Sidsasrgah

4 shuttles stopped suddenly, and ran this way and that. The
supervisor was watching my adventures from a distance.
He realized that 1didn't know my job. He threw a spool at
me. Iducked. Furious, he walked up and slapped me. When
he saw me standing there meekly even after being slapped,
COLLEGE DEBATES AND STUDENT PROTESTS his heart melted. His conscience did not permít hím to
dismiss me. There was a wedding at the neighbouring
phondusa household. They needed people to clean the
cooking vessels. He sent me, along with some other boys,
known as shirkers, to work at the owner's house.
OUR FAMILY HAD GROWN big, After The Dhondusa house was large. Hundreds of relatíves
Shivashankara,
dranathaand Yashodha were born, there were six of usRavin- were eating lunch. We were put to work under the cooks,
ch:
dren altogether. My father found it more difficult cleaning the enormous vessels. One vessel was so big that
than ever
to support the family. Ihad no money to spend. Idecided we had to climb a little ladder to scrub it clean. We also had
to find some work during the summer holidays. A friend to pick up all the banana leaves after people had eaten off
of mine said Icould get work at the Dhondusa silk factory them. We dipped the vessels in water and scrubbed chem
in the Majestic area. He advised me to say yes' when the with cleaning powder until they sparkled. We got to eat
after all the work was done. We collected the garbage in a
Supervisor asked me ifI knew the job. bucket and dumped it in a wayside pit.
Istood waiting in front of the huge factory
gates. Soon, Iran the risk of being spotted by some acquaintance as I
an elderly supervisor in shorts appeared. He looked in mny carried the garbage to the pit. To avoid that, I smeared my
direction and asked me whether Iknew the job. I
to say yes. He told me to look after eight
nodded face with grime before taking the garbage out, ensuring
shuttles. The job that Iwas unrecognizable. Moreover, people in the house
I was assigned was called
winding.
above one's head. The fine silk
A shuttle is placed just would think I had worked hard. Once, when I was returning
to be knotted to another
thread in the shuttle has after emptying garbage into the pit, someone recognized
from a machine kept at an me, and came forward to talk to me. Before he could open
distance. The shuttle starts arms
calls for hand-eye running. This fairly easy, but
is his mouth to say, "Aren't you Siddalingaiah?" I contorted my
Icouldn't do it.co-ordination. I tried to figure it
out, but already dirty face into a grimace and limped my way back to
the owner's house.
Shuttles that had been After working in the owner's house fora week, I was paid
1
started my work. I failed running stopped the moment
to make contact and sent back to the factory. The supervisor in shorts slowly
shuttle and the thread between the
below.Ipanicked when the eignt taught mne the job. I became good at winding. The workers
 94 A Word With YOU, Worlo

were paid once a week. With

themorney I earned, Siddalingaiah 95

a book by Ambedkar called Asprishyaru

Untoucdidn'hablets),Untotruacnh1sablboauteg
Who Were They and Why They Became i
(The newly-weds, and so
extended help to the
into Kannada by Kumara Venkanna. I the graveyard had
had been solved.
their food and housing problems
workers mutteríng suspi

factoryboundless.un Iwdeortsktaena
much of the book then, but my joy was the
The groom, who heard
me and said in surprise,
for three or four mnonths at the silk ciously about me, turned towards
good books with the money I earned. I and

(oc asionaboughtl y wentmany

"Namaskara, sir!"
himself. He was
a Bihari hotel to eat biryani. bloraano I couldn't place him. He introduced
He explained the
a labourer. He had heard my speeches.
problem he had landed in by marrying out of his caste. I
appreciated his courage and praised him. I also felt sorry
Our bouse was tiny. There was not enough eodsosboodC
room for
that his revolutionary step had forced him to live in a grave
yard. I comforted him by saying he was more fortunate
or five people to sit comfortably, let alone
of the house most of the time. sleep. was fotour
Once.
I than Harishchandra the truthful. He was thrilled with
comparison, and asked me how.
the

the path that passed by our house, I walking east along "Harishchandra lived in a graveyard all by himself" I
came
graveyard. I stepped in and saw tall old upon a sprawling
trees and colourful said, "but you're doing it with your wife. You must be truly
flowering plants everywhere. Igazed at the fortunate."
fascination. For some reason, I liked the gravestones in When he went back, he told the workers Iwas a youth
started visiting it every evening. I graveyard, and I leader, and they treated me with new respect. They would
would sit one of the
gravestones, and lines of poetrycame into my on
mind of their
look for me, wherever I was sitting inside the graveyard, and
own accord. I started send me tea. They also showed interest in the poems I was
jotting them down. I observed the
stillness and silence around me. writing.
In the beginning, the Among my companions was a former soldier who used
with suspicíon, and made graveyard
me feel
workers looked at me to come to the graveyard every day, like me. The old man
Suddenly, they started somewhat unwelcome. had fought in the Second World War, and he had been to
was a young man who showing interest in me. The reason various countries. We became friends; he would often order
Some days. He had justhad got
been living in the
graveyard
tor tea for me.
bride to líve with him in married, and had brought his The graveyard workers, kind and simple folk, lived in
in the matter of a the graveyard. He had houses close by. Ideveloped ataste for the meat they cooked.
little choice
out of his caste, andplace for his honeymoon. He had Iwould give lessons to their children in return for the food.
He had no both families had married
house on ostracized
the couple. Igot some of them admitted to the government primary
means to take a
rent. The workers at school nearby. One of those boys had been thrown out on
the charge that he bad stolen the headmaster's pen.
 Siddalingaiah 97
You, World
96 AWord With

