'M'luru Lit Fest 2023' will elevate language, culture of nation: Mythic Society honorary secretary
Mangaluru: The ‘Mangaluru Lit Fest 2023’ got off to a grand start on Saturday at TMA Pai International Convention Centre, Mangaluru, with honorary secretary of Mythic Society V. Nagaraj inaugurating the program by lighting a lamp.
V. Nagaraj said that Saturday being Shivratri, the festival of Shiva, who is called as Dakshina Murthy and is the lord of religion, culture and education, it was special that the program was being held on such an auspicious day.
“The language, art and culture of our great nation will be elevated through the literary festival. Literature reflects age and culture of the nation. The past decades were filled with ideas that were not ours, but times have changed. It is a matter of pride that our Indian culture has continuously grown over the past five thousand years. Other civilizations of the world have fallen due to attack and reliance on other religions. But only in India, the light of ‘sanatana’ has flowed for 5,000 years,” he said.
Nitte Vice-chancellor Dr. N Vinay Hegde, who presided over the program, said that Mangaluru is a city leading in the country in various fields, including education, health, commerce and employment. “This literary festival organized by Bharat Foundation is a guide. Mangaluru region is a religiously, culturally and educationally elevated place. Even before Independence, Mangaluru region had a special place,” he added.
He also wished that the program would become a model for the world.
Tukaram Pujari, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, recalled his path of achievement and praised him. He said, “Although our ancestors did not have knowledge of letters, their knowledge of nature and culture was good. It is from them that our culture has flowed till now. We have to owe it to them.”
R. Jagannathan, Editorial Board Director of Swarajya magazine, who participated as a guest in the program, said that the thought of India is the thought of religion. He referred to the Sanskrit phrase, “Sukhasya Moolam Dharma, Dharmasya Moolam Artha, Arthasya Moolam Rajya,'' as mentioned in the Chanakya Sutra, which is the basic religion for the country to be prosperous. He also said that good economic policy will elevate the country to a higher position.
“Present day India is progressing on the same path. The country will become prosperous through self-reliance, poverty is disappearing from the country,” he said, adding that the ‘Amritkala’ of next 25 years will elevate the country to the highest position.
Before the start of the program, a procession of books in a palanquin was held up to the program venue. Senior folk artiste Bhavani Amma Pergade flagged off the program by singing ‘Paddan Gita’.
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B'luru: "Least priority, shifted late," says brother of patient who died in Ramaiah hospital fire
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Bengaluru: Hours after a fire broke out at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital on New BEL Road on Thursday, a 34-year-old patient, Sujay Sujathan Panicker, tragically passed away. His family has accused the hospital authorities of negligence, which they claim led to his death.
The fire at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. Initial reports suggested that there were no casualties in the incident.
Sujay, originally from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in Bengaluru with his family since 2004. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and H1N1 since September 1 at the hospital.
Sujay's wife and father released a video accusing the hospital of negligence. In the video, his wife, Rohini Jayan, alleged that the hospital authorities took no action against those responsible for the fire.
Sujay’s brother, Sujin Sujathan Panicker, speaking to Vartha Bharathi, detailed the family’s ordeal. He said that despite his sister-in-law requesting assistance during the chaos, the hospital staff pushed her away, assuring her that all patients had been safely evacuated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). However, Sujin claims that his sister-in-law did not see Sujay being shifted.
He further stated, “Sometime later, when a doctor arrived, she (Rohini) inquired about Sujay. It was only after the doctor questioned the staff that they rushed to evacuate him.”
Sujin added that by the time his brother was evacuated, 50 minutes had already passed since the fire broke out. "He was still inside, while all the other patients were taken out first. He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness, yet he was given the least priority during the chaos. He was the last one to be evacuated."
He also claimed that Rohini had already noticed that Sujay’s condition had deteriorated and believed he had passed away, though the hospital authorities did not officially declare his death.
Sujin further stated that the hospital authorities called him and his father to the board room at the 8th floor of the hospital, where senior executives and doctors who had treated Sujay were present “During the interaction they (hospital authorities) claimed that Sujay was still alive and that his condition had worsened amid the smoke and that his chances of survival were less, which was not true.”
"Despite staff being present to evacuate my brother, they remained negligent. The fire broke out at 1:00 p.m., so why did it take 50 minutes to get him out? He was in a corner bed in the CCU, and it seemed they either overlooked the room or ignored it. Even after repeated requests, it took them 50 minutes to evacuate him," Sujin added.
Sujin also expressed concerns that the hospital authorities might attempt to influence the investigation. "They can influence anyone—any hospital, any report."
At the time of the interview, Sujin stated that neither anyone from the government nor from the health department had contacted the family.
A complaint has been filed in connection with the incident at the Sadashivanagar police station. "The statements of the family members have been recorded, and an investigation into the matter is underway. An FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 106 (causing death due to negligence)," said Sadashivanagar police station Sub-Inspector.
Meanwhile, officials from Ramaiah Memorial Hospital were unavailable for comment.
