Relocated

http://www.poorna-chandra.tumblr.com/

On his 60th: 'ನೂರೊಂದು ನೆನಪು ಎದೆಯಾಳದಿಂದ..'

Well, I had been thinking about writing this article for sometime now. I'm still out of words, just like I was on the morning of 30th December, 2009. May be it's better to say, that I haven't been able to digest the fact that he is no more with us. He would have been 60 had he been alive today. But somehow I'm digging my inside, searching for those few words, to put-forth my feelings I've always had for this great man! Vishnuvardhan - easily the most watched actor by me! 

I have always had great respect for him. His versatility, voice, poise, eye communication, dialogue delivery- well, he was surely an amazing actor. I regard some of his movies as classics and are indeed very special to me. This isn't just because he was one of those actors I grew up watching and thus have had a sense of admiration by default. But it's mainly due to the aura he brought along on-screen. He had his own style like most of the superstars do. I still recall the scenes from some of his movies very often: 'Bandhana' - where he rehearses before proposing to Suhasini, 'Naagarahaavu' - when his teacher K.S.Ashwath dies, 'Muttina Haara' - when he loses his son in the desert, 'Suprabhata' - his miming in certain scenes, 'Maduve Maadu Tamaashe Nodu' - his comic timing; and the list goes on. I consider him as one of those very few actors who could communicate various emotions purely through the eyes.

When I heard the news that he had passed away, I barely reacted. Even today I find it hard to realize that he is no more. But yeah, he has left behind some great movies and memories for millions of us. Being an amateur actor myself, I have to confess that I try imagining how he would have acted, had he been in the scene. Also, quite strangely, the southpaw's armlet and his voice are the two things that my mind recollects quite often! Bandhana, Muttina Haara, Suprabhata, Naagarahaavu, Yajamana, Halunda Thavaru, Nishkarsha, Karna, Guru Shishyaru, Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu, Maduve Maadu Tamaashe Nodu - are some of the movies that are memorable. For being one of the very few role models I have come across in life so far, thanks a lot for everything - Vishnuvardhan aka Sampath Kumar!

I know you are up there, amongst the Gods, and maybe entertaining them! Let me wish you a happy 60th birthday. I hope you are doing fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuvardhan_(actor)

ಕವಿ ಮಹಾಶಯ: ಸಂತ ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಶರೀಫರು

ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಶರೀಫರು ಹಾವೇರಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಶಿಗ್ಗಾವಿ ತಾಲೂಕಿನ ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಗ್ರಾಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. ೧೮೧೯ ಮಾರ್ಚ ೭ರಂದು ಜನಿಸಿದರು. ಇವರ ತಂದೆ ದೇವಕಾರ ಮನೆತನದ ಇಮಾಮ ಹಜರತ ಸಾಹೇಬರು ಹಾಗು ತಾಯಿ ಹಜ್ಜೂಮಾ. ಇವರ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಹೆಸರು ಮಹಮ್ಮದ ಶರೀಫ. ಮುಲ್ಕಿ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ ಪಾಸು ಮಾಡಿದ ಬಳಿಕ ಶರೀಫರು ಕೆಲ ಕಾಲ ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಶಾಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರೆಂದು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಆದರೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಈ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು, ಕಳಸದ ಗುರು ಗೋವಿಂದಭಟ್ಟರಿಂದ ಅನುಗ್ರಹವಾಯಿತು. 
ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಆಧ್ಯ್ಶಾತ್ಮಚಿಂತನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶರೀಫರ ತಂದೆ ತಾಯಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕುಂದಗೋಳ ನಾಯಕ ಮನೆತನದ ಫಾತಿಮಾ ಎಂಬ ಕನ್ಯೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮದುವೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು.

ಕೆಲವು ಸಮಯದ ನಂತರ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಗು ಜನಿಸಿತು. ದುರ್ದೈವದಿಂದ ಕೆಲವು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಂಡತಿ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡರು. ಶರೀಫರು ಆ ಬಳಿಕ ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನವನ್ನು ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮ ಸಾಧನೆಗೆ ಮುಡಿಪಿಟ್ಟರು.

