Mangalore : The 2-day Tulunada Krishi Janapadhotsava, a traditional sports event held to promote the traditional games of Tulunadu, began at Shri Subramanya Temple, Kesaru Gadde, Pavanje, Mulky on July 7. The Tulunada Kesaru Gadde Kreedotsava Samithi is the organizer of this event.

Delivering the inaugural address, Shri K. S. Nithyananda Swami of Veda Vijnan Mandir in Chikmagalur, said that modern technology cannot produce the basic thing that people need to survive—food grains. Elaborating on the issue, he said that agriculture was given importance in the past because only the farmer could produce food grains. Today only 5 percent of the population is engaged in agricultural activities, he said.

Expressing his appreciation of the management for organizing a traditional sports event, he said that the younger generation must develop interest in agriculture.

Narasimha Pai, convener of Vyasa Maharshi Vidhya Peeta of Mulky; Niranjan Bhat, trustee of Jnanashakti Subramanian Temple in Pavanje; Jaya Shetty, the agriculturist; and Pitambar Shettygar were also present.

This 2-day traditional sports event comprises competitions in football, wrestling, slushy field race, tug of war, backward running, sprinting, rural sports, and others. Besides, an essay writing competition on rural development will also be held.