lost faith in god, but I still in, but there

Bythen, I had suspectedthat to see
had brought the corpses
who and
I would sit for hours,
in the
dark, in the around
had its teeth sticking out,
ghosts existed. nobody. One corpse one of
graveyard, and return home in the middle of the night to was
smiling. ran, in terror, to
When I
Iooked as ifit was about the
the extensions adjoining the grave. houses and asked them
sleep. People living in hurled stones on their graveyard workers'
victims.
:roofs. the they were accident
yard believed thatghostsperformedto rid themselves They bodies, I was told that
colony found my visits
rituals of the people ofour
had navagraha In the beginning, deaths occurred in
spirits. I askedthe gravediggers about it. They said there strange. Later, when
to the graveyard me to seek a
one elderly man said " people started coming to
were no ghosts in the graveyard; the colony, some As ISometimes
wrote out the
myself" The workerssaidI some people hadl climbed discount on the
burying fee.
occasionally accept
aghost workers would
graveyard and hurled stones at the certificates, the
some huge treesinthe death got a concession
soloo recommendation. Thus, dalit Corpses
bouses, but they had driven them away. my
one particular tree. A buried.
Ionce sat an entire night under whentheywere towards the graveyard. A
down before me. I looked In One night, at nine, Iset out
huge rock suddenly crashed wanted to come, and he
wouldn't
Thinking it must that he
terrified. There was no one on the tree. friend insisted
gave in and
workers. They Iasked him to stay behind. I
be the work of ghosts, I ran to the graveyard listen to me when
opened the gate of the graveyard
carne out and examined the tree. I was
reassured when they took him along. When we
started.
told me that the stone had been used as a ledge by the stone and stepped in, he asked.
there so many people here?" he
throwers, and that it had fallen because of the wind. "Look, why are
he had mistaken the
one there. Irealized
"Where is Siddalingaiah?" afriend who came looking for But there was no
for people.
me once asked my mother. white stones on the graves
I said.
"He is in the graveyard," she replied. He thought my "There is no one there,"
there draped in white
mother, who looked worried, was grieving. He assumed I "Look, they are all standing
had departed from this world and he burst out crying.My sheets," he said.
he just
mother had to console him. She told him Iwas alive and Itried hard to
convince him it wasn't so, but
back. The next morning, as
well, but in the graveyard as usual. She sent him to me, wouldn't believe me. I sent him house.
along with my younger brother. a huge crowd in front of his
I waswalking by, I saw
friend was possessed. It
Friends who came looking for me were too scared to Filled with dread, I went closer. My
enter the graveyard. They would stand at the gate and call Magicians had already begun their
was some female spirit.
out my name loudly. Iwould then go out, speak to the ghost was still with
them, rituals to exorcise it. Two years later,
and see them off. One evening, as Iwas pain. Inever took my
wandering around, him. This incident caused mne great
my eye fell on about ten corpses that lay on the
friends to the graveyard again.
silence in the graveyard was profound and ground. The
eerie. I looked
 sdatiemah

The graveyand workers and I angucd frequently on the

healthier. A1I
while they weeks, I began to look
an atheistthen, were well. In a couple of Sunday were
subiet of god. I was
beievers. They were not ready to accept staunch
my argument
that ehose who saw me when
I went home on a
cooked rice and meat saaru,
god did not exist. Once, they went with their farmilies to glad. When Nayar, who 'enough.' I would turn
'no or
they organized a feast for their served us, Icould never say when
Tirupati. On their return, to be looking elsewhere
friends, which l attended. While we were eating, the master my face away and pretend would look only after
served to me. I
the food was being
his faith in god had diminished. people, watching me eat,
of the house said
asked
Iwas him why. What he said was interesting.
SurWhenprised,
he
standing devoutly in a queue in front of the deity, the
the plate was heaped full. Some
became envious. One day, after I
had enjoyed my meal, a
went politely to meet
man behind himn had tried to pick his pocket and steal all senior student called me to his room. I
carefully and declared that I
his money. If be had continued to stand there, devoutly, he him. He examined my eyes
around if it was true. Other
alert. te had jaundice. Worried, Iasked
would have lost alI his money. He had become students said he was a country doctor and that his
senior
around, and caught the pickpocket. Ifhe had lost the money, words could not be ignored. I went to
Bowring Hospital.
returning with his family to Bangalore would have been didn't have jaundice,
The doctors examined me and said I
dafhcut. He said he would have become a pauper if he had have to follow an
which was a relief, because I did not
believed that god would punish the pickpocket. Yet his faith invalid's diet.
was not fully gone.
loo
a student
On my first day at the Government Arts College,
Ijoined the Government Arts College. I got a place in the he
dalit hostel on Mahatma GandhíRoad. Ihad a broken killed the principal, Munigaviyappa, with an iron rod, as
settled
and a torn mat with me, and I would
trunk was getting out of his car. After this tragedy, things
and reach the hostel by foot. Ididn't
have to carry them down at the college, where I found myself enjoying my
like the idea of display
ing my poverty in broad daylight. I woke studies. I not only had good teachers, but I also made full
up at three in the use of the State Central Library in Cubbon Park. I stopped
morning, hoisted the trunk on to my head,
under my arm, and set out from clutched my mat there every day on the way back from college to the hostel,
Cubbon Park, I was Srirampura, As IcroSsed and read all the books I could lay my hands on.
the plants and
trees.
fascinated by the
moonlight falling on Among my favourite lecturers were G.S. Siddalingaiah
The mess and Sa Shi Marulaiah. A lecturer called Lingappa ook a
arrangements at the hostel were excellent.
They gave us rice and gestural approach to pedagogy. For instance, he would
vegetarian dishes twicechapatis
a week,
every day, and served non recall that a student had said his grandfather had been a
Thrilled, Istarted eating dewan, a high official in the palace.
 World
200 AWord With You. Siddalingaiah 101

doing now is...".he would

"And what you are pause, and formation day celebra
policeman. We would then Rajyotsava, the state
imitate
the a traftic
dewans understand chat
grandson had become a trafic policeman, He Uas coming for Hanumanthaíah from a distance, when
seen
he
Gopalakrishna
ions. Ihad poet
who had said his parliamentary seat. The
would tell another boy,
grandfather had
musician, "And what you are doing
contested a
was contesting against him as a Jan Sangh candidate.
progres
been a court now is." Adiga identified themselves as
stamping letters. He would Several writers, who had Since I was an
and imitate a postman praise speeches for Adiga.
days, and scorn thel sives, had made campaign used to attend his election meet
the hunting dogs ofthe old
of today, saying that they
only threatened little hunting dogs admirer of Adiga'spoetry,
I
Hanumanthaiah had sought votes
by
shitting by the wayside.
children ings out of curiosity.
just a few people
following him.
Doddaswamy believed in going on a padayatra, with of someone who had been chief
Alecturer called
himself He would enter the class, saying, "This Dod
promoting Ifelt sorry about the
plight
Legislative Assembly, Vidhana
swamy is a clever bastard," He said that the likes of N.S. minister, and had built the
Soudha. Chairs
Lakshminarayana Bhatta and Ham Pa Nagarajaiah, acade Board office that evening.
mics who taught the Kannada M.A. classes at the univer- Iwent to the Electricity the
but they were empty. I was
had been arranged in rows, time, thinking
sity, ran scared into the bylanes of the Majestic area rhe there for a long
moment they saw him.
first among the audience. Isat what my father used
remenbered
about Hanumanthaiah. I he said,
And then there were the casteists. When one of mv
to say about him when I was a little boy. Once,
Maharaja's
lecturers got thirsty in class, he would give me the key to Hanumanthaiah felt like sitting on the Mysore
hís Godrej cupboard and ask me to fetch water. I did as I tried to sit on the throne.
throne. Hewent to the palace, and
was told. He was very orthodox. Why he chose me to fetch pushed Hanumanthaiah
But flames erupted from it and
water became a subject of discussion in class. It turned out
away.
that he had mistaken me for a Lingayat. I was liberated Hanuman
"Not today, butI willsit on it some other day,"
from the task of fetching water as soon as he learned my thaiah vowed and came away.
When I heard the story as a child, I got the impression
true caste.

