acting in sync, for once, as two civilised States should.
Photographs: Karnataka Photo News
Also read: CHURUMURI POLL: Who is right on Hogenakal?
churumuri 
Just by the picture, I thought this was vandalism unfolding on the camera — the fire, the covered face et al ! Thank god it isn’t and we are not close to a clash.
Was reminded of the “Haavu mattu munGusi” story and the haunting song
kELiddu suLLAgabahudu
nODiddu suLLAgabahudu……
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this is what is called MUTE SURRENDER.
WHY CANT POLITICAL PARTIES SHOW same eagerness ,consensus in implementing sarojini mahishi report . they cant because kannada pride cant bring votes.
bjp in karnataka is playing a dangerous game of wooing linguistic minority at the cost of kannadigas. their target is BBMP polls.
intellectuals and SAA ITHIS SUPPORTED THE ISSUE FOR PERKS.
govt should have been working overtime for resolving power crisis, public health , small scale industries crisis , but sadly valluvar is more important to them.
HARA KOLLAL PARA KAAYVANE.
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it would be interesting to know how things are going on with Sarvagna’s statue in chennai, how our tamil bros reacting. request Churumuri post something on it
by the way gr8 use of helmet…
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how about converting the place into a celebration of wiseman from all over. let there be pratimes of a aristotle, socrates, rumi, why even kabir, ghalib, khusro, not to mention bhasa patanjali etc.,
now that would be a civilized response.
there is nothing civilized about glossing over chauvinism of anybody. if the vokkaligas, who themselves crossed the kaveri, can develop roots and find space and scope to dominate within ka, not to mention other communities within the state. so can every other community.
incase people didn’t get it, the original issue was that we were somehow expected to buy into the imperialism of tamil high culture(we are supposed to install statues, watch their movies, patronize tamil kutcheris) even as we were being expected to adhere to colonial orders, when it comes to matters of resources.
if we are really civilized, why just thiruvalluvar and why not people in the above list, why not nimbarka from AP for example. Afterall, BLR shares common borders and history with it too, and a positive mutually fulfilling one at that, if i may add.
poor sarvagna is just post fact to all this. he was not in the original agenda. it is more important for tamilians that thiruvalluvar finds an abode in halsoor, than it is to kannadigas to put sarvagna in ayanavara.
In anycase, whether they install it or not makes no difference to S. all there doing is, they are taking a jangama and forcing him to a sthavara exile in that place for their own ego trip. if you ask me.
having said this, i think its time to get even not cross. it might be important for TN to install thiruvalluvar in BLR, but we should counter that imperialistic impulse by invoking the essence of dharaNi manDala madhyadoLage. let t come. and so shall all other wisemen from all over the world.
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if you want imagery, at a gaNapathi temple, everybody knows who the boss is. but if you think about navagrahas at our temples, in that stellar constellation 99.99% cant tell who is rahu, who is ketu. only the discerning eye knows. otherwise there is no gradation. every graha is equally important.
now that is a civilized, informed, rational world view. who knows what would happen to the cosmic balance if bruhaspathi were to suddenly disappear?
now thirvalluvar is good. nothing against him. but he didn’t ask his statute to be installed in BLR. that is a shani-kaaTa that tamil chauvinists have thrust upon us. the only parihaara, is navagraha pratishTaapane.
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Kannadigas are not against Tiruvalluvar or his statue being installed at bangalore. They are only demanding fair and equal treatment from TN counter part.
This explains how KA has sacrificed it’s swabhimana infront of TN.
ತಿರುವಳ್ಳುವರ್ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯ ಸುತ್ತ
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KRV has raised legitimate questions about this step from BJP.
Just for few lakhs tamil vote in the BBMP polls, the worst govt KA has ever seen has started a minority appeasement (linguistic minority in this case).
So much for a party, which used to boast that it’s dead against any kind of minority appeasement.
Shame Shame Yeddy ..
