New faces at memorial trusts in Dharwad, but old hurdles persist

Pic: Bendre Bhavan at Sadhanakeri in Dharwad that houses the Dr Da Raa Bendre National Memorial TrustDharwad: The state govt has appointed new chairpersons and members to five trusts in Dharwad district. As is customary, individuals aligned with the ideology of the ruling party have been appointed chairpersons to various trusts, boards and corporations with the expectation that this will ensure smoother functioning of these entities. In Dharwad district, Dr Da Raa Bendre National Memorial Trust, Dr Mallikarjun Mansur National Memorial Trust, Swara Samrat Pt Basavaraj Rajguru Memorial Trust, Chitra Kala Shilpi D V Halabhavi Memorial Trust and Karnataka Kulapurohita Alur Venkatrao Trust have received new leadership. The new teams are enthusiastic about taking up new projects and programmes, and expect the govt to support them in their endeavours to fulfill the purpose of these institutions However, the experience of the earlier chairpersons and members does not inspire confidence because most of these trusts have faced funds crunch as the govt has not released any additional funds to support the activities. The plans and proposals have remained on paper and files are gathering dust in the department of Kannada and culture under whose purview these trusts operate. Initially, many of these trusts organised impactful programmes — special lectures, exhibitions, music concerts and book releases. Over the years, the financial support dwindled while the costs of organising programmes escalated.Now, most of these trusts restrict their activities to celebrating the birth and death anniversaries of the personalities they are named after. Each trust has instituted annual awards that carry a cash prize and a citation. Between 2013 and 2019, each trust received an annual grant of Rs 15 lakh. However, post the Covid-19 pandemic, this amount was drastically cut to Rs 8 lakh, according to Kumar Bekkeri, assistant director, department of Kannada and culture."Much of the grant is used for the payment of staff salaries, anniversary events and award presentations. There's hardly anything left to organise programmes," noted a former chairman of a trust.This has disheartened those in the fields of literature, music, art, and research. They are calling for the trusts to become more dynamic, proactive and judicious in using available resources. "The govt should place trust in the managing trustees and ensure adequate funding. Otherwise, the very purpose of these trusts stands defeated," said Acharya Shrinidhi, a literature enthusiast.

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