Books on women saints to be gifted at KUD events, announces VC

Move To Raise Visibility of Women PhilosophersDharwad: Karnatak University, Dharwad (KUD) vice-chancellor Prof AM Khan on Sunday drew attention to the systemic neglect of women thinkers and announced an institutional step to promote their work: the university will present books on women philosophers and contributors as gifts at its programmes so their work reaches a wider audience.Inaugurating the Sadhaki Conference at the Kanaka Study Chair auditorium of Karnatak University, Dharwad (KUD), Prof AM Khan said women must receive due recognition in philosophy, literature and knowledge systems. He said society has been quick to recognise male saints and philosophers, while women thinkers have often been overlooked. "Even when we search on Google, names of male figures such as Kanakadasa and others appear prominently, while women contributors rarely receive similar visibility," he said.Prof Khan cited women saints and philosophers such as Akkamahadevi, Goggavve, Bheemavva and Helavanakatte Giriyamma, and said their contributions to spiritual and philosophical traditions should be remembered and studied more widely.The conference was organised by Kanaka Study Chair, KUD, and Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha, in collaboration with Centre for the Study of Saint Poet Kanakadasa and Tatvapadakaras, Bengaluru.Earlier, Prof KT Chikkanna, president of Centre for the Study of Saint Poet Kanakadasa and Tatvapadakaras, said women poets and philosophers from the medieval period expressed their experiences, sufferings and insights through vachanas, keertanas and tatvapadas.Chief guest Prof Malati Pattanashetti said women in earlier times articulated personal experiences and social realities through devotional and philosophical compositions. She urged present-day students to take up more research on such works.Another chief guest, Prof R Sunandamma, president of the Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha, said philosophical thought transcends divisions of caste, religion, food habits and gender. She said the philosophical songs and vachanas composed by women saints continue to offer new perspectives to contemporary society.The programme began with a musical performance by Dr Parashuram Katti Sangavi and his team from Dharwad. Prof Hanamagouda C welcomed the gathering. Bharati Hegde, coordinator of the Centre for the Study of Saint Poet Kanakadasa and Tatvapadakaras, compered the programme. Suma Satish, secretary of the Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha, delivered the vote of thanks.