ಶರೀಫರು ಹಾಡಿದ ಪದಗಳು ಧಾರವಾಡ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಆಡುಭಾಷೆಯ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಈ ಪದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ದೇವಸ್ತುತಿಯ ಪದಗಳಾದರೆ, ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವು ಪದಗಳು ತತ್ವಬೋಧನೆಯ ಪದಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಇವರ ಪದಗಳ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಲಭ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ, ಅವು ಬಾಯಿಂದ ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ರಾಗವಾಗಿ ಹರಡಿ ಇಂದೂ ಸಹ ಪ್ರತೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶರೀಫರ ಪದಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಗೊಳಿಸಿರುವ ಸಿ.ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥರ ಹಾಗೂ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆಯಾದ ರಘು ದೀಕ್ಷಿತರ ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿ. ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಾಗಿ ಶ್ರೀಧರ್ ಹಾಗೂ ಗಿರೀಶ್ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡ್ ಅಭಿನಯದ, ಟಿ.ಎಸ್.ನಾಗಾಭರಣರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದ ’ಸಂತ ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಶರೀಫ’ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ.

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So far with acting...

One of the obvious characteristics of a 'clichéd Indian' is being a movie fanatic. I'm no different. Right from my childhood days I have wondered at the process of film making. Be it shooting on snowy peaks, jumping from a building terrace to another at will, dancing in created exotic locales, a scene showing hundreds of soldiers at war- a lot more movie scenarios have intrigued me for infinite times now. Probably it was this influence that made me to step on the stage and act.

From my school days, I can only recall an English skit of which I was a part of and probably this was my sole experience at acting. It was based on a short story about five fools and had some witty dialogs, if I remember properly. After starting engineering, I was part of the English play presented by the 'English Drama Club'-BITS, Pilani by the name 'Bindermayer's Theory' directed by Jayendran Srinivasan, wherein I played Scarmaglione- a demon from the seventh circle of hell! It was a short role lasting for about a minute or two but required me to sit in a corner and sip coffee for the rest of the time. The role required lots of anger, aggression and shouting! Apart from the learning, the experience was indeed memorable and easily one of the few things I cherish from my days at BITS, Pilani.

After making a shift to IIT-Bombay, I was looking forward to play an active role in dramatics. IIT-Bombay has an extremely strong dram-culture is what I can say for the least. Having witnessed some awesomely performed plays and monologues by the seniors for the past 8 months, I have to say that it's been a learning and a refreshing experience. I myself have been fortunate enough to have got a chance to perform on a few occasions. Here they go:


1. MONOACT: So we have the 'Freshizza' which encompasses competitions from all genres like dance, music, debate,  fine-arts, photography, literary events and of course dram-events. The monoact, a dram event could have either been in Hindi or English. I chose Hindi and made my own script and wrote my own dialogs. It was about the character by the name Kishore who comes home on a rainy afternoon and has brought two tickets for a movie later that day. As he removes his shoes, dries himself and gets fresh- he keeps talking assuming his mother to be listening from the kitchen. When he doesn't get any response, he enters the kitchen only to find his mother lying dead! He checks the pulse to confirm and yes, he's indeed shocked and utterly dismayed. As he weeps and talks to the dead body, in a matter of seconds he turns mad and starts singing as if he's putting his mother to sleep! But all of a sudden Kishore stands up and asks the one auditioning him about his performance, thus revealing that Kishore was giving a performance for an audition all this while!!                                                                                                        
The climax was suppose to shock the audience and a lot of them said it did. But I kept a lot of dialogs for the one auditioning too, which wasn't required and thereby I lost the plot. Since my Hindi isn't all that great, my language was a problem too and my grammar was a joke at parts! Nevertheless, appreciations from my friends was overwhelming and that from the seniors was encouraging.

2. FRESHIE PROD: So the second prize at 'Freshizza' helped me in getting a chance to be part of the 'Freshie Prod'. It was a 15 minute long play titled 'Ehsaas', directed by Abhishek Lal, which was primarily based on two characters.                                                                                                                                          
History: I played the character Rajeev, son of the principal of a popular college in Mumbai. Due to bad company and a series of events at a friend's birthday party, I get arrested for drug usage and murdering, although I'm inncent. The media portrays me as a villain and my the pride of my family is a subject mockery in the public. I happen to lose my parents who couldn't bear the media outcry and the humiliation. So, upon my release I plan to take revenge against the public-the society which played a huge role in turning my life into a disaster. And hence I take a city bus in Mumbai with an intention of bombing it!                                                                                                                                  
Play: Here, before the bomb could explode, I happen to encounter my own self. This inner voice (played by Chhotu a.k.a Motu) of mine has its own point of view. This voice says that it would rather commit suicide and end its life's miseries than going around trying to take revenge against the society. The bulk of the play contains the conversation between me and the inner voice of mine. Through the length of the play we manage to convince each other that both our decisions are wrong i.e. neither an act of extreme revenge nor a suicide would solve the matters. Finally I decide that I need to live and make the rest of my life a fulfilling one. The play received good reviews, but not from the judges. The script and the acting were appreciated. However, the screenplay and lighting weren't up to the mark. Overall, it was a nice beginning and a good experience. The night outs and the rehearsals running into the play date are quite memorable.


