D R Bendre 2012 7

Classic Poetry Series
D. R. Bendre
- poems -
Publication Date:
2012
Publisher:
Poemhunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive
D. R. Bendre(31 January 1896 - 21 October 1981)
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (Kannada:?????????? ???????? ??????? ;

Marathi: ?????????? ???????? ???????) was amongst the most famous of Kannada
poets of the Navodaya Period. Praised as varakavi, literally 'gifted poet', he was
the second person among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the
highest literary honour conferred in India. He wrote under the pen-name of
Ambikatanayadatta ("Datta, Child of Ambika"). He also held the title Karnataka
kula Thilaka ("The light of the Kannada Nation") conferred by Udupi Adamaru
Math. He was conferred Padma Shri by Government of India.
 Early Life and Education
He was born on into a Madhwa Brahmin family at Dharwad in Karnataka. His

Grand father was a Dasagranthi (Master of ten volumes of sacred lore) and
scholar in Sanskrit classical literature. Dattatreya's father was also a Sanskrit
scholar who died when Dattatreya was only 12 years old. Dattatreya later
adopted the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta which literally means Datta, son of
Ambika after his mother who ran a Khanavali or eatery to feed the family.
Bendre completed his primary and high school education in Dharwad with his
uncle's help and completed his matriculation in 1913. He joined the Fergusson
College, Pune for his higher education. After obtaining his degree Bendre
returned to Dharwad and started teaching at Victoria high school. He married
Laxmibai from Ranebennur in 1919. He obtained his Master of Arts degree in
1935.
Career 
Starting his career as a teacher at Victoria high school in Dharwad, he worked as
a professor of Kannada in D.A.V. College Solapur between 1944 and 1956. In
1956 he was appointed an advisor for All India Radio's Dharwad station.
Later Life
Bendre formed the Geleyara Gumpu (Group of Friends) in 1922. Mainly intended
as a peer group for the study of culture and literature, this friends' circle drew
poets, writers and intellectuals from different parts of Karnataka including
Ananda Kanda, Sham. Ba. Joshi, Siddavanahalli Krishna Sharma, Enke, ,
Krishnakumar Kallur, V. K. Gokak and R. S. Mugali. In 1926 Bendre started the
cultural movement Nada-habba, a celebration of the land and its culture which is
still prevalent in Karnataka. This festival is celebrated during the navaratri. In
1932 Bendre was sentenced to imprisonment for writing Nara Bali (Human
www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 1

Sacrifice), which was then branded seditious. He was under house arrest in
Mugad village. Bendre's two sons Panduranga and Vamana and daughter
Mangala were the only three surviving children among nine who were born. In
1943 he presided over the 27th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Shimoga.
He went on to become a fellow of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat. In 1972 the
Government of Karnataka produced a documentary on his life.
 Works and Message
Bendre started off with simple and earthly romantic poetry, often using the
"spoken" language. His later works dig deeper into social and philosophical
matters. G. S. Amur, a leading critic in Kannada, says "Bendre believed in the
value of an integrated personality but loved to project himself as a threefold
being: Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, the biological self, the dehi; Professor
Bendre, the thinking self; and Ambikatanayadatta, the creative self. The three
selves were conceived as mutually supporting selves, as the imagery Bendre
used to concretise this idea clearly suggests. He spoke of Ambikatanayadatta and
Professor Bendre as closely related to each other as the banks of a river or the
belly and the back. One could not exist without the other."
Bendre has been hailed as the father figure of modern Kannada poetry. His
poems are linked to the Kannada poetic tradition through their use of folklore,
the vachanas and the kirthanas. Apart from native prosodic forms, Bendre has
also employed native imagery, folk beliefs, references to Indian mythology and
the language spoken by common people. Nada Lila (The Play of Sounds) is
perhaps the most remarkable of his poetry collections.. All the features of
Navodaya poetry like patriotism, the reformatory zeal, critical attitude, Indian
culture, consolidation of traditional strength, mystical faith and assertion of a
poet's individuality can be found in this collection of poems.
Bendre used diverse techniques for spiritual lyrics, classical style for sonnets and
traditional as well as colloquial idiom for pastoral and folk lyrics. Symbolism is
characteristic of his poetry. His poem Patargitti (Butterfly) sung as a nursery
rhyme speaks of colors of temptation. Another one Mudalmaneya (Morning)
becomes symbolic of all pervading peace or, the poet's yearning for it. In the
Kuniyonu bara (Dance Eternal) all diverse currents of thought meet in on great
confluence. Apparently, all Bendre's poems could be set to music and abound in
alliteration; but there was always a hidden layer of meaning which only a trained
poetic mind could decipher.
As a person, Bendre was friendly, suave and sociable. He mixed with intellectuals
and illiterate villagers on equal terms. He loved and interpreted life in different

