What's In A Name?
So, Bangalore has now become Bengalooru (or Bengaluru). Many other (as many as 20) towns too have changed their names on November 1, commemorating the Golden Jubilee of establishing the state of Karnataka (Mysore, till 1973). I don’t know if the occasion was marked by jubilation and fanfare – what with me sitting so far away in Thimphu and having no access to Kannada telechannels. What would this mean for the general population? Does it hold any significance?
Karnataka – unlike other South Indian (read, Dravidian) states has always struggled to establish its own unique identity. This is probably a post-independence phenomenon. If however, one goes down the pages of history too, the dynasties of Karnataka have been given a raw deal of their significance in the annals of Indian history. Controversy even to this day refuses to die regarding the language of the Vijayanagar Empire (Telugu people too equally claim Krishnadevaraya to be their own). The Chalukyas of Vatapi (currently, Badami, Vijayapura district, Karnataka) grew beyond the boundaries of Karnataka and established their branches in Vengi (Andhra Pradesh) and Kalyan (Maharashtra). Pulikeshi II was a Chalukya ruler (who famously defeated Emperor Harsha on the banks of the Narmada). The Rashtrakuta kings went as far as Bengal and Gujarat in their conquests. We have unparalleled temple architecture in Karnataka (starting from the days of Chalukyas to that of the Wodeyars of Mysore). The Elephanta Caves, the Kailasnath Temple of Ellora (carved out of a monolith) and many cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora date back to the times of the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas. The history of Kashmir Kings written by Bilhana (or, was it Kalhana?) was written under the patronage of Chalukyas in Karnataka! Percy Brown has called the Aihole (pronounced Eye-ho-Lay), Pattadakal carvings as the ‘cradle of temple architecture’. The star-shaped temples of the Hoysala regime probably are the most grand in the Dravidian architecture.
But it is the architecture of Mamallapuram and Madurai that hog the limelight and more famous. The conquests of Raja Raja of the Cholas are better known than those of the Chalukya or the Rashtrakuta kings. Satavahana Kings and their achievements pale those of the Kannada rulers – at least on paper. The Sangama literature hogs all the credit but no Kannada poet is discussed at length (of course one must admit that Tamil literature is more ancient and probably richer compared to Kannada).
Ramanuja was given shelter by the Hoysala King Bijjala (a Jain King who became Vaishnavite under the influence of Ramanuja and assumed a new name, Vishnuvardhana). Adi Shankara established his mutt in Shringeri. Shivaji’s son was given shelter by Chennamma of Keladi (she even defeated the army of Aurangazeb, the Mughal Emperor). Purandara Dasa was the one who laid the foundation for Carnatic music. Basaveswara was the first social reformer who performed inter-caste marriages and declared all men were equal (including the Harijans). All these have remained no more than footnotes in the historical records.
Bangalore (or Bengalooru) also was the first electrified city in the nation – thanks to the efforts of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and Sir M Visweswaraya. The first hydro-electric power project of Asia was established in Sivanasamudra in Mysore district (on the river Simsa, a tributary of Cauvery).
In the modern times, one must however also not discount the contributions of non-Kannadigas to the development of the State. Sir CV Raman is considered proudly by many as a Kannadiga as he conducted his research at IISc., Bangalore (and also became the first Nobel laureate of the Country). At least two of the Jnanapith awardees are non-Kannada speakers (Dr. Bendre was a Marathi speaking literary giant and Dr. MV Iyengar was a Tamil). GV Iyer, the director of the first Sanskrit movie, ‘Sankaracharya’ though hails from Karnataka (and has directed many award-winning movies in Kannada) is a Tamilian. BR Pantulu, another colossus of Kannada cinema of yesteryears was a Telugu. The first dictionary of Kannada language was compiled by Rev. Ferdinand Kittle. The first Chief Minister of our state, KC Reddy was of a Telugu origin.
Unfortunate of all is the ignorance of people of Karnataka of their own rich legacy. Though Rajyotsava is celebrated with grandeur and fanfare across the State with floats and tableaux to the accompaniment of folk music and dance, the common man with aspirations to grow beyond the state either is unaware of his/her proud past or is disenchanted.
Today a Kanndiga isn’t proud of being one. He is still searching for an identity that he could be proud of. The last man the masses identified with, Dr. Rajkumar is no more. Despite the number of Jnanapith awards, Kannada literature finds hardly any buyers. The circulation of Kannada publications has not been growing (one can get an indication of this by counting the number of ads placed in these publications today and compare them with their past issues from the 70’s or even 80’s). Kannada movies find very few takers (and the quality too has dipped abominably) – and to think of it, Kannada directors were at the forefront in the New Wave cinema!
I understand that the primary reason to rename (I’m carefully avoiding the term, ‘rechristen’) the cities is to reflect the Kannada identity. But, has the state really retained (or gained) the essence and identity of a Kannada state? Our cities have thrown away the yoke of colonial influence in their names with this process. But have we come out of the colonial mindset of subservience as yet? When one observes the speed at which the demography and topography of Bengalooru is changing, the reality becomes clear. In the struggle for economic gain and prosperity we surely have given up our identity and become faceless, nameless and soon-to-be cultureless, while we could still have aspired and found economic wealth without giving it up. Welcome to Karnataka! Hosa Bengalurige Swagata.