I
that Hanumanthaiah was a greedy, arrogant man. But as
admiration for
sat alone, waiting for his speech, I was full of
him. In the story, I began to see a tussle between
democracy
One evening, I was walking from the Arts
hostel on Primrose Road near M.G. Road.
College to our and monarchy. I suspected our citizenry, living in a demo
St Josephs College and before
After crossing cracy but unconsciously steeped in respect and adoration of
saw a sign in front of the
reaching Imperial cinema, I royalty, had cooked up this story. As I was thinking on these
chalk was the
Electricity Board office. Written in lines, people began to arrive. Hanumanthaiah arrived, too.
announcement that Kengal Hanumanthaiah He was fair-complexioned, and spoke and carried himself
St. Joseph's
Commerce College
Library of
3/44 (Autonomous)
 likea Europcan. Headdressed the handful of people
had gatheredtherein aslow, simple manner. H
He was then
a member ofthe Administrative Reforms Committee.
stressedthe nced to root out corruption. The points be
my mind to
made in his
speech remain fresh in this
day.

composition progressed at afurious pace during

My poetry called Dhareyadevi (Goddes
wrote a poem
this period. I
showedit to G.S. Siddalingaiah. He was pleased
Earth) and
publishedit inthe college magazine; Ipublished
withitand and
many more poems
in the same magazine collecteda
my poems to Dr G.S. Shiva
small band of admirers.Ishowed
encouraged me to continue wriing, My
rudrappa, and he
poems werealso
publishedin ajournal called Margadarst,
by Siddhartha Arakeri.
which was being brought out
day, when Iwas walking through Cubbon Park
One and aftectionate
Ganjigatti, a humane
Imer a man called
English magazine called
man. He was the editor of an
suit and tie,and he wore
People's Guard. He was dressed in a
but never spoke Kannada.
boots. He was a Kannadiga,
desire to show him my
Igreeted him and expressed my
them. He told me that he
poems, He gladly agreed to see
Sangh building in
was staying at the Harijan Sevak
with my poems
Srirampura and that I should visit him
before seven the next morning.
Imade copies of my poems through
the night and
six. I asked
presented myself at the appointed place at
someone in the building where Ganjigatti was. He pointea Was
to a room, and I went in. An indeterminate shape
sleeping on a torn mat,covered in afaded blanket. But the
 World
With You,
104
AWord Siddalingaiah 105

on the wall, and

pants that hung
coat, tie and
below, belonged
unmistakably toGanjigatti. I he bo rhe lines to our
national poet,
Kuvempu:
hgure sat up hastilyir
"Sir. The sleepinggreeted
Ganjigatti-and I
him. He scolded was 1ndeed
me in Temples are houses of
black magic,
magicians,
why I was so early. I apologized. His bngi Religious leaders are
and asked me of disease,
Pilgrim centres are places
was soiled and
tattered,

quickly got up and put

and his shorts
on his pants, oat, tie
were banian
and faded. HeHe
Innocents, idiots, these pilgrims.

went tothe tap outside

the room, took out a
packet bootof s. the judges selec
Impressed by the speech and the poem, fellow debaters,
powder from his pocket and
brushed his teeth. totho ted me to representthe college. One of my
soap from another pocket, he
washed his face He Takin
took g a thin. tall student who had
made a wonderfully interesting
after the debate, and congratulated me.
comb from yet another pocket and
combed |his hair. Outa speech, came over
lines you attribu
on," he said to me, and took me
to a
haircuttin g "Csalomeoon "Nowhere has Kuvempu written the
lines are they?" he said.
nearby. After getting a haircut, he had Cream and ted to him. Tell me the truth, whose
powder the judges,"
applied to his face: and body. Heemerged clean:and I was disconcerted. "Isaid so only to impress
From there, he took me to a.restaurant, He fraordered
grant. Iconfessed. "Those are my lines."
He said he wanted to see my poems. He
pointed to a
masala dosa, and turned his attention to my poems. He wait there at a certain
tree in the campus and said he would
encouraged me by saying I was a revolutionary poet. Ime said, and
him every day for a few months. As he spoke only Englith time the next day. "Come with your poems," he
he did not have many friends. With n0 other option, I spoke introduced himnself. That was my first encounter with D.R.
One
with him in my broken English. I became a sort of a disciple Nagaraj, soon to become a vallued critic and mentor.
He entrusted me with the job of getting advertisements for class ahead of me in our college, and already known as a
People's Guard. Armed with hisappeal form, I would often go revolutionary, Nagaraj offered me friendship that gave my
life a new direction.
about trying to sell advertisement space. The
government
nominated him as a member of the Salappa Committee to Nagaraj was delighted to discover that I was a rationalist.
His own need to promote rationalism led to some interest
study the problems of municipal workers.
ing escapades. For instance, when members of the Yuvaka
Sangha, a youth group in Dodballapur, were stirring the
horsegram usli for distribution among devotees during the
Two debaters had to be Ganesha festival, Nagaraj had somehow managed to pour
to an
selected from the college and sent kunthikumar oil, which induces diarrhoea, into the huge
inter-collegiate debate.
debate to decide who wouldOur college organized its own frying pan. All those who ate the prasada that day had upset
portions of one of myrepresent
I quoted it, andI took par. stomachs. Several devotees fled from the festival venue
own poems and attributed into the open fields without so much as telling anyone.
 A rdWh You, Wor d Siddalingaan 107

could
Convinced that no one but D.R. Nagaraj have done suspicious. On the pretext of had
congratulating him, I
such athing. members of the youth association went out was He scribbled points,
hand and peered at it.
shook his he stopped
ookingfor him to give him some of his own prasada. After tattoo, on hiis palm.
After we protested,
refuge in his like a
such incidents, Nagaraj would take relatives doing this. College, Kanaka
hometown. took place at Rural
house in Bangalore and avoid his A state-level debate There
In the meantimne, in the inter-collegiate debates in which before the event.
reached the venue a day
student who was pura. We from Chintamani who was
participatcd, there was a senior as a debater who had
cone
I
winning prizes. We were eager to know where he went always younger than me. He had noted down
his points on a piece
fervour. He
after receiving his prizes. One day we followed him, after and was memorizing them with great
of paper day.
the debate, to a shop on Avenue Road. It was the very shop about his speech the next
was extremely anxious he burst into tears.
sol when he got up,
from which the organizers had bought the cups. He The next morning,
of paper while he was asleep.
his prize back to the shop, got somne money, and went awav Someone had stolen his slip
someone else's property. He bad
Soon, we too began to sell our prizes to that shop His points had become
memorized. We were all angry
Perhaps the only one who didnt sell hís prizes was C forgotten everything he had Chintamani
the thief. We told the
Somashekhar, who won a lot of them. I became an expert at and decided tO catch their
while the contestants made
winning and selling prizes. Thus the debates also became a student to keep an eye out the
contestant was speaking,
means oflivelihood to me. When Igot acash prize, I would speeches. When a particular "Thief, thief, point
Chintamani student shouted loudly,
use the money to have clothes stitched. A debate took place contestant to task.
thief!" We took the guilty
inCentral College, and with the cash prize presented to me took place at Bangalore's
by P.Lankesh, one of the judges, Igot a terylene shirt and a An inter-collegiate debate does not exist." I was
College. The topic was "God
A.P.S.
pair of trousers made for myself. The contest was
inaugurated with
to speak on the topic. those
Once, in a Kannada debate, none of the usual winners lamp became a refuge for
the lighting of a lamp. The
got aprize. We all made a fuss. We felt a suít-wearing judge they all merely pointed to the
who argued that god existed;
had been partisan, and had given away prizes to mediocre argued that the lamp was god
lamp as evidence. Some even
speakers. We insisted that a re-evaluation be done. Finally, for the opposite side, I
incarnate. Because I was arguing called out,
victory was ours, and I got a prize, As usual we went to the lamp. When my name was
shop on Avenue Road. About to place the cups on the table, was annoyed with the The flame
Iwent straight up to
the lamp and blew it out.
who díd we see sitting there but our suit-wearing judge. speech, I said, "I have put out
Cursing our luck, we fled. went out completely. In my
incarnate. If your god does exist, let
the lamp that was god
There was a debater who jumped about as though he My speech went offsmoothly.
were dancing He won a prize that day. I him stop mefrom speaking."
thought his posture
 AW

