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Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is the language spoken inKarnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ, ಕರುನಾಡು).Karnataka has eightJnanapeeth (ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪೀಠ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ) award winners, the highest honor bestowed forIndian literature. From the period ofAdikavi Pampa(ಆದಿಕವಿ ಪಂಪ) who proclaimed his wish to be reborn as a little bee in the land of Kannada, Kannada poetry has come a long way toKuvempu (ಕುವೆಂಪು) andDattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (ದರಾ ಬೇಂದ್ರೆ)
Kannada poetry has been traced back to around5th century CE, though none of those early works have been found. The earliest extant poetry intripadi meter are theKappe Arabhatta records of 700 CE. The first well known Kannada poet wasAdikavi Pampa who wrote in anarchaic style of Kannada calledHalegannada (figuratively "Old Kannada"). HisVikramarjuna Vijaya is hailed as a classic even to this day. With this and his other important workAdipurana he set a trend of poetic excellence for the Kannada poets of the future.
Kannada poetry calledvachanas, were pithy comments on that period'ssocial,religious andeconomic conditions. More importantly, they hold a mirror to the seed of a socialrevolution, which caused a radical re-examination of the ideas ofcaste,creed andreligion. One of the important ideas coming out of this revolution was the view thatWork is worship and a path tospirituality.
Kannada poets have the unique distinction of sowing the seeds of one of the richest forms ofclassical music:South IndianCarnatic music. TheDasas or saints, around 15th century, sang the glory ofGod through poems. These poems called Padas were usually of 10 to 20 lines. They expressed the desire of theBhakta or devotee to be one with God. This form of poetry was highly amenable tomusical composition and exposition. This music evolved into the highly sophisticated and codifiedCarnatic music.
The Haridasas spread the message of peace, love and bhakti in theirDasa Sahitya, which are also popularly known as Devaranamas.
Navodaya figuratively means anew birth. The early20th century saw areincarnation of Kannada poetry which had been dormant for a few centuries in the face ofBritish occupation of India. This period saw great poets likeSrikanthaiah,Kuvempu,Bendre,Shivaram Karanth writing poetry. Thisgenre was highly influenced byRomantic English poetry. It wasB. M. Srikanthaiah who started this movement of sorts with his translation of a few critically acclaimed English poems of theRomantic period. B. M. Shri advocated a movement away from reliance on Sanskrit, as traditional Kannada poetry had done, and borrow from more modern English poets and genres. Many educatedKannadigas, especially those were in the teachingprofession, realised that they need to express themselves in theirmother tongue and started writing poetry in Kannada. Kuvempu is a case in point who was convinced by his professor (of British origin) that he should write in his mother tongue. Kuvempu went on to become a "Rashtrakavi" (national poet). His love of nature, realisation of the greatness of man's spirit and the vision to see the blend of nature and God made him more than Kannada's Wordsworth. Another interesting case is that of Shivaram Karanth who was a man of greatintellect, rock-solid convictions and a profound social sense. He was known as theLeonardo da Vinci of Karnataka.
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Indian Independence in 1947 brought with it the promises offreedom and a new genre sprouted in Kannada poetry. The torch-bearer of this tradition wasGopalakrishna Adiga. The Navya poets wrote for and liked disillusioned intellectuals. The sophistication in the use of language and the importance of technique to poetry reached new heights in this genre.
Kannada poetry in the last 50 years has been closely related to social aspects. Thecaste system gave rise to the Bandaya and Dalita genres of poetry. The atrocities against women and the general ill-treatment meted out to them inIndian society gave rise to the Stri (Woman) genre of poetry.
Kannada poetry has won eightJnanapeeth awards, the second highest for any other Indian language afterHindi.
The popularity of poetry is gauged in terms of the response that the educated and interested elite give. But the real popularity of poetry is when common people sing it. Popular appeal is not very easy to achieve for any form of poetry; especially when audiences are not kept in mind. Kannada poetry has a few instances of such mass popularity.Kumaravyasa's retelling of theMahabharata is recited in homes even today.Bhavageete (figuratively "emotion poetry") has popularized many Kannada poems and has people humming them.
Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise History of Karnataka, 2001, MCC, Bangalore, Reprinted 2002
