'Kuvempu emerged as cultural leader'

He was speaking at the inauguration of national-level seminar on ‘Kuvempu Sahitya’ organised jointly by Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) and Kuvempu Foundation, Kuppalli here on Tuesday.

Dr Nagarajaiah said that the ‘Rashtrakavi’ gave hope to people who couldn’t access education. Also he provided the self-confidence to dalits and backward communities, by depicting their culture in the most humane way possible, in his works. “We should be grateful to Kuvempu for his contribution to the world of literature,” he added.

Observing the need for comparing the works of European litterateurs with Kuvempu, he said that the current generation should take up a study based on that. He said that Kuvempu’s peers didn’t appreciate his work initially, but today, he remains the most prominent poet in Kannada.

Furthermore, he said the different facets of Kuvempu’s work need to be studied on a vertical scale as the research has been on horizontal basis until now.Dr Nagarajaiah said that the 10th Century was known as Pampa’s Century, while the 20th Century belonged to Kuvempu. He breathed new lease life into Kannada literature, with his in-depth knowledge about European poets and independent thinking, taking his works to a different level, Dr Nagarajaiah added.

With nearly 20 Ph Ds awarded on Kuvempu, Dr Nagaraj said hundreds of articles have been written about him. However, he remains an ‘Akshaya Patre’ for Kannada researchers.

‘Naadageethe’

Dr Hampa Nagarajaiah said that Kuvempu is the only poet to hold the distinction of contributing both the ‘Naadageethe’ and ‘Raithageethe’ - with both songs depecting the diversity, richness and perseverance of the state and its men.
The State Government has constituted a committee and approved the ‘Naadageethe’. However, the committee had suggested that the song shouldn’t exceed two minutes.
The first and last stanza are sufficient when used in official ceremonies.
Earlier, at the inauguration of the national-level seminar organised by KSOU, the ‘Naadageethe’ was sung for nearly 10 minutes.