dais, half a dozen Siddalingaiah L09

getting offthe
AsIwas
up to me and grabbed my arms, One of them boys came run. my own writing. By then he had reached the opinion that
had held
ning
They unged me to light the lamp I out
a marchboOx. it was not
important whether god existed or not; what was
but I refused. I arguedi that lighting the lamp had put out important was whether there was any humanity among
mstake, considering the topic of the debate been
was the abig humans. I once told him the title of his book was wIong.

ence of god. I explained how it had put off those

who exist Without being offended, he asked me why. I said, "When
that god did not exist.
Their anger did not subside. sad you have God
is Dead for a title, doesn't it mean that you

leaders stopped them

bring a bad name to
from assaulting
the college. I won the
me, saying it Stuwouldentd
first prize in that
agree that he once
existed"
you are right," he said. One day, towards the end of
debate. bis life, Isaw him lying on a footpath in Jayanagar. He had
While I was looking for secondhand suffered a paralytic stroke. Iput him in an auto and made
footpath, a book called Devaru Satta(God is
books on the sure he reached his house.

my eye. I bought it immediately. It had

Dead) caught Ionce saw a curious advertisemnent in the paper. It said
titles, like 'Mentally Unsound, Incapable
strange
God; 'Godchapter
rhose who did not believe in god could meet a certain holy

"May the Worship Room be Destroyed, and SO on. I Flees; man who would make god appear before them.
My friend Devarajappa and Iwent to the given address.
the book and showed it to my friends in the read
Some five or six of us,inchuding Agrahara
Honours class. We met the holy man and paid our respects. I appealed to
Krishnamurthy,
Karigowda Beechanahalli, Ganganna and Kallur Megharai
set out to meet its writer, Vasudeva Bhoopalam. His
him to show us god. He was evasive in his answers. Not
satisied, we kept grilling him. Shaken, the yogi said, "Why
house are you trying so hard? Iam god myself" "Swami," I said,
was on Lavelle Road, near Richmond Circle. When n "there are millions of gods. Which one of them are you?"
knocked on his door, he peered out of one of the "Iam Shiva," he replied.
and told us to go away. When we windows
persisted, he came out Solemnly, but tongue in cheek, I said, "Sir, in that case
wearing a raincoat, despite the heat, and sat you have committed a murder." He was dumbstruck.
friends realized that down. My
there was a pistol in one of the "What murder? I havent murdered anyone," he ex
pockets of the raíncoat. He spoke inner claimed.
saying we should not visit him again.formally and sent us away "Didn't you burn Manmatha to death with your third
and published Devaru Satta, After he had written
eye because he ruined your penance?" I asked.
ife. He had mistaken us believers had threatened his The holy man collected his wits and said, "Oh? That
for a group of
and had taken fanatical believers
Over time,measures
to protect Manmatha was acting smart with me. That's why Iburnt
I got closer to himselt. him to ashes."
Occasions, he came
He shared his
Bhoopalam.,
with me to On a couple of Iasked, "Swami, where do you live?"
Nilgiris on Brigade Road.
thoughts with me. Once he asked me about To that he said, "Kailasa."
 You, World
A Word With Siddalingaiah 111

arrow
"Swami, you shot an of
I persisted,
But in 1962, flowcrs and
Chinese bombed
the andhe always had several
puppies with him. He took me
Road. The master of
killed Manmatha, hoUuse on Kengal Hanumanthaiah
Kailasa and entered doing then?"your
India. What were you
hired me to work in his garden.
Indians weren't
"The rhe house was generous, and
Unperturbed, he replied, time after college.
enough
on
devotiontowards me.
That is why I set the
shChiowinesnge
then." Towardsthe end it became difficult evven to talk
I worked
for him whenever had any free
Learned a bit of money this
I
way.
to do the exams. He
Another friend would tell me not
to him. By then, devotees who had gathered around him regularly: he would win
we made a hasty exit. wOuld say I needn't attend college share the money and
were planning to beat us up, so soon and the two of us could
a lottery
again not to rely on lottery
Jlive happily. I told him time and
When the time for exams
cickets. but he did not listen. the
he was sure he would win
came. he did not write them:
ground to a halt. I ignored
Bangalore University had launched an earn while you learm! lottery. He didn't. His education
good marks.
Scheme to help students. I joined the soap factory to wor his words and passed with
newspapers called the Expo
from five to nine every evening. It was a part-time job thar a Abig student protest, that the
the fact that the majority of
Ifound very useful. The workers would sit in rows in front "70 agitation, was triggered by to go abroad
delegation that was
ofa machine. Empty soapboxes rolled in on a conveyor belt. the members of a student
consisted of ministers' relatives. Students set fire to Central
Wepicked them up and placed them beside us. Thin white laboratories. We
strips of paper cane next. We picked them up too. Sandal College, destroying desks, chairs and interest.
fear and
soap followed. We had towrap each cake of soap in paper, watched the flames of anti-nepotism with
college canteen,
pack it in a box, and place it back on the conveyor belt. Those The police came after us, chasing us into the
trying to hide. Students
further up would stack the boxes in cartons and load them and caning the students who were cracked,
Some had their skulls
on to the lorries. were crying out like cattle.
The soap was sold across the country, and abroad as and blood was streaming out.
them under a
well. Some rogues in our row would not fill the boxes with Itook off my shirt and pants and placed
holding some
S0ap. Thus empty boxes went out for sale. This came to the table. Clad in my shorts and banian, and
about like a canteen
notice of the factory authorities, who were furious. plates and glasses in my hand, I walked
They cleaner. Thinking Imust be one, the police did not touch
dismíssed students working on either side of the line. I thus
managed to escape
lost a job that had covered my
study expenses. I was put to me. I was pleased with myself for having
shirt and
much difficulty as a result. their blows. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my
careful search. I
There was a student in the trousers where Ihad flung them, despite a
from all the others. He wore hostel who was different found only my books,and Iwalked to the hostel
clutching
his watch high up on only in
his arl them with such dignity as I could muster, dressed
 Siddalingaiah

