BANGALORE: Nannavalu, Nannedaya Honnadanaluvalu,
Bedagugenne Chaluve Nanna Hudugi…
Writer-turned-director Subrahmanya raje Urs, popularly known as Chaduranga adopted this lovelorn poem by K S Narasimhaswamy in his Sarvamangala, which later become a cult song in the history of Kannada cinema.
The song is an appreciation of a beautiful woman the protagonist is in love with. While Generation X is going gaga over Valentine’s Day, old timers fondly remember poet K S Narasimahaswamy who carved a niche for himself in 20th century Kannada poetry.
His earliest poetry was a celebration of conjugal love, written in limpid and mellifluous style. He had given us many beautiful pictures of young love and conjugal felicity. Narasimhaswamy, who deserted this mortal world in 2003, strongly believed that disappointment was not the meaning of life. He was pro-life and wrote poetry that inspires others to live. He was a noted poet of Navya genre of Kannada literature. Along with the doyen of Navya movement Gopalakrishna Adiga, and in the context of Navya genre, a prominent name is that of Narasimhaswamy. Though in imagery and language his poetry belongs to Navya poetry, he is more popular for his simple and lyrical love poems.
His first collection of poems Mysooru Mallige published in 1942 for the first time in Mysore won him instant critical acclaim, as well as popularity. The poet’s immortal poems have become a household name and this collection of 49 famous romantic poems has achieved a record in Kannada literature. Today, the book has become an ideal gift for newly married couples.
The poems therein have become as popular as the famous jasmine flowers of Mysore. Old timers still remember his immortal romantic poem Rayaru Bandaru Maavana Manege rathriyagittu…
The noted film maker T S Nagabharana made a romantic film based on this work titled Mysooru Mallige. This might be the first time a story was written with the framework provided by songs. The movie went on to become commercially successful too, besides bagging a national award. Narasimhaswamy often portrayed his wife Venkamma, whom he married in 1936, as the inspiration for his poems, which mainly deals with romance in married life.
His romantic love poems, inspired by Robert Burns were unique to the language at a time when most Kannada poetry dealt with nature and
the natural world.
By virtue of his innovative simple Kannada poetry, Narasimhaswamy was able to bring Kannada poetry to a broad audience. Although Narasimhaswamy never attempted to identify himself with any particular literary tradition, a section of his literary critics preferred to describe his poetry as songs and some went to the extent of dubbing him as Pushpakavi, in view of modern literary sensibilities. However, Narasimhaswamy silenced his critics by writing interpretive poems like Gadiyarada
Angadi Munde.
Though he wrote poems on the unspoken joy of newlyweds, the toothless smile of toddlers, the white birds which circled the sky and perched on temple tops, the scent of muddy earth after a shower of rain; the interconnection with the cradle, earth and grave, never failed to baffle him since Mysooru Mallige days.
The tone of his poetry was gentle, whether he spoke about love, life or death. He never chose loud, harsh and bitter words to express his fear and frustration. His poems reflected a dignified acceptance of everything pertaining to life.
As he said in his poem, he really strummed the stars and crossed the moon in love — Taaregala Meetuvevu, Chandirana Daatuvevu, Olumeyolagondu Naavu…