colors.
Towards the end of his life Bendre was deeply absorbed in numbers. This was not
a new interest for him but now it became a central concern. When Dom Moraes
visited him during his exploration of Karnataka in 1976, he found him totally
immersed in numbers. In his books Vishvadharanasutra and A Theory of
Immortality Bendre made ambitious attempts to intuit all knowledge into
numbers.
 Awards and honors
Jnanpith Award - 1974 (For the collection of poems Naaku Tanti)

Padma Shri - 1968
Sahitya Academy award - 1958
Kelkar prize - 1965
Fellowship of Sahitya Academy - 1968
And many more.

Dawan
The Eastern house shone with pearl-water

Gilded smoothly all over:
Flooding through the open doors
Light drenched the entire earth.
The liquid diamond rushed through the fountain

Rushed of it's own accord;
The sweet-scented buds opened up,
Opened of their own accord.
On the leaves, inside the flowers, appeared

Drops of amrita, amrita drops.
Who brought them here from above the sky,
Who put them here, now?
They placed the petal brush

In the hands of the cool breeze
And smeared with scented pollen,
The bees are let loose in the sky.
From the throats of trees and bushes

Rose the songs of birds,
And the wild earth was transformed
In an instant, into the land of Gandharvas.
The eye saw, the tongue tasted,

This my body experienced touch,
The ear heard, the nose smelt,
My mind, temple of God, forgot itself in ecstasy.
Immeasurable is space, beyond the grasp of the mind,

The colour, unseen, is hidden from the eye,
Only the rasa of peace bodies forth in love,
This, my brother, is no mere dawn.
(Translated by G.S. Amur)
D. R. Bendre

Hakki Harutide Nodidira?
D. R. Bendre

Love Is Our Life
Me, a poor girl, and he, a poor fella,

Love is our life
Is love that comes in handy
On the road of joy n' strife
Be he near or be he far,
The apple of mine eyes is he!
I melt when I see his darling face,
He's my precious jewelry!
Winter days or summer,

His body is warm to touch,
When I have him near me
I wear *him* like robes n' such
The gifts he has bestowed on me

Are secrets we two share:
Crimson roses for my cheeks,
And my lips, a sweet eclair!
What more could I ask for?

He's given me all I need.
His gift of life grows in my womb,
To ask for more is greed!
(Translated by C.P. Ravikumar)
D. R. Bendre

D R Bendre 2012 7

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

D R Bendre 2012 7

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

D R Bendre 2012 7

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Classic Poetry Series

Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (Kannada:?????????? ???????? ??????? ;

<b> Early Life and Education</b>

He was born on into a Madhwa Brahmin family at Dharwad in Karnataka. His

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 1

<b> Works and Message</b>

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 2

<b> Awards and honors</b>

Jnanpith Award - 1974 (For the collection of poems Naaku Tanti)

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 3

The Eastern house shone with pearl-water

The liquid diamond rushed through the fountain

On the leaves, inside the flowers, appeared

They placed the petal brush

From the throats of trees and bushes

The eye saw, the tongue tasted,

Immeasurable is space, beyond the grasp of the mind,

(Translated by G.S. Amur)

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 4

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 5

Me, a poor girl, and he, a poor fella,

Winter days or summer,

The gifts he has bestowed on me

What more could I ask for?

(Translated by C.P. Ravikumar)

www.PoemHunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive 6

You might also like