Karnataka – unlike other South Indian (read, Dravidian) states has always struggled to establish its own unique identity. This is probably a post-independence phenomenon. If however, one goes down the pages of history too, the dynasties of Karnataka have been given a raw deal of their significance in the annals of Indian history. Controversy even to this day refuses to die regarding the language of the Vijayanagar Empire (Telugu people too equally claim Krishnadevaraya to be their own). The Chalukyas of Vatapi (currently, Badami, Vijayapura district, Karnataka) grew beyond the boundaries of Karnataka and established their branches in Vengi (Andhra Pradesh) and Kalyan (Maharashtra). Pulikeshi II was a Chalukya ruler (who famously defeated Emperor Harsha on the banks of the Narmada). The Rashtrakuta kings went as far as Bengal and Gujarat in their conquests. We have unparalleled temple architecture in Karnataka (starting from the days of Chalukyas to that of the Wodeyars of Mysore). The Elephanta Caves, the Kailasnath Temple of Ellora (carved out of a monolith) and many cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora date back to the times of the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas. The history of Kashmir Kings written by Bilhana (or, was it Kalhana?) was written under the patronage of Chalukyas in Karnataka! Percy Brown has called the Aihole (pronounced Eye-ho-Lay), Pattadakal carvings as the ‘cradle of temple architecture’. The star-shaped temples of the Hoysala regime probably are the most grand in the Dravidian architecture.
But it is the architecture of Mamallapuram and Madurai that hog the limelight and more famous. The conquests of Raja Raja of the Cholas are better known than those of the Chalukya or the Rashtrakuta kings. Satavahana Kings and their achievements pale those of the Kannada rulers – at least on paper. The Sangama literature hogs all the credit but no Kannada poet is discussed at length (of course one must admit that Tamil literature is more ancient and probably richer compared to Kannada).
Ramanuja was given shelter by the Hoysala King Bijjala (a Jain King who became Vaishnavite under the influence of Ramanuja and assumed a new name, Vishnuvardhana). Adi Shankara established his mutt in Shringeri. Shivaji’s son was given shelter by Chennamma of Keladi (she even defeated the army of Aurangazeb, the Mughal Emperor). Purandara Dasa was the one who laid the foundation for Carnatic music. Basaveswara was the first social reformer who performed inter-caste marriages and declared all men were equal (including the Harijans). All these have remained no more than footnotes in the historical records.
Bangalore (or Bengalooru) also was the first electrified city in the nation – thanks to the efforts of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and Sir M Visweswaraya. The first hydro-electric power project of Asia was established in Sivanasamudra in Mysore district (on the river Simsa, a tributary of Cauvery).
In the modern times, one must however also not discount the contributions of non-Kannadigas to the development of the State. Sir CV Raman is considered proudly by many as a Kannadiga as he conducted his research at IISc., Bangalore (and also became the first Nobel laureate of the Country). At least two of the Jnanapith awardees are non-Kannada speakers (Dr. Bendre was a Marathi speaking literary giant and Dr. MV Iyengar was a Tamil). GV Iyer, the director of the first Sanskrit movie, ‘Sankaracharya’ though hails from Karnataka (and has directed many award-winning movies in Kannada) is a Tamilian. BR Pantulu, another colossus of Kannada cinema of yesteryears was a Telugu. The first dictionary of Kannada language was compiled by Rev. Ferdinand Kittle. The first Chief Minister of our state, KC Reddy was of a Telugu origin.
Unfortunate of all is the ignorance of people of Karnataka of their own rich legacy. Though Rajyotsava is celebrated with grandeur and fanfare across the State with floats and tableaux to the accompaniment of folk music and dance, the common man with aspirations to grow beyond the state either is unaware of his/her proud past or is disenchanted.
Today a Kanndiga isn’t proud of being one. He is still searching for an identity that he could be proud of. The last man the masses identified with, Dr. Rajkumar is no more. Despite the number of Jnanapith awards, Kannada literature finds hardly any buyers. The circulation of Kannada publications has not been growing (one can get an indication of this by counting the number of ads placed in these publications today and compare them with their past issues from the 70’s or even 80’s). Kannada movies find very few takers (and the quality too has dipped abominably) – and to think of it, Kannada directors were at the forefront in the New Wave cinema!
I understand that the primary reason to rename (I’m carefully avoiding the term, ‘rechristen’) the cities is to reflect the Kannada identity. But, has the state really retained (or gained) the essence and identity of a Kannada state? Our cities have thrown away the yoke of colonial influence in their names with this process. But have we come out of the colonial mindset of subservience as yet? When one observes the speed at which the demography and topography of Bengalooru is changing, the reality becomes clear. In the struggle for economic gain and prosperity we surely have given up our identity and become faceless, nameless and soon-to-be cultureless, while we could still have aspired and found economic wealth without giving it up. Welcome to Karnataka! Hosa Bengalurige Swagata.
posted by Quintessential Critic (Sudhir Narayana) @ 8:11 AM
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