AN INTERESTING LITERARY DISCUSSION

AN INTERESTING LITERARY DISCUSSION:

I have a close friend by name Chandri. There is a saying in Kannada “Cheddi snehitha” that is from the stage of wearing the shorts. Chandri is a friend even before that stage.
While I was in the senior intermediate class I was asked by Chandri whether I was interested in attending a literary discussion at Maharaja college hostel. On a certain in the afternoon. I agreed and on that day which ws a holiday I went to the meeting. The total number of persons attending the discussion which was held in a boarders room was about 12 or so. All of them were from rich families especially sons of estate owners financiers and businessmen hailing from Shivamoga, Chickmagalur and Hassan districts of then Mysore state. They will have their clothes washed by a dhobhi got them ironed and on its being delivered they will immerse in water and with just f small wringing of it put it on the cloth line, This crmipled dry clothe will be worn. . Also they were accusomed to smoke beedi(had made leaf covered tobacco powder and very very cheap usually used by poor) though they could afford cigarettee..
On the day of discussion the topic was from one of the poems of “Mysore Maallige” by Ks Narasimha Swamy and another was a poem in the Kumara Vyasa Bharatha.
The discussion was started by having small cup of tea and lighting of a beedi which was passed around. :The entire poem of the Mysore Mallige I don’t remember. But one line comes to my mind. It is “ Shanubhogara Magalu Rathnadanthaha Hudugi, Balu Jaanay Ghambhira Hesaru Seethadevi , Hanneradu thumbihudu, Maduvay Illa”. That is the village accountant’s daughter whose name is Seethadevi who is beautiful, and modest and intelligent, who is twelve year old and yet not married . This is the gist of discussion.
“See that the girl is not yet 12years old and everyone is worried!! They want her to be married even though may be or may not be she has come to age. This is the mind set of Brahmins. Suppose she is married and if due to some unfortunate circumstances the bridegroom dies then the Brahmins will be happy and get her head tonured and keep her in her house. She will not be married for the second time, she will not be sent for higher education as we do not know from the poem whether she had any formal education .
So such type of poems which propagates values which are not in conformity of a broader perspective should not be encouraged and such books should be banned!!! This type of discussion went on and on in the same vein and the group had two or three cups of tea and a bunch of beedis in the meanwhile.. Sorry I am a coffee addict and no smoker. So this was not offerd to me. May be the discussion lasted an hour
.
Then came the turn of Kumara Vyasa .
Poor vyasa he also did not fare well. during the discussion
.Kumara vyasa (His original name is GADUGINA NARANAPPA) says that in the beginning of the magnum opus “Rachsidanu Kumara Vyasa
Bharathava”. . That is that this literary work is composed by Kumara Vyasa. He also says that he never wiped out or say corrected any line once written.
The line of discussion was “How can any author claim to a title on his own? How is it we can know whether he corrected what he wrote once and did not carry out the corrections? Who can vouchsafe for such a statement? Can we find from the writings of any one of his contempories who can certify to the above questions raised .
My God!! Then I realised that the discussion is more caste based rather than the true value of the poetic work.
The next discussion was scheduled for the next Sunday. I told Chandri that I am not interested and flatly refused to attend this discussion and this also ended my enthusiasm for literary discussions!! at Maharja’s Hostel!!! I think Chandri also did like wise though he had all the members of this group as his good friends.