a banian.
I felt more humiliated
my shorts andbcaten.
had been
than tho her spcech
at the Kanteerava Stadium. The novel aspect of
to wear hired suits,
wvas that the protesters had
who Karnataka Association. I
Our college had a the protest slogans allof a sudden
the post of its joint
secretary
Bhatta,
and won. We invitedl
G. Venkatasubbaiah
competeldersedlikfoey erand somewhere in
Being too short, I
front,
couldn't
and shout
get a hired suit and
thus Jost rhe
Dejagow, Mariyappa part. Dr Venkatesh and D.R. Nagaraj
Shivarudrappa and benefited
from their speeches. and Gs. We had
opportunity to take
suits looked good on them. As soon
recited poems like tall, and the hired
invited Idinabba once. He were
speech, they shouted anti-Indira
Sayutide nimma nudi,
language is dying, oh
o kannadada
children of Kannada) with
kandadira"Kuvempus(Your asIndira Gandhi began her
slogans. "Not to Udupi, go to
Bidar," they shouted. The
beat them
of them and
and doubled our Kannada pride. feeling, policemen immediately caught hold
uD, with the help of some
members of the audience. When
Some of my fellow students and I had become members in the evening, their bodies
they came out of the lock-up
of the Sarmajavadi Yuvajana Sabha. M.D. audience had torn up their
was our leader. He had not become Nanjleader
afarmers' undaswamy
yet. He
were battered and bowed. The
hired suits.
only had us as his supporters. He once told us to enter the
Vidhana Soudha visitors' gallery and fling handbills into the
assembly. Our issue with the government was that it had not
lighter
taken proper steps to provide drought relief. We managed Hostel life was not always this grim: it had its
win
to get passes and, with the handbills concealed near our moments. Some students at the hostel had managed to
the
bellies, sat in the gallery. As soon as Finance Minister the friendship of a cabaret dancer. She would come to
Chorpade started to speak, our slogans rent the air. Our hostel sometimes to find themn. She even gave them money.
charmer.
handbills swooped down on the ministers and legislators An army of students would gather to look at this
sirting below. They all had quite a fright. uo sntes Hundreds of students, palpably enamoured, walked after
All doors to the visitors' gallery were closed. Five or six her to see her off. It looked like a procession of lovers.
security men held each of us. They kept us locked up at the There was an oleander tree in our hostel. If one climbed
police station inside the Vidhana Soudha. Among us on it, one could look into the bedroom of a bouse nearby.
were
two supporters of Bangarappa, He came to see As soon as it was ten in the night, the couple who lived in
them in the
lockup, ordered snacks for us, spoke the house would take off their clothes and start making
and left. encouraging words, love. Sitting on the tree, we got a good view. Some would
On another occasion, climb the tree as soon as it was ten. Others would hang their
Nanjundaswamy
black flag demonstration against
Indira Gandhi.
told us to hold a
towels on the branches to book their places in advance. The
was facing a
drought. Karnataka
a
darshan of a
Indira Gandhi was to go to Udupifor couple, oblivious of all the attention, made love expertly
swamiji. planned to demonstrate during
We in a variety of postures. For the boys on the tree, watching
114 AWord With You, World

more
was pleasure enough. Word got around; people than
the tree could bear started climbing it, and one day the
the
came crashing down. Thespectators fell to ground,
and
their cries reached the couple's ears. With no tree to
climb
the next day, the students were lost. The couple got curtains
for their windows.
I often walked from Srirampura to Majestic,
bus number 21, and rode it to the hostel. One dav Jmes.
caught
pushing ahead in the bus' aisle, trying to grab a seat. As luck
would have it, apoliceman mistook me forapickpocket and
caught hold of me. He dragged me along, saying I should go
with him tothe police station. Just when people were about
to fall on me, a well-dressed man came forward, saying he
knew mne, and so rescued me from both the policeman and
the crowd. Idid not know who he was. I never saw his face
again.

d a gidelenad
 5

AN ACTIVIST AT UNIVERSITY

FRIENDS AND IG0T together and founded a society

oalled Vichaaravaadi Parishat (Rationalists' Forum). Under
its banner, we planned a procession of dalit students. We
wisited all the dalit hostels in Bangalore and asked the
students to describe their problems.Dalit students suffered
many hardships: they seldom had access to nutritious food
or bathing facilities that were hygienic. In some hostels, up
to two hundred students had to manage with a single
lavatory. They competed with one another to use the
lavatory in the mornings. Lavatories often did not have
doors, and whoever was inside had to stretch a hand out
to indicate his presence. Sometimes, fights broke out. As we
were listening to these complaints, one student remarked,
"We don't get food, so why do we need lavatories?"
The students lived in dread of the hostel wardens. Some
wardens were absolute tyrants. They pocketed students'
money and deprived them of their food. We encouraged
Students to fight back. We impressed upon them the
importance of the procession we were planning On the day
Of the procession, nearly four thousand students gathered
near Mysore Bank. It was the first large-scale protest
 undertaken by dalit students in Bangalore.
our procesion were awestruck; even the Peeople who Siddalingalah
astounded.
The procession reached Cubbon
po l
Park, where
c e m en Were that I had become the secretary of the studenta' union of
our hostel. He oflered clemency to students if they could be
apublic meeting. Police officers took the we hell cajoled out of the lavatories,
arranged for our delegation to meet Chief Miinnitilsatetirve, and
I
Billgirirangalah was then one off the directors of Syn-
dlcate Bank. He told the students of the two hostels to ar-
Urs. My friends asked me to explain the students Devara
range an eventandinvite the higher-ups of Syndicate Bank.
tothis man. Dithdently but effectively,iI
explainedproblema
chief minister that scholarship funds had to be to the
Besidesthe bank's other
Over, as well. Shivanna,
directors, senior managers came
the Pinance Minister of thhe state,
generous, that hostel buildings needed
new hostels were needed. At the end of repairs,
and tmorhate KK. Pa, and D.M. Nanjundappa, the Karnataka govern
our meceting, Urs ment's financial advisor, came as chief guests. I was to make
had coffee brought in for the delegation. When the welcome speech, but another student insisted on doing
we
about to leave, he called me to his side and
asked me were it, and Ilet him. He said Biligirirangaiah had given us the
myself. He told me to come see him every now and then.about
Ha moneyto host the event. He had no malicious intention in
called his personal secretary, J.C. Lynn, and instructed him saying so, but Biligirirangaiah was embarrassed. Idispelled
to resolve the problems we had brought to his this embarrassment when Igave the vote of thanks. As a
attention.
One by one, our problems were solved. result of the event, schemes to help dalit students take up
Our meeting
paved the way for the construction of new buildings higher education were put into action by Syndicate Bank.
the two hostels on M.G. Road. The beside
scholarship
better. We met Mallikarjuna Swamy who wasamounts
got
the Social
Welfare Minister at the time. He was
did not show it. He reprimanded sympathetic us, but
to We organized a ceremony at the Central College to wel
students for their shabby come the poet of love, K.S. Narasimhaswamy. We decided
clothes and unkempt appearance, and was
harsh with those of us who had particularly to garland him, and went to City Market to get agarland.
hippie hairstyles. He We had decided that another student leader, who had come
reminded us that the great engineer
to study by the light of street Visvesvarayya had had along with us to the market, would garland him. Unfortu
lamps. bvil so nately, the leader spotted a girl in City Market, and locked
Soon after the protest,
one of his dreaded visits. Biligirirangaiah paid our hostel himself in a hotel room with her. We kept knocking on the
usual, filled up with studentsBathrooms and lavatories, as
who were hiding from him
door, but he would not come out. We finally gave up and
and his imperious went back with the garland. While the poet of love was
demand that they spell out dificult being honoured at the college for his words, our leader
words. Ithought of
Biligirirangaiah
went up to him. He was as my guru, so I
boldly
delighted to see me, and pleaseda
was engaged in the act of love at the hotel, Thus, I got
the
opportunity to garland Narasimhaswamy.
 You, World
118 A Word With