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i have been searching for close to a year now, i am yet to find a SINGLE middle ground seeking article or opinion from even ONE tamilian. if any wiseman here finds any rational civilized discourse on this by a tamilian, please do the needful and post references to it.
this is has nothing to do with tamil or kannaDa, it has everything to do with aspirations of people who work with the soil and trying to do better by themselves and their kids. its all about competitive economics.
meanwhile every other two bit theory peddling ‘diga who has nothing to do with soil and prolly drinks off a plastic bottle and prolly lives on a land encroached upon the watershed of a lake has been waving all sorts of theoretical flags in white, including his undies, as if his condition is beyond that experienced by people surrounding him. as if he is beyond and above it all.
the only reason why chaluvalikaaras are the only ones that are heard is because they are the only ones who are left standing. the rest of them tucked their dhotras and ran away even before the kaLahe was sounded. from the sides now they give expert commentaries – a la sanjaya to a blind dhrutaraasThra.
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Slip of his tongue has cost us this time. he has sold us.
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I don’t understand how setting up statues of Kannada poet in Tamil Nadu and Tamil poet in Karnataka is of any use? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
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Can’t disagree with you. Totally true.
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A very nice locality for (ulsoor) for tiruvalluvar.
A far off place for sarvagnya
Yeddyurappa got a good deal eh?
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Statue, Atal saarige, the “kannada anushTaana varsha” is going on well.
Kudos to our goverment.
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Well. With due regards to both the saints (?) behind those statues, I would have voted with all my fingers to erecting *our* respective statues in our own lands. Yes.
If Ulsoor was such a Tamilian dominated area in Bengaluru, hey! this place is in urgent need for a Kannadiga environment to be built – so erect a Sarvagna statue there. And if, according to TN officials, Ayanavaram in Chennai has a significant Kannadiga population, then do erect a Tiruvalluvar statue there. This is the only solution we actually *need*.
Other solutions offered are mere misnomers. If Tiruvalluvar & Sarvagna have no language borders, then erect one of these two statues in all over India, and likewise for each state’s representation. Isnt that logical enough?! We want solidarity amongst all Indian states, who denied that?! Let us go ahead and be a country of statues – what with self-statue erection happening in some northern Indian states already!
Crap. I really wish the statues issue is culled here, and now. We really dont need cosmetic harmony here. You erect our statues and also file PILs against honouring of classical status to our language. Well, this is certainly not the way we want states in a federal union to live. The voter’s money is going awaste in multiple ways because of these useless *projects* that the state governments are undertaking. And not to mention the immense interest that media finds in this, and the usual consequent money-minting arising out of it. Rubbish. Shame on this Fourth Estate as well.
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Fooling us once shame on me, Fooling us twice/thrice shame on you.
That’s my words to all medias ,govt and supporters of statues.
We have named Rajaji, Kamaraj, MGR, Anna dorai to our roads and streets and areas. Have we achieved any brotherhood ?, have we ever treated with respect from TN.. answer is BIG NO.
If they build dam, its for people , if we build the same, its against law. That is a Hippocratic attitude of tamilnadu over generations. How long we need to buy this crap ?
All kannadigas( specially the crew which head over heals supported for statue) should take some buizz lessons. How should we negotiate and terms of buisness from Mr. Karunanidhi.
Its colloquial waste of public money and disturbing the peace in the name of Political vendetta.
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I can agree with Aloknath. It’s better to have someone we can relate to, closer.
That’s perhaps logical wrt Halasoor itself and Thiruvalluvara and in house Tamils.
Added to that our much vaunted and hard to lose “open-ness”.
Bringing in a host of wisemen will have the same effect as adding all excellent ingredients into making one dish.- An insight into our “open-ness” again.(TS, you miss the point that Grahas even though equally important as parts of a larger scheme are not equal to each other)
Another thought. Many of us confuse the broad vision of an intellect with the natural instinct of the common man.
Such an intellect can divide his mind and be proud of his own culture AND appreciate the worth of other cultures.
On the other hand, common men steeped in everyday common-ness that’s also closer to their soil can appreciate only their culture that’s closest to them.
Each branch of reaction is important for wholesome growth.
