With simplicity and character bestowed upon the opulent stone walls, the Rajbhavan graciously holds memories of a medieval life.
Exuding both the grandeur of colonial architecture and history, the colossal mansion transformed into a timeless abode celebrating the cosmic harmony of existence and universal humanism with one of the greatest philosophers and thinkers of our time, Kuvempu.
Integrating poetry, aesthetics and spiritual autonomy, the visionary writer and poet metamorphose the concept of dimensionless poetry time and again.
Commemorating the spiritual essence of his works, Sa-mudra foundation and Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu Prathisthana organised a seminar titled Rashtrakavi Kuvempu — a dialogue yesterday at the Rajbhavan.
The dignitaries who graced the occasion were Nadoja Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah, Professor Manu Chakravarthy, Professor K E Radhakrishna, Dr Chidananda Gowda and H R Bharadwaj, the governor of Karnataka.
Immortalised as the magnum opus of Kuvempu, Ramayana Darshanam explores the fundamental characterisation of Rama in Valmiki’s Ramayana, in the poet’s vision. The intrinsic element of Kuvempu’s interpretation which he calls Darshanam is nothing but his realisation that all creation is sustained and governed by the cosmic mind.
S a i d P r o f e s s o r Radhakrishna, “In the book Cosmic Harmony of Rigveda, G N Chakravarthy has spoken about the greatness of Indian culture that embraces everything from within; where the cloistered distinction of nationalism and sub-nationalism no longer exists. This could be best summed up as Kuvempu’s philosophy. The great poet once said I am adi, ananta and anadi. And, I am the continuity of that principle.
Most of the Indian poets believed that the one who cannot see is the one who cannot believe. Kuvempu insisted on true understanding of oneself and nature. In his quest for peaceful existence, he found solace in the distilled silence of nature. His work Ramayana Darshanam is an excellent example of how violence can be merged with the beauty of silence.
The beautiful metaphors symbolise the truth that all human beings are destined to evolve.” Kuvempu’s canvas of creativity was not confined to genres. One could experience the splendour and panoramic view of the Sahyadri hills in his poetry. Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah found astounding similarities between Kuvempu and Tagore’s philosophies.
“Kuvempu is a phenomenon.
He played a vital role in elevating spiritual education and literacy. He revolutionised and gave a new depth to poetry. The legend had once said I am living the life of a poem. His poems traverse from spiritual to transcendental, direct to abstract and yet in all his works he articulates a metaphysical experience.,” he added.
Exploring the philosophical and aesthetic position of Kuvempu, Professor Manu Chakravarthy felt that the two entities were not different in nature. Expressing diversity in poetry, Kuvempu’s thoughts are deeply grounded in the philosophy of language.
“Speech as an organic concept can be grasped by exploring the possibilities of language. After all, texts borrow material from the world gain autonomy and transcendental nature; and unleash their power. The real world was extremely pivotal to Kuvempu. He was an extraordinary thinker who strived to produce meaning, thought and idea into language. He truly believed that through knowledge one must reach a state of non-knowledge which is a state of nirvana and not ignorance,” said Professor Chakravarthy.
Several contemporary artistes today have uncovered and discovered new meaning in relatively unknown aspects of Kuvempu’s vision.
The great poet envisaged a world where everything would integrate and converge to a point of existence within our consciousness; thereby diminishing violence and chaos.