Gusty winds, typical of Aashaadha and with monsoon stepping in a little late, brought some calm and hope. Riding through the town of Hubli and crossing over into Dharwad is a pleasure. "Saadhana Keri" is a landmark that cannot go unnoticed. Such revered & remakrable figures of our times have come from this beautiful & quiet city of Dharwad - Alur Venkatrao, Gangubai Hangal (whom we have lost forever now), Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraj Rajguru, Sawai Gandharva, Kumar Gandharva, Mallikarjun Mansur and eminent literateurs V.K.Gokak, Girish Karnad and our own 'Vara Kavi' Dr. Bendre.
His name evokes a sense of tranquility, an essence of humanity & complete oneness with surroundings. Da.Ra.Bendre was one of the few poets who brought melody to language. He was a poet with sustained purpose and his humanity always superceded his poetry! His love for life has an enigmatic presence in all his poems. He almost appeals to all of us to live this life...
His home is a measure of what he was and what he represented through his very simple life. His son told me that Bendre ji had a friend in monkey that would come everyday, regularly! The monkey was very fond of biscuits so Bendre always shared his biscuits. One day, when Bendre had gone out for a walk, this monkey came in and actually turned the place upside down. On return, Bendre saw the mess and gave the monkey a mouthful and asked him never to return again - and startlingly, that monkey never ever returned!
Bendre was very fond of peppermints and always used to have a box of those on his table while he read and wrote. This childlike habit was not a secret and known to everyone. One day, when he popped one of those in his mouth, it tasted sour to him. He gently asked the shopkeeper why, to which the reply was - "these days sometimes these havea sour taste". Bendre quit on chewing these toffees that day and what was an addiction was no more a part of his life! Just shows who he was, in a subtle and strong manner!
Goign through the reams of paper and books, one lifetime isn't enough to write so much! Kannada literature has been enriched by his austere presence. He strode like a colossus and his creations are still being referred to, read, researched, and most importantly, loved!
Kuvempu, Karanth, Bendre et al are arguably the greatest of writers that this country would see!
