WHO IS DA RA BENDRE?
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, well known by his loving nickname Da. Ra. Bendre, is regarded as the father of contemporary Kannada literature and is the author of more renowned published works than one can count on their fingers. Along with garnering numerous honours and recognition, including the Sahitya Akademi and Jnanpith awards, his works captivated the hearts of the public. Although Dattatreya Bendre's work showed remarkable depth and subtle subtlety over the years, in his later years, the eccentric singer had abandoned lyrics in favour of a strange obsession with mathematical figures. Da Ra Bendre went away at the age of 85, leaving the literary world with a legacy of priceless poetic expression and creative ideas.
This project is a five part series of illustrations based on Bendre’s most iconic poems. The artwork was made using cut paper, colored tissue paper, acrylic paints and pastels.
Moodala Mane-The house on the East
The lyrics of the poem is a beautiful blend of imagery and metaphorical language. It depicts the different aspects of nature and connects them to human emotions. The song talks about a palace made of pearls and how it shines like the morning dew. The lyrics then move on to describe the dance and celebration of people in a village, while the lamp of light spreads its radiance everywhere. This signifies the presence of happiness and joy in the village.
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Ghama Ghama Ghammadistava Mallige- Fragrant Jasmine
The poem talks about a lover, wooing the the love of her life to stay and not leave her alone on a full moon night. She asks man, who is mad at her as to where he is headed. The mistress asks her lover, "Where are you going without me in the darkness of this full moon, where the dreams are marching, when the room is full of jasmine flowers, and the eyes are covered with haunting sleep?" Through such meaningful lines, the poet paints a beautiful picture here that words fail to describe.
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Kurudu Kanchana- Unseen Gold
In the poem Bendre’s interpretation suggests – the poem is an (ironic) depiction of wealth in the form of “Yellamma”- a popular rural deity who is believed to “come upon” the body of a devotee and possess him or her. But while Yellamma is a benevolent goddess (or, at least, one who can be placated), the ‘Unseeing Gold’ of this poem seems unrelentingly maleficent. The choice to use ‘unseeing‘ derives from the image of the madly dancing possessed devotee – whose eyes are (technically) open but that are, in truth, unaware and unseeing.
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Karadiya Kunita- The Bear Dance
"Karadi Kunitha" is one of Bendre's simplest poems. The poem helps the reader experience the complexity of the exploitation. At the end of this poem, Bendre proclaims the principle that the dance of the human intellect is above the dance of all animals. The poem is about the bear dancer catches who caught a bear from the forest to earn his livelihood. He puts an iron bracelet in his hand, takes a stick to make the bear dance and goes from house to house begging.
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Rudra Veena
Here Bendre is contemplating on prevalent social, political and emotional unrest. Rudra Veena is an ancient Indian classical instrument. Poet symbolizes it being played to mean the end of the world. Poet sees people trembling with fear, using thunderous speech to threaten, showing cowardice, burning with jealousy, committing bloodshed, and facing injustice. Just like now, back then too he saw toppling of rulers, discrimination based on caste and creed not in the open but at the back of people’s minds and observes friction between men and women. He says these things are making us and the society sick & hence we are suffering. He uses natural calamities like volcanic eruptions, earthquake and floods as metaphors for destruction of society. In spite of such hopeless situation, poet sees new light being lit by the Stars and the Sun and hopes that life will blossom again the next morning.’
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