4. STREET PLAY @ MI: The annual cultural festival of IIT-B, Mood Indigo is a culmination of talent from all over the country. It was my first attempt at a street play which is high on melodrama, music, noise, forming patterns, social messages, loud verses. Our performance was called 'Apna Sapna Money Money', directed by Kshitiz Saxena, depicting the currency as the baap of today's society and the social differences it has brought about along with it. Street plays require the performer to not just speak loudly but with clear Hindi too. Since my Hindi isn't too great, I just had a couple of dialogs in English. The rest of the time I had to sing and perform with the group. Not to forget, I had to be the fan and a car for two different scenes! Funny, I know!  Making ASMM was fun to say the least and I shall always remember the hilarious line from Vaibhav, 'Arey kahaan hai humaari Pussss-paaaa'!


5. ONE ACT PLAY @ MI: Easily the most popular dram event @ Mood Indigo, 'One act play' is THE test for an actor. I hadn’t been selected for the contingent entry of IIT-B for this competition. However, two other plays from IITB were performed which had taken the first two spots in the Inter-hostel dram GC. One of them was 'Rafi saahab ki mayyat' having Snehil Gautam and Abhinav Yadav in the lead. The play was about Rafi saahab, a qawwali singer who is planning his funeral and his conversations with his neighbor. One of the scenes depicted Rafi saahab thinking about his past when he gave a qawwali performance. The scene required a few other qawwali singers on stage doing the chorus. Since any random guy could play this role, I was one of those roped in to play at the last minute. 'Unki nazaron ne kuch aisa jadoo kiya.. Teri deewani…teri deewani' are some of the lines I remember. Though no one would remember those qawwali singers on stage and by no means a big achievement of having played that role, this is probably the most satisfying experience I have had in my first year! Sharing the MI stage with some of the most talented actors of IIT-B, and getting a chance to watch them rehearse is something I will cherish irrespective of where I end up in the dram scene in the coming years. The qawwali costume and the eye-liner were something new!  

5. THE KILL @ MI: Shoot 'em up is a short film making contest @ Mood Indigo. The contingent entry for this competition was directed by Abhishek Lal, with Anand Malpani and myself in the lead. Though the movie deserved better accolades, it's this movie that got me interested in the art of film-making. The story is a thriller about two brothers and the concept of hysterical amnesia has been used. The movie was great on editing, screenplay and direction. However the script had a few cracks. Nevertheless, 'The Kill' still remains one of the best IITB movies made, according to me. The acting part was also well appreciated, though I feel that it could've been better had the director given some more scope for self-improvisation and time for preparation.


6. 6 ENEMIES @ MI: Having been strongly influenced by The Kill, I decided to shoot my own movie for the competition. 6 Enemies is based on the concept of 'Arishadvargas' and depicts the protagonist (Kapish) overcoming them in order to reach his destiny. It was an 8 minute long movie and making it was a WOW! experience. The movie was poor on detailing and casting. Though the script was well appreciated, if own digs deep into the plot, it's clear that it has it's own loopholes. And yes, it did secure the 3rd spot in the competition and it was nice to receive some appreciation from the judges with Kunal Deshmukh (of Jannat fame) being one of them.


7. SEMI-MIME @ MI: Another competition at MI '09 was semi-mime requiring a narrator behind the stage doing the dialogs and a performer on stage doing the acting. Prasun and myself had planned on taking part in this competition but kept postponing the preparation since we both were busy running into the fest. But somehow we started the preparation, penning down the script and writing the dialogs- the day before the fest and finished rehearsing at 3 in the night! The story was about a blind teacher who speaks to the audience about his profession and the way he's fought In life to become one. Having had no prior experience in semi-mime and with not much research done in this regard, we went wrong with the basic depiction of the 'semi-mime'. I was the actor while Prasun did the narration. Both did our jobs fairly good enough. But finishing the preparation for the event with just hours left was some experience! And this also made me realize as to how important voice modulation is for an actor. Not to forget, I got to witness some great performances from various participants across India.

