A tribute to Siddayya Puranik

The 100th birth anniversary of Kannada poet Siddayya Puranik is coming up on January 5 in Bengaluru. Prasanna Puranik, the poet's son, spoke to Metrolife about the event. “Having been an IAS officer, my father took to writing during his free time. He was always spotted with a book in his hands,” he says.

Siddayya Puranik along with
children, back in 1958.

The event will feature the launch of a book called Sangama, a selection of Siddayya Puranik’s poems. An incident in Siddayya Puranik’s life inspired him to start writing literature for children, recalls Prasanna. “My father was asked to pen two poems for a school textbook. Under pressure, he did, and that is how it all started,” he adds.

Besides being a poet, Siddayya Puranik was also a critic, scholar and orator in Kannada, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Hindi, says Lata Puranik, his daughter-in-law.

Prasanna plans to gift the book Sangama to about a hundred rural schools, along with CDs of his songs. “We want to preserve these precious works and save them for the next generation. We are doing our bit,” she says. ‘Samagra Kavya’, ‘Samagra Vachana’, ‘Samagra Natakagalu’, and ‘Samagra Makkala Sahitya’ are some of his works collected and published by Prasanna Puranik.

‘Modalu Maanavanagu’

Siddayya Puranik published eight volumes of poems, seven biographies, four plays, eight children’s books, two volumes of short stories, one historical novel, three volumes of vachanas and 13 edited works. ‘Sharana Charitamruta’, ‘Vachanodyana’, ‘Maralusidanna Kante’ are some of his prominent works. ‘Enadaru aagu modalu maanavanagu’ is his most famous poem.

CD and book

A CD and a book with 15 Siddayya Puranik poems and vachanas is being launched on Saturday. The CD also has karaoke tracks to help people sing along to the tunes. The music is scored by S Somasundaram, founder and president of Gaanasudha, academy for sugama sangeeta.
Date: January 5
Time: 5.30 pm onwards
Venue: Shri Krishna Raja Parishan Mandira, Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Pampa Mahakavi Road, Chamrajpet.
Entry is free. For details, contact 9845127201.