BANGALORE: Book lovers of Bangalore who gathered at the Indian Institute of World Culture got a glimpse of the culture and literature of Dharwad on Sunday. Veteran Kannada poet and Pampa Awardee, Professor Chandrashekar Patil literally took the audience on a journey to the cultural capital of North Karnataka which has the rare distinction of producing litterateurs and Hindustani musicians of national and international repute.
Apart from launching Dr C N Ramachandran’s For Reasons of Their Own and Professor V Krishnamurthy Rao’s Shruthi Hidida Shoonyadalli, Champa also recalled the memorable days he spent
together with Karnad. It was an occasion to remember as both Champa and Jnanpith Awardee Girish Karnad shared the dais after forty years. Said Professor V Krishnamurhty Rao, “Dharwad is famous for its literature and music. But it is famous for literary confrontations too.” Agreeing with Professor Rao, Girish Karnad also said that Dharwad has a unique tradition of argument and friendship, and he also remembered the days he spent together with Champa and Keerthinath Kurthkoti.
Champa further said that for any language to get world acclamation, many more literary works of Kannada must be translated to other languages. “Through translation of languages, subject and culture gets distributed extensively. We must encourage translation of works,” added Champa.
He also urged that we need to take inspiration from poet and fictionist B C Ramachandra Sharma and his wife who translated many important Kannada
works into English. Lauding Dr C N Ramachandran for his methodical critics, Champa cynically said that at the age of 74, Professor Krishamurthy has come up with a collection of poems. “Only the poets get old and not their poems, ”Champa further added. Girish Karnad who also stated that Gopalakrishana Adiga and Da Ra Bendre influenced him the most said, “I did not go very close to Bendre. I always had the fear that I would forget who I was.” Karnad also said that Dr C N Ramachandran has paved a new dimension to the critical analysis of Kannada literature. The dignitaries who graced the occasion included Dr G S Shivarudrappa, Kannada poet writer and researcher, Rajasekhar Mathapati, eminent writer and S R Vijayshankar,
noted critic.