What we have done is to de-legitimise the latter variety.
So the only true Kannadiga is the “open” Kannadiga.
Why blame Yeddi and his gov? He’s so much part of what we have legitimised.
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Thiru Karunanidhi who is a self proclaimed rationalist has agreed to unviel the statue of Thruvalluvar. There are several kurals of Thiruvalluvar which talk greatly about the Hindu Vedic practices and below are some:
1. KuraL 413 -> People who receive “seviyuNavu” (wisdom) compared to devas who received “aviyuNavu” – havishyannam. Offering ‘havis’ oblation to devas is a distinctive vedic practice. Haviryaga is one of the 3 types of yaga.
2. KuraL 25 -> Indra himself praises the ascetics. (Indra, the Rig vedic God is mentioned by name and held in great esteem.)
3. KuraL 617 -> Ill luck will be there with lazy fellow. With a person with manly effort, lotus-seated Goddess Lakshmi would stay.
4. KuraL 543 -> King’s sceptre should protect the virtues and vedas of brahmins.
I am wondering how Thiru Karu has rationalized Thiruvalluvar’s mentioning of vedic gods and godesses in the Kural. The Kural openly displays aspects of ‘Vedic culture’ and mentions the importance of brahmin’s learning. Isn’t this an irony that the Brahmin hating Dravidians who supposedly beleive in scientific rationalism are now lobbying for the installation of Thiruvalluvar’s statue.
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Ok.. lets go by numbers, for once.
Does BJP in Karnataka want to win only a minority few wards having slightly higher tamilian population? Do they have air between their ears to think the Kannadiga majorities in all other wards will approve their “sin?” Do they think appearing on ETV prime-time shows will ward-off this pain Kannadigas have been subject to in Bengaluru?
Mr KAR-CM – do you have it in you to wake your party up in Karnataka? Solve this case for Karnataka, for Kannadigas, and you’ll have sweet dreams hereafter. This is a Kannadiga’s word.
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Second photo superaagide!
statue na nEthhaakida haage idE, moolE li kannaDa colours irO covers ive! :-D
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At the same time, the yellow and red colors have been put on the ground. Irony that the colors don the Karnataka flag?
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ThiruKa’s next demand – a statue of Kanimozhi in Kozhikode.
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This is a shameful episode in the history of Karnataka.
I hope the Highcourt stays this Statue nonsense!
Also I urge Kannadigas to dump BJP in the BMP polls!!
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No matter what the intentions are, statues erected in public places only seem to generate controversies. Be it the ones of these sages, the ones of Lenin erected during the Soviet era, the Bamiyan statues or the ones in UP there seems all of them have come with a lot of negative baggage. IMO erecting staues seems to be an outdated of honoring people. It might be better for administrations to do something of direct benefit to the common people in the names of those personalities.
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I have visited the place in Aynavaram and written a article about this in Kannada.Webdunia.com. ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞನಿಗೆ ಅಯನಾವರಂ ಯಾಕೆ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಅಲ್ಲ and ಚೆನ್ನೈ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅವಜ್ಞೆ. It is very sad. Like one said in Chennai “Even if they wont invite, I will attend the function. Anyway Karnataka Politicians know that they cant get votes from Chennai Kannadigas”
Pls give tour opinions. http://kannada.webdunia.com/newsworld/news/current/0908/06/1090806083_1.htm
Alas!!
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I wish the “statue” of limitations had expired on this business a long time ago.
For once, I find myself agreeing with Dr. Ramesh.
There must be a statue established somewhere in cyberspace for our TS who writes almost interminable epistles on almost everything all the time, sometimes in densely abstruse idiom. However, his point that a jangama should not be made sthaavara is well taken. But surely he knows Sarvajna’s “Moorkange noorkaala buddhi heLidare gorkalla mEle maLe suridanthe.”
Let’s all agree to call our greatest chutuku kavi “Sarvajna” and not “Sarvagna.”
Idu seriya swamigalai? Vanakkum to “Thiruvalluvar” and “poda” to Sarvajna.
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