controversial Tamil rationalist, Periyar

The
Naicker. had been invited to Bangalore, and
opponents had planned a
protest. The
moment
Rampolasaitmicyal
his
at the Town
Hall, his detractors greeted
himPeriyar
anti-Periyar slogans. We, on the other hand, active in witheth
arrived
Periyar reception committee, matched their yolume with
Lankesh, who spoke at the
slogans praising him. P.
not afraid of slogans meeting,
observed that Periyar
him as he thrived on
was
criticism. denounci ng
Periyar's speaking style was compelling and hypnotic
He was a Kannadiga who had become very influential :
Tamil Nadu. Annadurai and Karunanidhi, popular lead
in Tamil Nadu, were his disciples. Periyar began his speech
in Tamil by saying, "There is no god, no god, no god at all
Hewho invented god is an idiot. He who propagates god is
a fool. He who salutes god is a wild beast." He was good at
mocking the stories of the puranas. "If Ganesha with a far
belly sits on a little mouse, won't it be crushed" he asked
"IfParvati could create Ganesha with the dirt in her sweat.
how many years had it been since she had taken a bath"
He took no note of the message or the symbolism of the
myths, but mercilessly applied literal logic to them, with
vast popular appeal.
That evening, Periyar and some other
leaders were
immersed in a discussion at Yadava Hostel in
Agrahara Krishnamurthy and I got bored with Gandhinagar.
ssion, and stepped outside. Some of the discu
waiting in the park outside, fell on Periyar' s opponents,
us and beat us up.
Krishnamurthy was injured. My lip suffered a tear, and a
blow to my leg gave me a limp. The
the police station and
lodged assailants had gone to
acomplaint that
them up. The police we had beaten
thought we were guilty and arrested
 You, World sstaine
120 A Word With

brewing
pity on us, and took us to the wind of trouble
us. But chey took
Professors Nanjundaswamy and hospital for -Gho was supposed
to preside got
to preside over the
convention
treatnent.
intervened, and we were
soon freed from the
Dhalock-rmualp.ingam and did not
turn up. I had

myself Ittook place

Irs obiective
in the hockey feld
was to ight for
the
of
creation
Central
of
College
a casteless

withoutsuperstition.
classless society asked, "Why
naysayeTs showed up and
uníon elections were A few habitual useful If there were no
The college students announced should superstitions
go? They are
thousand students were going to vote. borm
Over two At my were you feale come
friends' wishes, I contested for the post of the Fine Arts god, how the male and the
"Birth happens when
Secretary. Besides the votes
of the dalit students, a female are locked up in separate
the votes together. If a male and there is physical
of the Kannada lovers were my strength. A
student children will be born Only if
roOms, no children we said to
contested against me loudly denounced what he called my can there be
contact between them
"anti-Kannada tendencies," so that the Kannada students keep them quiet. should be de
the caste system
might vote for him ínstead. While Iwas saying that "Where is caste? To
hecklers asked,
When I went to the pre-university block to seek voree stroyed, one of these were will
side asked whether they
Hindi and Urdu students surrounded me and said thev rhat, a student from our their caste Out
would have handbills printed for me. They said they would daughters marry outside
ing to let their lay their
attacked whoever they could
vote for noone but me. I was surprised by this unexpected raged, the opponents The
daggersS and bicycle chains.
support. Ifound out that my rival had already addressed hands on. They used knives, fists and
used only their
these students before me. "This Siddalingaiah is a Rajesh rationalists, unprepared fora fight, on for an hour. The
battle. This went
Khanna fan. When Rajesh Khanna came to Bangalore, he fought an unarmed
campuswithout permission. Many
was the first to garland him," he had said. His lies ended up police couldn't enter the I
boys rushed towards me as
actually winníng me votes. This opponent had won for me rationalists were injured. Some our a
all this. One of them pulled
the affection of Tamil students, by saying in the Tamil class stood in a corner, watching the knife
forward to stab me. Just as
that I was a Karunanidhi fan. In the end, Kannada lovers sharp knife and stepped grabbed
someone from their group
did not desert me either. Urdu and Tamil students also was about to pierce me, which
The knife pierced his hand,
became my supporters. Thus, my rival's speeches helped me and hugged me tight. protected me
boy who had
me win. Another rival distributed snack
coupons among his started bleeding profusely. The incensed,
group. The opponents,
supporters. Some students got those coupons, ate well, and was a friend in the rival
Sambe Gowda, who hap
campaigned for me. Iwon the election by a huge majority. kicked me repeatedly. Professor locked
We organizeda rationalists' come by, took me to his room. He had it
pened to
from various parts of the state convention. Representatives
took part in it. The leader from the outside, and talked my
assailants into going away.
 Siddal1ngalah 123
You. World
4WOrd Wth

