Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday announced that a three-day World Kannada Literary Conference would be organised in 2027 under the leadership of former CM and noted writer M Veerappa Moily.

The decision on organising the conference would be taken in the next state Budget, he said.

Speaking after releasing the fourth volume of Moily's literary work, 'Vishwasamskrutiya Mahayana', a prose epic here, he said the conference aimed to bring together Kannadigas living across the world to promote and preserve the Kannada language and culture.

"Kannada enjoys immense respect among people living abroad. We want to bring Kannadigas from across the world onto one platform and organise a World Kannada Literary Conference to preserve and promote our language and culture," Shivakumar said.

Emphasising the enduring influence of literature, he said political leaders might eventually be forgotten, but the names and ideas of those who made significant contributions to literature would remain for generations.

"For the world to become one, human beings must first come together. Religion and culture play an important role in shaping a person into a true human being. Education and literature are among the most powerful instruments in the world," he added.

Drawing a parallel between politics and literature, Shivakumar said that while political power could bring changes to people's lives, literature had the ability to transform their thinking.

"Political power is limited by time, but the influence of literature is permanent. A person's life may come to an end, but the ideas expressed through their writings never die," he said.

Just as food was essential for physical survival, literature and art were equally important for inner satisfaction, he said.

"Light is needed to remove darkness, while literature and culture are needed to remove ignorance. Wealth is essential for development, but values are necessary to build a cultured society. Culture is our identity and humanity is our existence," he said.

Shivakumar said literature, poetry, shayari and music across languages reflected universal human emotions.

"Every religion has values that connect humanity and culture. The literary world has a significant role in preserving and promoting these values," he added.

Praising Moily's contributions to both politics and literature, Shivakumar recalled his role in encouraging young leaders and providing them opportunities in electoral politics.

He said Moily had played a key role in securing election tickets for several young leaders, including himself, H M Revanna (former Minister) and Ramalinga Reddy (Minister), after speaking to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.

Moily, who began writing poetry while he was in Class IV, had successfully balanced his political responsibilities with his literary pursuits, he said.

Coming from a village in Dakshina Kannada district, Moily had served as Karnataka Chief Minister and Union Minister while making significant contributions to literature, Shivakumar said.

Moily had also worked to fulfil the aspirations of people in the Chikkaballapur constituency as MP and introduced the Common Entrance Test (CET) system in the state, creating opportunities for students from economically weaker and middle-class families to pursue medical and engineering education at lower costs, he said.

His contribution to the development of Electronic City and the IT-BT sector was also noteworthy, Shivakumar added.

Noting that Moily had authored more than 30 books, Shivakumar said his work 'Ramayana Mahanveshanam' had received the prestigious Saraswati Samman award.

The CM said he had requested Moily to publish as a separate book the portion he had written on the history of Karnataka's freedom movement, and the latter had responded positively.

"We all hope that Moily will receive more prestigious literary honours, including the Jnanpith Award," he said.

The CM said the Congress government was also committed to securing official recognition for the yellow and red Kannada flag.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier brought the issue of the Kannada flag to the attention of the Union government, he said.

"We will discuss the matter in the next Assembly session and take steps towards framing the necessary legislation. There is no constitutional restriction on this. Our Congress government is committed to ensuring a distinct identity and recognition for the Kannada language and the Kannada flag," he said.