A poetic pilgrimage
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Kavi Namana takes its readers on an unusual trip, writes BAGESHREE S.
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IT WAS the Bard who started it all. P.D. Ravindra, an industrialist and lover of literature, on a tour of England, was wowed by how much the English respected Shakespeare and what lengths they had gone to preserve every object he had so much as touched at Stratford-upon-Avon.
On coming back home, he called his friend and one-time colleague Y.K. Mohan and said: "I have paid my respects to the great English writer, but I am yet to do that to our own writers!" That set Mohan thinking and led to the unique project, Kavi Namana, a journey to the birthplaces of the great Kannada writers.
Starting out
Mohan chalked out a tour plan, gathered a team of 18 people (which included literary enthusiasts, writers, critics, singers, and artists). The team set out in right earnest, with a wonderful cook in tow. The itinerary included 25 places — from the birthplaces of early writers such as Kumaravyasa and Pampa to that of towering figures of modern Kannada literature such as Kuvempu and Da.Ra. Bendre — entailing a journey of over 2,500 kilometres.
Part of the team were members of B.M.Shri. Prathishtana (T.V. Venkatachalashastry and M.R. Narendra) who brought along old manuscripts and held exhibitions wherever they went. The two gamaka singers (T.S. Padmavathi and T.B. Haimavathamma) sang the compositions of the poets of yore to add a musical touch to the lyrical journey, while T.K. Rao sketched as they went along.
The experiences along the journey (one could even call it a pilgrimage, considering the almost religious reverence that went with it) are now documented in the book titled Kavi Namana. Published by Pusthaka Shakthi and priced at Rs. 180, it carries articles by some of the team members, besides an editorial by Na. Geethacharya and an introduction by veteran lexicographer G. Venkatasubbiah. It carries a map of the places visited, pictures, illustrations, and recommendations to the government and other organisations on how these places of historical and literary significance can be preserved.
The Kavi Namana team (above); a view of the Koodala Sangama.
The journey, as one would expect, was a mixed bag. While the team was warmly welcomed in some places, the reception was frosty in others. While some places were well preserved, some others were in a state of complete neglect. The people of the town organised a function in the team's honour when they went to Bellur, the place of B.M. Shri.'s birth. But they found the hall built in memory of T.S. Venkanniah dark and dusty when they went to his birthplace Thaluku. While Kuvempu's place Kuppalli has been preserved and made into a tourist destination, the memorial leading to Nayasena's memorial in Mulagund barely has an approach road. Mohan adds, though, that warmth of the poor residents of Mulagund made for much of the team's disappointment with the place.
All these experiences are documented in seven articles in the book. While Venkatachalashastry's essay emphasises on historical details of each place, Dhruvanarayana's essay is in the style of a tourist's personal diary. Narahalli Balasubrahmanya writes a short, impressionistic piece, while Chirajneevi's article packs in anecdotes in a journalistic style. He, for instance, writes an interesting episode of the daughter-in-law of a traditional household persuading her father-in-law to part with a manuscript to the B.M.Shri. Prathishtana for preservation. In a remarkable argument, she convinces the old man that the family heirloom would be better valued and preserved in the Prathishtana's archives than in their own puja room. The book also has an article by the editor Geethacharya and a special article on the manuscript project by Dheerendra V. Jagirdar.
The Kavi Namana project, no doubt, is a novel one. Mohan says that it has enthused many researchers and students of literature to take up projects and similar tours. In fact, among the recommendations, the team has suggested that local organisations and the government should take active interest in preserving these places and developing their tourism potential. "This is more meaningful than naming streets and circles in Bangalore after writers," says Mohan.
Production, editing
But the book could have done with greater attention to production details and editing. The reproduction of pictures and illustration is often poor. More importantly, with all writers writing about all the places they visited, there are too many overlaps and repetitions. Some articles in the book are weighed down by an excessively reverential tone, a quality that any good travelogue should eschew. But if the idea was not to present a travel book at all, Kavi Namana could surely have done with more incisive historical and sociological insights.
Call 94487-33323 for copies of the book.
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