lock openedand sent me cool down even after Basavalingappa

back safely controversydid not
After a while. hegotthe
to my room. Hundreds of students stood waiting outside, clarification. The upper castes, and even
some
offered a him.
happened to me. own Congress party, were opposedto
fearing thatsomething had leaders in his
Amajority of those who attended this convention wwere car arrived at our
hostel. Basavalingappa had
One day, a
He had
they started getting beaten the car and went to meet him.
I got in
dalits. Back at the college, sent for me.
told me about the protesting students,
near college for afew hope. He
We decided not to go anywhere days. not lost
students should issue a statement in his
Astudent called Rajappa decided to break the embargo. We said some
and
and after
consulting with D.R. Nagaraj
tried to advise him against it, but he just wouldn't listen to favour. I agreed, instead of
him as a Reddy, and some other
friends, issued one. The riots,
us He argued that people thought of and
Worse. But our statement
prompted dalit and
sO wouldnt harm him. When he returned to the hostel that subsiding, got w favour of
progressivestudents all over the state to protest in
evening, his clothes were in tatters and he was covered in
Basavalingappa.
blood. We had to give him first aid. Today, the same RajapDa dalit students and leading
isahigh ranking police oficial. The responsibility ofrallying me. With the exception
fell for the most partto
All those who were dark-skinned got beaten up then. a procession were opposed to
Basavalingappa.
One of my Veerashaiva friends, dark-complexioned like of the dalits, most people
There was a general feeling that
he was anti-god, anti
most dalits, tried to plead his caste but got beaten up When I was organizing students
anyway. When the attackers tore his clothes, they saw that Kannada and anti-Gandhi.
Nagawara arrived. Basavalingappa
he was wearing ashivalinga-a symbol men of the lingayat at the hostel, Kalegowda
acquaintances. Basavalingappa
community sported on their torso--and had spoken the and Kalegowda were very old
called him over to Bangalore.
truth, and they were abashed. had written to Kalegowda and Kalegowda
to guide us. Ihad read
He had come to our hostel
He had become famous
Nagawara's name in the papers. hadn't
of simple marriages, but I
by inaugurating a wave
was goodlooking then, as
While we were flying the banner of rationalism, in 1973, B.
met him in person. Kalegowda same sling bag and
Basavalingappa,a minister in the Devaraj Urs cabinet, was same smile, the
he is now-he had the thought
making provocativestatements about same humane curiosity. Idon't know what he
sensitive subjects. the
He caused public gave that evening, but his
consternation by declaring that Gandhiji about the belligerent speech I
didn't know the meaning of truth. He
shocked traditiona OWn speech, in which he quoted
Akka Mahadevi as saying
lists by telling dalits to fling gave us
puranas were just chatt,
the images of gods into that the vedas, shastras and
gutter. Most memorably, he said the Basavalingappa's detractors.
ture was boosa, much of Kannada litera Some ammunition against
meaning cattle-feed. Basavalingappas suppor
the Boosa agitation. His remark sparked One night, a secret meeting of
Students demanded that he resign. Hotel. There was fear in the air.
The ters took place at Olympus
 World Siddalingaiah
124 A Word With You, 125

political opponents atheist.,they sought in writing from him that god existed.
to
was rumoured that his were planning
It attack che meeting. I met Ki Ram Nagaraj, a lecturer at an
students wrote that god existed and that they
Scared, some
National College,, and asupporter of
progressive had seen him.

atthis meeting. We assembled a procession to movements.

express To prove that
god did exist, the believers marched in a
our support for Basavalingappa. After our prOcession, procession, dressed up like gods, with the religious marks
Our opponents were to march in theirs. Twenty thousand smeared on their foreheads. They violated prohibitory
of Mysore Bank. Before long, these modern-
were lined up on that side. Our procession had about three orders in front
sitting in a lock-up.
thousand. It looked as though a clash was inevitable. "Let day gods were were Tamils. They
Most of Basavalingappa's supporters
them dash, let's see what happens, Basavalingappa said support him, holding placards with
came out en mnasse to
That idea did not appeal to me. Iquickly ended the public Kannada writing, A board said
Victory to casteists" and
should leave for their
meeting and told the students they another said, "Down with caste
opponents." Iobjected to
hostels. Ashwathnarayan, a student leader, rescued me fror Kannadiga, had written those placards
this. Basavaraj, a
those waitíng to assault me. The early end to our meetine activist then, and was
murdered later.
for them. He was an
displeased Basavalingappa, and he took me to task. Itold Basavaraj argued in favour of the
The Tamil fraternity and
him, with humility, that we wanted to express support for victory to those of our caste
placards. They said it meant supporting
him and not to take part in a riot. opposed it. "Wouldnt
and defeat for those who shouldn't we be agitaring
Basavalingappa's thinking was insightful. His aim was to casteism and
any caste amount changed
to shock astagnant society. He frequently made statements caste?" I asked. They finally
for the destruction of
that jolted and astounded people. At times, he would say the placards.
scandalous things in a soft, natural voice. He had to resign
from his ministerial position because of pressure from the
traditionalists, his rivals and the protestors. Hisresignation, often went to the
and his refusalto withdraw his opinions, made him popular many friends in my college days. I
Imade Sampangirama Nagar. He said
among the dalit classes. house of B.C. Wesley in after me, and in
Basavalingappa was ambitious. He aspired to become DevarajUrs had enquired
Chief Minister requirement.
the president of India. He wanted to play the role of college to waive my attendance
Rama, structed the my not hav
but society pressed him to play Hanuman. He him, I got to sit for the exams despite
did not like Thanks to affection
Hanuman's role. Being a rebel, he chose the role of Ravana. college regularly. Wesleyspoke to me
ingattended omelettes every time I
went to his house.
Basavalingappa handed in his resignation, but some ately and fed me They wanted meto
students continued with their mischief. Thev attacked me.
started group ofhooligans Secretary. Fearingtor my
Smearing religious marks like the naama and vibhutiforcibly
Once,
post of Fine Arts
on the resign from the
toreheads of passersby. If they suspected that
someone was
 You, World
A WOrd With
Siddalingaiah 127
126

resignation letter. B.R.

