HUBBALLI: For Shashwat Hegde, the Kannada Aksharmale is not just alphabets which can be strung into words, but can also be turned into art. In his deft fingers, each one turns visual design and takes on a deeper symbolism. And so the ‘Ka’ of Krishnadevaraya is regally turbaned, the ‘Ka’ of ‘lasika’ has a sharp syringe needle, the ‘Aa’ of ‘aashcharya’ (surprise) is truly eye-popping, while the ‘Ra’ of ‘kumbara’ is shaped like a pot... a delight for the word lover.
Hegde, a graphic designer who has created calligrams in Kannada, a first of their type, feels this can create long-lasting interest in the language, especially in the mind of millennials who are increasingly getting disconnected with their native tongue. Injecting some creativity into words can help the language flourish.
Coming from a humble background from Tyagli village of Siddapur in Uttara Kannada district, Hegde hit upon this creative idea during the lockdown last year. His mentor, a graphic designer from New York, suggested to him to create calligrams in Kannada.
It was a bit challenging in the beginning as any kind of change -- a line or stroke or dot -- can completely change the meaning of any Kannada word. “For instance, the letter ‘Ra’ in Kannada -- if you add a dot in between, it becomes ‘Tha’. Similarly with many other letters, so I decided to try something completely different for Kannada words. To say ‘distance’ -- ‘antara’ in Kannada -- I created a gap between the letters,” says Hegde.
His themes are varied: From the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to kings to films -- you name it and Hegde has tried his hand at it. “I started with sport forms, names of cities and later, the designs started attracting viewers on social media. I made some calligrams on kings of Karnataka, including Immadi Pulikeshi and Sri Krishnadevaraya,” says Shashwat Hegde.
Hegde has drawn calligrams on skilled workers, including the farmer, policeman, potter and many more, besides items of daily use in homes to electrical equipment. His calligrams on Kannada movies, using the Kannada numerical, have also been received well. His calligram posters have today fetched Shashwat an identity -- he is fondly known on social media as ‘Akshara Mantrika’ and goes by his nickname Designiga.
His latest experiment is with words giving awareness messages about the ongoing pandemic. “I was looking for a calligram around coronavirus, as most of us are affected by it in one way or other, and decided to create a design to tell people to wear masks or take a jab,” he explained.Shashwat began his career in Bengaluru, creating typography posters.
“We must ensure there is constant creativity in any language. Making a design using words to talk about a place or person creates interest among people. Not just those who know Kannada but also among those who don’t know the language,” he feels. There have been several attempts, even in the past, to caricature Kannada words.
“It’s a much needed reform when it brings meaning through words,” said Basavaraj Handignur, Kannada teacher from Dharwad. “Any kind of research, documentation and creativity is most welcome. Such efforts ensure that interest is generated in the language, region and people who did great things for us in the past,” he said.