Restless saint
RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI
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Shantarasa, the chairperson of the 72nd Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, is at once a man full of tranquility and fervour
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EVER ALIVE Shantarasa: `A language of the people will never die' Photo: Ashok Patil
Of all the titles bestowed on Shantarasa by his readers, Ashanta Santa (The Restless Saint) describes him best. Dr. Hemberalu Shantarasa, the chairperson of the 72nd Sahitya Sammelana, taking off on January 27, is a saintly man. He has however been spearheading many agitations for over six decades, including the anti-Nizam freedom movement in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, the agitation over making Kannada the official language, the neglect of the backward north Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka areas by successive governments and many more.
According to ancient Indian literature, "Shantarasa" is that state of the mind which follows a catharsis. It thus indicates the co-existence of emotion and tranquillity in the human mind. Shantaiah, in 1940s, liked the expression so much that he adopted it as his nomme-de-plume. At 82, still writing, his latest books, was one on Kannada ghazals and the other a translation of Amrita Pritam's poetry, that were released last week. The credit of introducing Ghazals to Kannada goes to him. He translated Mirza Ghalib and others into Kannada. He has written several short stories. Shantarasa, an ardent advocate of translations between the Indian languages, represents the cosmopolitan nature of Kannadigas. He believes that love for Kannada does not mean hatred for other languages. Born in Raichur district that was part of the Nizam Kingdom, he had no access to education in Kannada. His completed his education in Urdu medium. But realised that education in the language of the people was the key to their development. He organised agitations across the state to realise this dream. Shantarasa voiced his dissent when the late P. Lankesh brought out Akshara Hosa Kavya. The anthology did not include works from poets in Hyderabad-Karnataka. Following this, he published a book containing exclusive writings by poets in the neglected area and called it Benna Hindina Belaku (the light behind your back) to remind the editors of Akshara Hosa Kavya how easy it was for them to forget writers in their backyard.
After retiring from a long stint as a teacher in Hamdard high school in Raichur, he now lives with his son in Gulbarga. In an interview, the straightforward writer, reflects upon the challenges before the language, literature, culture and people of the state.
Do you think Kannada and other Indian languages are fighting a losing battle against English in these days of globalisation?
It is not true. Indian languages are suffering the onslaught of English, and it is true. However, to assume that the use of English will wipe out Kannada or any other Indian language one day is false. A language of the people will never die. It is true that English is the language of opportunities. However, the common man, labourers, families and housewives will continue to speak Kannada, despite the rapid advances in technology and the need to learn English in order to adopt to these changes. And as long the common man speaks Kannada, it will survive. It is in your bones. It will never fade away.
As long as human beings undergo experiences and have a desire to share it with others, literature will also be there. We should realise that we should be as hopeful of the future as we are critical of the past.
There are more writers than critics in Kannada now.
Kannada criticism is suffering. A critic's job is to understand poetry or a work or art and help others understand it. This needs patient study. It is therefore, not easy to be a critic. Nothing but sincere individual efforts by young critics will change things.
Lack of criticism also affects the market for literature, art and music. For example, what kind of a media review can you expect if a senior singer like Gangubai Hangal performs in the city and the newspaper office has no one who understands classical music? That is the reason why some times, individual prejudices are passed off as expert opinions in the media.
The former Mayor of Belgaum Vijay More, whose face was blackened by some in Bangalore, is being felicitated in the Marathi Sahitya Sammelana in Solapur on January 27. What is your opinion on the whole issue?
No language is either superior or inferior to others. Love for Kannada definitely does not mean hatred for other tongues. I have over 500 Urdu books in my study. I have a high regard for Marathi and Malayalam writing. Marathi books such as Uchalya and Akrama Santhana have brought international honour to Indian literature. Learning a new language is in the benefit of a writer. The Belgaum Corporation's resolution was condemnable. I don't support blackening More's face.
I am upset with the people who speak of making Kannada compulsory only during Rajyotsava Day celebrations. If that is your sincere demand, why not fight for it? Kannada should be implemented at all levels. Common people will benefit from this. It becomes difficult for a lawyer to mislead his client, if he is forced to speak Kannada in the courts. Similarly, an anti-people IAS officer cannot hide his misdeeds in English footnotes, if he is compelled by law to use Kannada. The root of the problem with the implementation of Kannada lies in the Vidhana Soudha, a lack of political will.
As the Sahitya Sammelana president, I will stress on the development of backward regions, border areas, and comprehensive human development of the state. I will speak comparatively little on literature. It is natural the survival of Kannadigas is as important as the survival of Kannada.
Do you support the demand for classical language status to Kannada?
Classical status helps the comprehensive development of a language and its literature. It creates chairs in different Universities, it promotes research, and recognises scholars by making provisions for annual awards. But we should realise that Tamil did not get that status overnight. Tamil scholars, writers and thinkers have worked for years towards that end. We need to put such efforts, rather than just shouting from the rooftops.
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