8. MIME @ Annual Theatre Fest: The annual theatre fest held in January showcased some of the best plays of  our college. Here, I got the chance to be part of a mime performance. Mime was being performed on the IIT-B stage after a gap of 4-5 years. Mime demands it's own requirements from an actor. As a performer one doesn't have the burden of by hearting the dialogs, but the performance needs a high level of intensity in bringing out the emotions through facial expressions. Though our mime performance titled 'Reflections' wasn't all that hilarious, it received good reviews. It was about the images of the protagonist coming to life and making fun of him. Making the prod and the getting the climax right have left some fond memories.


9. FURKAT: Silver screen, the film making club had its first annual fest this year. Few of the stud movies made by IITians were screened. Two movies were exclusively made for the fest, out of which a movie was made completely by the first year students (freshies, to say it in short). Furkat is a story of three friends (Prasun, Dhande and myself) who part ways due to some misunderstandings that come in their way. Rajesh, one of the three friends played by me meets with an accident and later gets diagnosed with 'Alien-hand syndrome'. The psychological weakness it brings along forces Rajesh to cut out on socializing. After rehabilitation, things begin to look better. However, as fate would have it, Rajesh's alien hand strangles him to death! The final scene of the movie shows the two other friends of Rajesh visiting the cemetery. A song is played in the background which speaks about friendship, separation, the necessity to live in the moment and to forgive & forget. Though the movie wasn't great on script and screenplay, it surely taught me a few of the things of what NOT to do while making a movie. Nevertheless, the hectic shooting and the acting part were certainly enjoyable.   


10. MAI MAATI @ PAF '10: PAF's are an integral part of the immensely rich cult-scene of IIT-Bombay. PAF is a live Bollywood movie often bringing out a social message. 'Mai Maati' (meaning 'My Earth' in Bengali) was presented by Hostels-5,6,11. It showed the difficulties faced by the village community which is stuck between the MNC-nourished government and the aggressive Naxalites. I played the role of Masterji who stays in the village and imparts education to the villagers. PAF- as I always say, is a desirable pain. It was a good learning experience and the fundae from many of the seniors is surely going to help.

  

Acting is one of the few things that I have found to be enjoyable. It's one of those things a year at IIT has taught me to get myself into. Hobbies are a man's best friends- and sure this is! An actor can only get better with experience. By experience I'm not only speaking about the experience of performing and watching plays but also the experience with life. One can never perfect the emotions without facing the ups and downs of life. Language is an extremely vital part of an actor and if it's coupled with the expressions, you can sure do a good job. Good observational skills are necessary too. But the most important thing I have learnt is- Acting is all about common sense.

Hoping to share a lot more of such experiences in future, cya. Take care!

Smiley cries..

So I'm in Bengaluru for the summer. Feels like I'm reborn, coming back home! A project at IISc is what that's taking my time and it's been a couple of weeks now. Just outside my lab in the Chemical Engineering department, there's this tree with purple colored flowers. I don't know what they call it. Let me name it 'Smiley' for the time being. So Smiley would welcome me everyday as I walk in the corridor and take the stairs to the first floor to reach my lab. Smiley, vibrantly colored with so many flowers and leaves would look so pleasing that it could easily make anyone smile! Since I'm new to the campus of IISc, I would roam around during lunch time and take random snaps of the beautiful campus. Be it the century old buildings built with a British style, the stone tower standing proudly looking over the campus, the lush-green lawns that are a treat to the eyes, a variety of species of trees- it's a photographer's dream!

So, I would walk until I get tired in the hot sun and capture the beauty of the awe-inspiring campus on my 2"X3" camera frame. As I return back to my lab, it always looked like Smiley demanded a snap too! She would try pleasing my eyes with her poise, purple signs of smile, infinite branches that are colored green & purple, and what not! But I would never take out my camera phone. I would postpone it to another day. All this laziness was because Smiley was right outside my lab. All this negligence was because I knew I can capture Smiley's posture anytime I want to. Such a fool I turned out to be. Little idea did I have that this foolishness of mine would hurt me real bad!

