Title: Kaadugini Editors: Dr K Puttaswamy and Ravi Besagarahalli Publisher:Dr Besagarahalli Ramanna Prathishthana, 90, 16th Cross, 4th Stage, JP Nagar, Bangalore 560 078 Pages: 296 Price: Rs 200 Dr Besagarahalli Ramanna’s short stories and novels have made him a well-known name in Kannada literature. A medical officer by profession, he had a sensitive mind and a kind heart.
A voracious reader since his student days he was the first person to have a medical degree in his family and among his relatives. A straightforward person having strong likes and dislikes on almost every issue, Dr Besagarahalli Ramanna left his footprints not only in Kannada literature but in the hearts of his friends and relatives.
But like blind persons feeling an elephant each of his accomplices had experienced only one or two dimensions of his personality. `Kaadugini’ tries to bring together all the dimensions of this multifaceted personality in one book. It is the compilation of memories, written by his friends, relatives and associates. The book is brought out ten years after his death. It is named `Kaadugini’ (wild parrot), a name Dr Ramanna had selected for an autobiographical novel he wanted to write.
Ramanna was agnostic, talkative, friendly and had every quality people like to see in others.
He was a liberal and committed to integral humanism.
An ardent supporter of individual freedom, he had a strong love for all democratic values.
Two incidents quoted in the book explain how humble and humane he was: One day a poor woman came with her young son for treatment when he was working in the Primary Health Centre (PHC) of Kodiyala village.
While diagnosing the boy he asked the mother, “What is the boy’s name?” She replied, “Gandhi.” A surprised Dr Ramanna asked whether it was the real name. She confirmed that the boy’s name was Gandhi.
A thrilled Dr Ramanna, with tears in his eyes, hugged the boy and kissed his forehead.
He called his assistant, paid him some money and asked to get a good dress tailored for the boy.
Now it was the turn of the poor mother to get surprised.
She was about to fall in his feet.
Stopping her Dr Ramanna told her, “I must fall in your feet. Tell me how many people in this country name their children after Gandhi and remember that great person. You are really great.’’ Dr Ramanna, unlike other medical officers, used to visit every village under the jurisdiction of his PHC and educate the villagers about preventive measures to be adopted to stay healthy. On one such occasion he visited Tadagavadi village. The village pond was dirty and become a breeding centre for mosquitoes.
He suggested the village head t o g e t i t cleaned. When he next visited the village, the pond was still unclean. He did not ask the villagers why it was not cleaned.
Instead, he asked his assistant to bring the implements, removed the trousers and the shirt and started cleaning the pond himself. Villagers, feeling ashamed by this, immediately rushed to clean the pond. That was Dr Ramanna.
There are many such incidents in the book which unveil the real personality of Dr Besagarahalli Ramanna. Though his close friends knew him well, for the Kannadigas he remained an obscure person, like a Kaadugini (wild parrot). Reading this book helps in understanding his novels and short stories in a different and new perspective.
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