The charming writer
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Some interesting reads in Kannada
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Aarada Deepa by Neelathahalli Kasturi
Abhinava, Rs. 60
This tiny book is an emotional tribute to one of the most distinguished personalities of Kannada literature, G. P. Rajaratnam, by one of his ardent admirers, Neelathahalli Kasturi. Rajaratnam was a big name in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. He w
as well known for his children’s classics, though his contribution in all the other genres of literature was no less. Being a great teacher of Kannada literature, a follower of Gandhiji, an ardent believer of Saibaba and an intense lover of books, he had enthused many youngsters of the days to write in Kannada. He wrote and published (not necessarily his own books) enormously and he took printed Kannada books to the reader literally – he loved calling himself a server of literature (Sahitya Paricharaka). The book reverentially records Rajaratnam’s life right from his birth to his death. The book has a foreword by Rajaratnam’s teacher, Na. Kasturi. Born in an orthodox Iyengar family, Rajaratnam had to struggle at every stage of his life. Without money and a proper job, his insatiable desire to write and publish took him to great heights in Kannada literature. He was gifted with an eloquent voice that made him the most popular Kannada teacher at Central College. His teaching of Pampa, Ranna and Kumaravyasa are still remembered by his students.
A book on a prolific writer and a cultural activist like Rajaratnam raises some expectations. It is expected that the book would throw some light on his contemporary writers and literary, cultural, social and political issues apart from his personal views on various controversies of those days. The book touches upon some of these aspects, but marginally. There is a reference to Mysore State being named as Karnataka and Rajaratnam’s views on the difference between the post-alveolar nasal ‘n’ and the alveolar nasal ‘n’ in the word ‘Karnataka’. There is also a reference to ugly remarks made by one of his contemporaries – obviously it was Bee.Chi. who had made those remarks. There is a vivid depiction of Rajaratnam being deeply affected by the speech of Nehru and how he wrote a play to record his strong protest against the British rule.
Rajaratnam’s association with his contemporary writers like Masti, Sriranga, Karanth, Kuvempu, Sriranga, K.V. Iyer and others is also revealed in some detail. But during his time there were animated public debates on Navya, Navodaya and Pragathisheela movements in Kannada. Little is said about these. The reader hardly comes to know the views of Rajaratnam about his contemporary cultural issues. The book is touching. One feels sad that such literary personalities like Rajaratnam have dwindled over a period of time.
K. SUNDARA RAJ
Ashwamedha by Ashok Hegde
Akshara Prakashana, Rs.120
It’s not a new story. It’s not talking of new experiences either. “Ashwamedha”, Ashok Hegde’s novel, tells a story that has been earlier told by other Kannada novelists and possibly in other Indian languages too. If it s
erves, even as vague reminder of the many specific incidents in the political history of Karnataka, it is not far from truth: the emergence of lower caste against the oppressive hegemony of the upper class. This tale of class conflict, probably set in the Seventies and Eighties of Karnataka, records the transition of a social order in the village Valligadde, though one cannot deny the existence of multiple Valligaddes, in multiple geographical locations.
Though Ashok’s novel documents the nature of societies and the choices that individuals make in response, it is not entirely Navya in its preoccupation. It gives voice to the marginalised, suppressed sections, but that doesn’t make its concern completely Bandaya either. Ashok, doesn’t allow to be fitted into any literary tradition of Kannada, though, it is evident, that his consciousnesses has been shaped by more than one literary school.
Beneath a mosaic harmony, there is a simmering discontent in Valligadde, on the banks of the river Aghanashini. While the village has every marker of a conservative, feudal order – an authoritarian Brahmin community, a scrounging Math, an unfeeling Temple – there are also enough indications in the narrative to depict the initiation of the process of change. For instance, in the studious Shridhar, who has dreams of making it to JNU, and in Kusuma who is battling with her parents to be allowed to pursue her studies, the Brahmin girl Nirmala running away with the lower caste Krishna, and also the village’s relationship with legal institutions through the character of Thimmappa. With all this, a revolution, in the true sense of the word, takes place only with Rajeev Gaitonde’s refusal to contribute to the annual fair. “It’s a wasteful expenditure. Why can’t the village have a school instead?” he asks Subraya Hegde, a patriarch, whom nobody dares stand up to. The eedigas support him in the endeavour, thus weakening the stranglehold of the Brahmin community over the village economics.
Following stiff resistance which renders the Math powerless, it organises Ashwamedha Yaga, hoping to reinstate its supremacy in the village. But this time, on a slightly democratic footing, seeking the co-operation of the lower castes. It doesn’t work in their favour, however. The novel does take you through, with an interesting storyline and engaging characters, but the plot is a bit simplistic for our times. For, caste struggles have now assumed multi-layered proportions, with wheels within wheels, and hardly a hero versus a villain situation. The narrative flow is rather jerky and could have done with better editing.
DEEPA GANESH
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