Not just pun and fun
|
Why doesn't humour writing occupy the pride of place in Kannada literature any longer? B.R. Lakshmana Rao, the poet of Gopi Mattu Gandalina fame, tells K.V. SUBRAMANYA that humour without a serious core is no more than a frivolous joke
|
B.R. Lakshmana Rao: `Humour should never be at the cost of another.' — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
HUMOUR, A sugar coated pill, has always been the medicine for social pestilence the world over. While humour literature has always occupied an important place in the West, the tribe of Kannada writers lampooning social idiosyncrasies are becoming extinct. Devoid of purpose and far from being satirical, the contemporary humour writing in Kannada has turned into a mere sugar candy with the exit of Kailasam, Beechi, Ra.Shi. and YNK, who were great masters of satire.
After these masters of humour, who were more or less contemporaries, there has not been another crop of writers who made an impact on the reading masses, creating a void in the genre. Nevertheless, with the evolution of the hanigavana (short poem), which has pun and provides fun, humour writing in Kannada has come to achieve a new dimension. Though in the recent times, one finds several people at it, the two exponents of the form, who grabbed attention of readers and critics alike are poets B.R. Lakshmana Rao and Dundiraj. Their hanigavanas not just tickle and thrill the reader but also set them thinking; they reflect social and political concerns.
Lakshmana Rao, who intelligently adapted the Navya tradition to suit the literary genre of his interest, exhibits deep social concerns in most of his poems. For instance, in his couplet GATT, he writes: "Yaranna keli madikondaru oppandha? / Namma beejagalenu avrappandha?" When the United Front Government held office, he wrote: "Kaiyalli haavu hididhu thabbibadha manga/ Congress bembala padedha Samyuktha Ranga." Even in his most popular poem Gopi Mattu Gandalina published in 1971, he brings out the friction between two cultures and two generations.
Not part of tradition
It is sad that though humour has been a part of Kannada literature, it did not emerge as part of tradition, unlike the English literary tradition, observes Lakshmana Rao. But humour has been the driving force behind most Poornachandra Tejasvi's writings he argues, whether one wants to admit it or not. "Both Carvalo and Jugari Cross make such fine examples of humour being part of our tradition," he points out.
He, however, refuses to accept that humour writers do not have a good standing in the Kannada literary circles. "Isn't humour one among the five literary forms for which the Karnataka Sahitya Academy gives annual awards? There are even magazines that have been regularly coming out with special issues on humour," adds Lakshmana Rao.
If humour writers have come under an attack from critics it is mainly because their writings lack purpose and serious social concerns and they fail to make an impact. "It should not be just humour for humour sake." Piqued over the decline in the quality of humour, Lakshmana Rao says that Hasyotsavas (humour festivals) which are becoming more popular of late have been reduced to buffoonery. He has a problem with humorists turning into "entertainers and performing artists." "They relax tense urban minds no doubt, but they fail to appeal to refined sensibilities for they lack subtlety, a basic tenet. I have stopped participating in such programmes because I do not belong there." It is only natural for the poet to be unhappy with comedy-based television serials. "They have become extended jokes as there is no satire in them," he says.
Though there is a spate of writers writing couplets in newspapers and magazines, there aren't many who measure up in terms of quality. It's a sure route to fame and publicity, but they will not stand the test of time, insists Lakshmana Rao.
"One has to be a keen observer, self-critical and also have a flair for humour. Humour should never be at the cost of another," he feels. If his fellow poet Dundiraj has been successful and popular it is because his thoughts are original, and the poems have pun, rhyme and social commitment. "His poems do not sound like jokes," Lakshmana Rao explains.
Talking about his own poetry, he says humour to him is an "attitude" and not a "technique." He has no regrets for what he has written. "Though there is the risk of getting branded, why should I bother about it? We have to react with an open mind and heart to the world," believes Lakshmana Rao, and calls humour a "cat call", in his characteristic style.
Most Kannada humorists steered clear of ponderous, serious, intellectual university environs and were therefore able to produce masterpieces. Ask Lakshmana Rao's opinion on this and he wisecracks: "They did produce great works. But whom were they keeping away from, intellectuals or pseudo-intellectuals?"
Many of the prominent humour writers weren't employed in universities as several other writers writing other genres of literature are. Lakshmana Rao runs a studio and tutorials in Chintamani, Dundiraj is a Corporation Bank official. YNK was a journalist, Beechi, a State Government employee and Ra. Shi, a doctor. They are professions which mean constant interactions with people from various walks of life. That probably explains their writing.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