Summer showers in Bengaluru are not just refreshing in the scorching heat but they can rejuvenate the energy levels of any worrisome heart :D But the gutsy winds that accompany the romantic rains can be brutal! So the last weekend, they probably blew with such great thrust that Smiley could not resist :( She would have probably tried her best with all her might to stand firm. All this resistance to live for another day, to please more eyes walking the corridor and taking the stairs! But fate wouldn't budge. Smiley was slashed across the neck :'(

When I took the corridor on Monday, Smiley was in two parts! I felt helpless. I felt guilty. Smiley was no more. I probably wept within! And there I was, having a sudden urge to capture her on my camera one first & last time at least. But my heart said that it would be twice wrong of me. I decided not to click her. Because her image shall remain within. The photographic film in the heart shall keep the image of Smiley bright and forever. 

Certain relationships in our lives are like Smiley too. Like Smiley, they try to keep us happy, try to get close to us, to get to know us better- all because they are good at heart and all they want is a smile on our face. But how often have we reciprocated? It's a bad mad world that often deceives us with all the materialistic things one loves to possess and boast of. This blinds us to such an extent that we often can't see that we should value those relationships. We postpone a phone conversation to another day, we say we are too busy for online chatting, we cancel a movie ticket because we prefer watching it online and alone! How often have we gone wrong?

It could be a guy who wants to know you, a colleague, a distant cousin who is seeking your help, a schoolmate of yours who shifted town in between- is it too costly to smile? Why refrain ourselves from embracing love? But I went wrong. I could not take the snap when Smiley smiled and before Smiley cried :'(

ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರು

ಈ ತಿಂಗಳ ’ಕವಿ ಮಹಾಶಯ’ ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರು. (ಮೂಲ: ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ)

ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರು (೧೪೯೪ – ೧೫೬೪) ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸಂಗೀತ ಪದ್ಧತಿಯ ಪಿತಾಮಹ ಎಂದು ಹೆಸರಾದವರು. ದಾಸಪದ್ಧತಿಯ ಅನೇಕ ಪ್ರಮುಖರು, ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸ, ಶ್ರೀಪಾದರಾಯ,ಕನಕದಾಸ, ಜಗನ್ನಾಥ ದಾಸ, ವಿಜಯ ದಾಸ ಮತ್ತು ಕಮಲೇಶ ವಿಠ್ಠಲ ಮೊದಲಾದವರು ಸಂಗೀತದ ಮೂಲಕ ಭಕ್ತಿಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಬೋಧಿಸಿದವರು. ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳು ಪುರಂದರ ವಿಠ್ಠಲನನ್ನು (ವಿಷ್ಣು) ನಮಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಕೊನೆಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಸಾವಿರಾರು ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿದ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಸುಮಾರು ೧೦೦೦ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳು ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಉಳಿದಿವೆ. ಇವರ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳೂ ಕನ್ನಡಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ಭಕ್ತಿ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿವೆ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರರಲ್ಲಿ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳ ಪರಿಚಯ ಇಲ್ಲದವರು ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಇಲ್ಲವೆನ್ನಬಹುದು. ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರು ೫ ಲಕ್ಷ ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ರಚನೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಉದ್ದೇಶವಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದರು; ಅವರು ೪,೭೫,೦೦೦ ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ರಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವತಾರ ಮುಗಿಸಿದರು; ಅವರ ಮಗ ಮಧ್ವಪತಿದಾಸರು ಉಳಿದ ೨೫,೦೦೦ ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ರಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ.

ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆ

ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ತಂದೆಯ ಹೆಸರು ವರದಪ್ಪ ನಾಯಕ, ಲೇವಾದೇವಿ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದವರು. ಅನೇಕ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಮಕ್ಕಳಾಗದ ಕಾರಣ ತಿರುಪತಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮಗುವಾಯಿತು ಎಂಬ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಿದೆ. ಇದರಿಂದಲೇ ಅವರು ಮಗನಿಗೆ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಎಂದು ಹೆಸರಿಟ್ಟರಂತೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ನಾಯಕ ಬೆಳೆದ ನಂತರ ತಂದೆಯ ವೃತ್ತಿಯನ್ನೇ ಮುಂದುವರಿಸಿದ. ಆದರೆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಜಿಪುಣನೆಂದು ಹೆಸರಾದ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ತಂದೆ ಅಸ್ವಸ್ಥರಾದಾಗಲೂ ಹಣ ಖರ್ಚು ಮಾಡಲು ತಡೆದನಂತೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಪತ್ನಿ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ದಾನಶೀಲೆಯಾಗಿ ಪತಿಯ ಕೋಪ ಅವಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಬೀಳುತ್ತಿತ್ತು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಸಂಸಾರ ಮೂಲತಃ ಪಂಡರಾಪುರದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ನಂತರದ ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಂಪೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದನೆಂದು ತೋರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಮಾರ್ಪಾಟು

ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಂತೆ, ವಿಠ್ಠಲ (ವಿಷ್ಣು) ಬಡ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನ ವೇಷದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಅಂಗಡಿಗೆ ಬಂದು ಮಗನ ಉಪನಯನಕ್ಕೆ ಹಣ ಬೇಡಿದನಂತೆ. ಜಿಪುಣ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಪ್ರತಿದಿನವೂ ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಬರಹೇಳುತ್ತ, ಆರು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಮುಂದೆ ಹಾಕಿದನಂತೆ. ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನ ಕಾಟ ತಡೆಯಲಾರದೆ ಒಂದು ಸವಕಲು ನಾಣ್ಯವನ್ನು ಕೊಟ್ಟನಂತೆ. ವಿಠ್ಠಲ ಈಗ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಮನೆಗೆ ತೆರಳಿ ಆರು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಒಬ್ಬ ವರ್ತಕ ತನ್ನನ್ನು ಸತಾಯಿಸಿ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಸವಕಲು ನಾಣ್ಯ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳಿದನಂತೆ. ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಮರುಕದಿಂದ ಅವನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಮೂಗುತಿಯನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದು ಕೊಟ್ಟಳಂತೆ. ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಮೂಗುತಿಯನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಅಂಗಡಿಗೆ ಒಯ್ದು ಅದನ್ನು ಅಡವಿಡಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಿದನಂತೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಆ ಮೂಗುತಿಯನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸಿ, ಅದನ್ನು ಡಬ್ಬಿಯಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟು ತಕ್ಷಣ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬಂದು ಪತ್ನಿಯ ಬಳಿ ಮೂಗುತಿಯನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸಲು ಹೇಳಿದನಂತೆ. ಹೆದರಿದ ಹೆಂಡತಿ ಕೊಠಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಷ ಕುಡಿಯುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ನಡೆಸಿದಾಗ ಅವಳ ವಿಷದ ಬಟ್ಟಲಿನೊಳಕ್ಕೆ ಮೇಲಿನಿಂದ ಮೂಗುತಿ ಬಿದ್ದಿತಂತೆ. ಅಂಗಡಿಗೆ ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿ ಬಂದ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಡಬ್ಬಿಯನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದು ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಇಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ ಮೂಗುತಿ ಮಾಯವಾಗಿತ್ತಂತೆ. ತನ್ನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಾನೇ ನಾಚಿಕೆಪಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ತನ್ನ ಶ್ರೀಮಂತಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ತೊರೆದು ಹರಿದಾಸನಾಗುವ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡನಂತೆ. ದೇವರ ದಾರಿ ತೋರಿಸಿದ್ದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕೃತಜ್ಞತೆಗಾಗಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ಜ್ಞಾಪಕಾರ್ಥ ಒಂದು ಕೀರ್ತನೆಯನ್ನೂ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರು ರಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ನಾಯಕ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಪಡೆದ.

ಕವಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರ

ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಪದಗಳು ಪ್ರಾಸ ಮತ್ತು ಅರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀಮಂತವಾಗಿವೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ:

"ಕುದುರೆ ಅಂದಣ ಆನೆ ಬಯಸೋದು ನರಚಿತ್ತ
ಪಾದಚಾರಿ ಆಗೋದು ಹರಿ ಚಿತ್ತವಯ್ಯ"

ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಪದಗಳು ಮುಂದೆ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸಂಗೀತ ಪದ್ಧತಿಯ ಬುನಾದಿಯಾದವು. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತವನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯನಿಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸಿದ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರು ಮಾಯಾಮಾಳವಗೌಳ ರಾಗದಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಹೊಸಬರಿಗೆ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತವನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸಿಕೊಡುವ ದಾರಿಯ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸಿದರು. ಈಗಲೂ ದಕ್ಷಿಣಭಾರತದ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತದ ಪಾಠಗಳು ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಸರಳೆ, ಜಂಟಿ ವರಸೆಗಳೊಂದಿಗೇ ಆರಂಭಿಸಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತವೆ. ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ 'ಪಿಳ್ಳಾರಿ ಗೀತೆಗಳು'(ಉದಾ: ಲಂಬೋದರ ಲಕುಮಿಕರ...., ಕೆರೆಯ ನೀರನು ಕೆರೆಗೆ ಚೆಲ್ಲಿ..... ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ) ಸಂಗೀತದ ಸ್ವರ-ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ-ತಾಳಗಳ ಸಂಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ಅಭ್ಯಸಿಸಲು ಮೊದಲ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತದ ತ್ರಿಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳಲ್ಲೊಬ್ಬರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜರು ತಮ್ಮ "ಪ್ರಹ್ಲಾದ ಭಕ್ತಿ ವಿಜಯಮ್" ಎಂಬ ಲೇಖನದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮ ಸಂಗೀತ ಗುರುಗಳೆಂದು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹರಿನಾಮಸ್ಮರಣೆಯ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ರಚಿಸಿದ ಅವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ದೇವರನಾಮಗಳಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿವೆ. ಅವರ ಹರಿಭಕ್ತಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿನ ಪಾಂಡಿತ್ಯ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲೇ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟವಾದ ಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಪಡೆದ ದಾಸ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀಮಂತವಾಗಿಸಿವೆ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತದ ಪಿತಾಮಹರಾದ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಸಾಧನೆಯನ್ನು ಕಂಡ ಸರ್ವರೂ 'ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರಯ್ಯಾ..!' ಎಂದು ಕೊಂಡಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರದಾಸರ ಜೀವನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಡಾ|| ರಾಜ್‍ಕುಮಾರ್ ಅಭಿನಯದ ’ನವಕೋಟಿ ನಾರಾಯಣ’ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ.

The Prelude

It's been a long time since my last post. Without dragging things further, I present you my short story 'Shabari Shaarade'. Writing is an arrangement of feelings and not merely words. Hope you enjoy the story!

A few months back, I had been to one of the 'Arts & Handicrafts' store in Bengaluru. Here, I got to see a classic Raja Ravi Verma’s painting. It was a portrait of Shakuntala, the wife of king Dushyanta. Her story has been told by Kalidasa in his play ‘Abhijnanasakuntalam’, meaning ‘the recognition of Shakuntala’. This story, in a little modified way is a part of the Mahabharat too. As explained by Kalidasa, king Dushyanta encounters Shakuntala at the ashram she stays in, while moving through the forest with his army. They fall in love with each other and Dushyanta marries Shakuntala at her ashram. Due to a state of turmoil in his capital, Dushyanta has to leave at short notice with his army. He gives Shakuntala a ring as a sign of their love and soon leaves, promising to return to take her back as soon as possible. Shakuntala waits for her love to return and keeps dreaming about Dushyanta all day. When Durvasa muni comes to her ashram, Shakuntala doesn’t greet him as she would be lost in the thoughts of king Dushyanta. Enraged by this, Durvasa curses her saying that the person she was dreaming of would forget her totally. But after realizing the reason behind Shakuntala’s state of mind through one of her sakhis, Durvasa realizes his mistake. But he could only modify the curse saying that the person she was dreaming of would recall her only if he is shown a personal token gifted by him to her.

Shakuntala leaves for the capital as king Dushyanta doesn’t return for her. Through the journey, Shakuntala has to travel by boat in order to cross a river. Captivated by the blue waters of the river, Shakuntala runs her fingers through the river and the ring slips off her finger. Due to the curse of the muni, king Dushyanta fails to recognize Shakuntala and asks her to leave his court. Shakuntala returns to the forest and waits forlornly for her love, yet again. A fisherman finds the ring inside a fish he had caught. Since it bore the royal seal, he takes it to the king. King Dushyanta, on seeing the ring remembers all the previous incidents and sets out on a search for Shakuntala. Here, he sees a young boy playing with the lions in the forest. He finally finds out that the boy is none other than his son Bharata and thus gets united with Shakuntala. And that’s how Shakuntala’s wait for her love comes to an end.

Yah, so coming back to the portrait, it depicted Shakuntala sitting in the woods waiting for king Dushyanta. It is after she returns from the court, humiliated. It is really a beautiful piece of art! Raja Ravi Verma manages to convey so many things through his masterpiece. He has done something which no poet can probably do with his words! I wonder if anyone could paint a woman as beautifully as him! The eyes of Shakuntala speak a million words. Waiting for her Dushyanta, there is a hint of sadness in her eyes, yet she is looking forward to see her love returning. It was a special feeling to hold the frame in my hands and to look at it, admiring out of sheer joy!

