Mangaluru: Jnanpith awardee Kota Shivaram Karanth’s original house in Puttur, which is renovated, will be inaugurated on the birth anniversary of the celebrated writer on October 10. The renovation of Balavana in Puttur is almost over and finishing touches are being given. The writer, who built the house in 1930, was living there till 1973. A team of conservation architects of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) led by Pankaj Modi have taken up the restoration of the poet’s house.

All the old materials of the including stones, tiles, rafters, door frames and windows have been restored. Only the damaged things are replaced with the new ones to give the house an original look.
The state government has given Rs 29 lakh for the restoration of the house. Another Rs 1 crore was sanctioned in the 2015 budget for other development works to be taken up in a phased manner.

Puttur assistant commissioner Raghunandan Murthy told that Kannada and culture minister Umashree will dedicate the house. “We have plans to hold programmes for children as well as cultural and literary events at the house on a regular basis,” he added.

Puttur MLA Shakunthala Shetty said the second phase of the restoration work on other buildings the writer had built 80 years ago is being taken up through a committee set up in 2016. The MLA is also a member of the committee that comprises secretary of Kannada and culture department, scholar Vivek Rai, writer’s daughter Kshama Rau and son Ullas Karanth.

Various literary and cultural programmes will be organized to mark the inauguration of the house on October 10,” she added. District minister Ramanath Rai inagurate the function. Chikkaballapur MP M Veerappa Moily will dedicate the museum, where books, manuscripts and other belongings of Karantha will be kept, Shakunthala Shetty said.

A workshop on Karanth’s literary work will be held after the inauguration of the house. Vivekananda College retired principal H Madhava Bhat will chair the workshop organized for students. Sadhana Sangeetha Shale, Kombettu and Saraswathi Sangeetha Vidyalaya, Nehru Nagara, will present a musical concert. Yakshagana Kalakendra, Udupi, will present ‘Chakravyooha’, a Yakshagana bayalata.