I have had difficulties with some of kuvempu's creations back in school. And then I was introduced to his magnum opus sri ramayaNa darshanam and I totally freaked! ramayaNA darshanam is written entirely in haLagannada (old Kannada), 20 thousand lines of poetry at that. Although I do have plans of attempting it again sometime in my life.
I knew that his other works are not as difficult, i still was reluctant to attempt it. But recently I got a gift voucher for Kannada books at Sapna Book house and I practically ransacked the shop. One of the books I bought was kanooru heggaDithi. The sheer size of it stopped me from reading it right away. But last weekend's coonoor trip was ideal for it and I took it along. And it was the best choice!
Firstly the book appeals to me because it talks about what I am familiar with. The life in the western ghats. Though I hail from the coastal region and not the ghats, the cultures are very similar. The Bhootas, the poojas, the communities are all part of familiar nostalgia. None of the characters in the book are sugar coated. They are all as real as they can get, flaws and goodness come out depending on the situation and the people they are with.
The simplicity of the emotions is something that is missing from gadget filled, rat race life these days and that's what the book is about. Be it love, sacrifice, jealousy, meanness, politicking everything is out there, raw.
I also loved the fact that kuvempu has gone into great lengths to describe the scenic beauty of the region. The plant life, the topography, the animal and birds of the region everything is crystal clear.
In the introduction, he says that the reader has as much part in imagery while reading a book as much as the writer while writing . It is the reader's responsibility to be attentive he says. He also adds that empathy is the biggest quality a reader can bring to the book, without which the best of intention can go uncared for.
My favourite character from the book has to be hoovaiah. And it didn't help that in my imagination he resembled M so much that it made him all the more real :)
My rating 5 on 5
I knew that his other works are not as difficult, i still was reluctant to attempt it. But recently I got a gift voucher for Kannada books at Sapna Book house and I practically ransacked the shop. One of the books I bought was kanooru heggaDithi. The sheer size of it stopped me from reading it right away. But last weekend's coonoor trip was ideal for it and I took it along. And it was the best choice!
Firstly the book appeals to me because it talks about what I am familiar with. The life in the western ghats. Though I hail from the coastal region and not the ghats, the cultures are very similar. The Bhootas, the poojas, the communities are all part of familiar nostalgia. None of the characters in the book are sugar coated. They are all as real as they can get, flaws and goodness come out depending on the situation and the people they are with.
The simplicity of the emotions is something that is missing from gadget filled, rat race life these days and that's what the book is about. Be it love, sacrifice, jealousy, meanness, politicking everything is out there, raw.
I also loved the fact that kuvempu has gone into great lengths to describe the scenic beauty of the region. The plant life, the topography, the animal and birds of the region everything is crystal clear.
In the introduction, he says that the reader has as much part in imagery while reading a book as much as the writer while writing . It is the reader's responsibility to be attentive he says. He also adds that empathy is the biggest quality a reader can bring to the book, without which the best of intention can go uncared for.
My favourite character from the book has to be hoovaiah. And it didn't help that in my imagination he resembled M so much that it made him all the more real :)
My rating 5 on 5