It is this incident that inspires me to write the story. It is a story of the girl named Shaarade, a flower seller. Having lost her parents at a young age, Shaarade is brought up by her grandparents Ramaiah and Kaaveramma. Ramaiah, the narrator of the story, a cook by profession in the household of the Shanbhog family in Balligavi, a village in Shimoga, falls in love with Kaaveramma. Even when the society denies them of marriage, as Kaaveramma is from a lower caste, Ramaiah doesn’t give up hope. However a few conservatives take an extreme step and blind Kaaveramma. Enraged by this, Ramaiah elopes with Kaaveramma and leaves the village. They come to Mysore and settle in the neighborhood of Saraswatipura. Ramaiah has a son Diwakar who goes on to get married to a girl named Padmini. After the birth of their daughter, the couple travel to Shringeri to offer their worship to Goddess Shaarade. But as fate has it, the couple dies in a road accident while returning from Shringeri. Thus Shaarade grows up in the upbringing of her grandparents. Years roll by and Ramaiah passes away owing to old age. Shaarade is only fifteen and has only her blinded grandmother to care for her.

Poverty struck, Shaarade has to discontinue her education and sell flowers in the early hours of the day and also in the evenings at the market place, in order to support her family of two. Shaarade now leads a monotonous life, devoid of substantial love and care. She now longs for a soul, a hand of friendship. It’s now when she meets a Nandeesh, a nine year old boy who’s come to the neighborhood from Aagumbe, visiting his aunt’s house. Through various interesting incidents Shaarade and Nandeesh befriend each other. Shaarade grows an extreme fondness for him as days roll by and his innocence brings him very close to her heart. Nandeesh accompanies her to the market place every day, goes around Mysore with her and plays with her too. Shaarade’s life is now filled with laughter and she seems happier than ever. They spend the festive Navaratri by witnessing the colorful events of the Mysore Dasara.

As Nandeesh’s vacation is about to end, his father comes to take him back to Aagumbe. Shaarade is left heartbroken at the prospect of getting separated with the friendship. She couldn’t help but only weep. Being too young, he doesn’t really reciprocate to the sorrows of Shaarade and is excited about returning back to his village. Shaarade doesn’t even get to see him off. She wants to meet him one last time. But by the time she could sell flowers and reach the bus-stand, the bus Nandeesh was in would have already left.

Weeks later, on the night of Deepaavali, Shaarade is wearing a newly bought lehenga. The entire city of Mysore is enjoying the festive spirit and bursting crackers. As a contrast, Shaarade is melancholic. She thinks about the days she spent with Nandeesh and the evenings she would sell flowers with him. With the money she saved selling those flowers, she has been bought that lehenga. But now, neither is that friend with her nor is she happy over the new dress. She sits alone, insensitive to the world around her, thinking of the love the friendship had brought in her life and hoping to have that love back in her life someday.

The title reads ‘Shabari Shaarade’. Shabari, a devotee of Ram, who waits endlessly to get a darshan of Ram, is often used as a metaphor for an endless wait for God. Like Shabari, Shaarade too waits and hopes. God is the love in this case, and hence a parallel is drawn between Shabari and Shaarade. It can be recalled that Shabari does succeed in the end as Ram gives her a darshan and grants her Moksha.        

The story stresses on the fact that it’s only love that can bring ultimate bliss to one’s life. A lot of us consider life as a quest for materialistic things and those who don’t are left behind in the race. Being acquisitive can only bring temporary joy in our lives. If there’s something that can keep a smile on us for an entire life, then it is love.  Possessing the carnal objects or anything that’s joyful is of no use if we don’t have a companion to share it with. Probably that is why it’s said ‘many fisherman go fishing without knowing that it’s not the fish they are after.’ Also, life need not demand much more than a handful of friends. Even a couple of them to hold our hands might do. But yah, all that we need is the four lettered word called ‘love’.  

The story is said only to put forth the views I personally have. These views are those that have been formed and modified over the years of my journey so far. I’m sure they that they would change in future too. Life is an endless search of what you really are. If you find success in this search, you might as well find an answer of what you really want to be. The day when the person whom you want to be and what you really are at that point of time coincide, you will realize that your journey has indeed been special!

Crap!? Ok, cut it :P 

Until another story to tell, cya!

Ps: I write what I experience, I experience what I write! 


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