lite, I wrote a
head of our Kannada department,
Ramachandre GoGwda, appeared as Holageri
Siddalingaiah. When l was insecure
threats to my life, he filled me with
who was the He came to my anxious, owing to
afterwards. told me not and
said UR. Ananthamurthy had asked him to get
hostel room shortly to miss the courage. He
that he would protect me, and translate an Ambedkar speech. I translated
Ambedkar's
exams, assured me left. He me to
political orthodoxy into Kannada. It was
kepthis word. speech against
when I was walking alone towards publishedin Shudra.
One day,
I met Subhash
Bharani. I knew him well. He Srirampura,
had appeared Aclose friend of mine in our hostel,
me to his village. I needed to
Gangadharaiah,
rest for a while.
He offered me money for my once took
for the IPS exams. expenses, was his village; I stayed in
I declined, embarrassed. He forced a twenty-rupee not Tumkur district,
Bisalehalli, in
into my pocket. On another occasion, some rowdies were for a few days. We visited their coconut grove in a
his village he
the village headman, where
planningto raid the hostel andlbeat mne up, sO my classmate bullock cart. At the home of
headman's1family made us sit outside and gave
Karigowda, a non--dalit, took me away to his hostel to protect took me, the Gangadharaiah poured the
they went,
me. My food and studies continued there. D.R. Js coffee. As soon as
had already told me that K. Marulasiddappa, a university
Nagaraj coffee out on to the ground.
Ihad already drunk half
left.
the
Ipoured out what was
faculty, was a supporter of the progreSSiVe movement. cup, but watching him, near his village, and
Gungurumale,
Marulasiddappa was the judge at a major debate. He cheered We caught a bus at
was late in the evening by the
nf me up with his words of encouragement. went to Sravanabelagola. It Sravanabelagola,
time we toured
time we set out. By the
Folk singer Banandur Kempaiah had told me a lot about heavier. So without waiting for
Devanur Mahadeva, the modernist writer. What he said night fell and the rain got Bisalehalli village.
walking back towards
a bus we started
about Devanur was intriguing. Apparently, he was always road, we walked on, guessing
smoking a beedi. He spent his time lying on a cot, writing When we came to a fork in the walking
managed to reach Bisalehalli,
poem after poem, and then tore them all up and flung them the direction. We out our way
and figuring
away. Iwas very curious, and I wanted to see him. When through the rain and the dark,
Ifinally did see him in Mysore, he was different from the whenever lightning lit up the expanse. of
also visited the villages
way Kempaiah had described him, He was the very With Gangadharaiah, I stories about local
picture listened to amusing
of affection. I stayed in his room for his relatives, and sheep. The
visit, Iwent to Chamundi Hostel and
two days. During my
bandits. Once, they said, a thief came to steal a
turned
gave a chasing after him.The thief
students. Within an hour of my visit, some speech to tne head of the village went
was
miscreants set him. The head of the village
fire to the hostel. When I set out back and hurleda stone at make
from Mysore to Bangalore, The villagers would
Devanur gave me his book, hit, and his eyeball swelled up. running, and their leader
Shudra Srinivas used to Dyavanuru.
visit our hostel. He published an entertaining story
of the thief
my poems in chasing him and getting hurt.
Shudra, the magazine he
edited. My
name
 plezsure, be said, he
I ANDedthe Kannada M.A. programme. I studied claimed| he wrote for his own
Ifa readhis poems on his own and
poet feel happy. "Why
mt under Dr G.S. Shivarudrappa.In the first year, Ihad
should | printedinstead he asked.
Aweek's worth
hostel fees, so could not take my exams. D
them
getr Ramakrishna's speech were my gains from the
not pad my doeshe
out
Marulasiddappa, who found about this,. paid food |
and
fee
K me, and made it possible for me to write my exam,.
for
my of
camp. Communist Party of India
supportedthe Emer-
knowthat I was leanedI towards the Communist Party
Veeranna, who came to about t The
loyalties
Dr C. hundred rupees gency,so my labourers
my studies,
gave me every month (Marxist). One day I saw agricultural
ge up P. Lankesh speak at the India from Mysore Bank towards
time. I went to see Bandi of
marching in a
procession
peasants, barefoot, wearingfaded
tor some
of speaking fascinated me. His
Seshamma Hostel His way CubbonPark They
were
"Indira Gandhi socialism,
students from the rural
areas and the
lower were shouting,
words inspired clothes. They marchers and their slogan
Gandhicar factory." The
castes. Sanjay
ger
involved with the Marzist party.
to
inspired me
and his ideassinfluenced me greatly.Jagannath
M.K. Bhat Shankar
became a close friend
Sanghaalso party office,
attended a camp of ofthe Raitha used to be inthe Marxist
During he summer holidays, I Gowda, who earned.
meals withthe money he
Communist Party of India at Krishna Bhavan in linge
fhish saaru who
the
worshippers ofRussia. would buy me
Igot acquaintedwithPrasanna,
Malleswaram The speakers were all Aroundthesame
time,
theatregroup. Mohan
Kumar
questions about the Soviet Samudaya
If we delegates asked critical
influenced by the was the headofthe the party, as well
He and I
closer to
Union, they exploded in anger. But Iwas Kondaji brought me
A.K. Gopalan's English speech, in
sarcasm,
cdasses of Dr G. Ramakrishna who, with biting ranslated into Kannada Emergency. The police arrested
untouchability
explained how difficult it was to practise Parliament, opposing the when he tried to pint
the
go from printing press
in a modern setting If an orthodox man wants to VJ.K. Nair at the andahalf,
He went tojail for ayear
Srirampura to Basavangudi, Ramakrishna would begin, he translationas a booklet.
names. Samudaya
organ
the police our
has to board a bus. If he wants to preserve his purity, he has but he never told Whereverthey went, I
made
cultural rally.
no option but to walk. So he boards the bus. In the bus, he ized a statewide the play. People
threw
is pushed and shoved around by people of various castes, five-minute speech before
a little their appreciation. To my as
actors to show
and his purity is ruined anyway. Even if he goes home and money to the people threw rupee notes in
places,
washes his sacred thread with soap, he is not completely tonishment, at several
purified, because the soap factory reserves eighteen percent appreciation ofmy speeches.
of its jobs for people from the lower castes. On the day of
an eclipse, the traditionalist cannot bathe at all, unless the
Water Board's employees release water.
G. Ramakrishna said literature was meant for
the people.
 Word Wth Vou, World
A

Some of my friends and I had started night Shaingaiah 131

Rangalore 's slum children. An army of teachers

to cducate their charges. The parents did
not
schoonready
got foN exams. Cirl students carne, too. It turned out, the crowd was
They appr
belioevedve
angry thhat one of the
school, because we supported atheism. of thi teachers paid too much attention to
the girls, and|touched their hands.There was some truth in
children would go astray if they came to our
shut their doors as soon as iit was
evening, to
children fromthe school. The children
claskeepes. Theyther the complaint. We begged the people to go home, and later
transferredthe teacher to another night school.

themselves, their
other hand, liked our classes, because we never
beat
on the
We took a progressive approach in our lessons-O.
Rajanna and O. Srinidhi took great pains to make this
They would call. out from the windows,
be in your classes." Soon afterwards, "Please, them.
we want to teaching arrangement a success--but the teachers some-
times went overboard with the ideology. One teacher went
things improved
our classes went offsmoothly in several
slumsin B and uptothe chalkboard and wrote the word akka, which means
I once went to the extensions near Bangalore. sister. He described the big ka in the word as an exploiter

swaying and writing the alphabet. I assumed it

Seshadripuram
see how the classes were going. Four or five children .. to andthe little ka as the exploited. His intent was to descritbe
the manner in which exploitation took place in society.
disease. But the truth was that they hadcome to classwas Some One day my friend and I were walking towards Pralkash
drunk nagar late in the evening. My friend, who had just arrived
Their parents, with no means to feed them.
had
the liquor they brewed, and sent them for their given them
from a different village, was kind-hearted. We saw a boy
lessons. The standing on the street, crying, I walked on. But my friend
children were drunk, but their desire to learn was not dead
stOpped and asked him, "Who are you? Why are you crying
When we went to Vinoba Nagar in When my friend didn't catch up with me, I looked back.
Bangalore to start
lessons, a drunken rowdy tried to kick upa racket and drive Several people, including the boy who had been crying,
us away. were beating him up. Iran back. The moment they saw
run,
"Don't step in here ever again, or else.." he threatened me, the boys ran away, saying, "Master has come,
Us.
run." My friend managed to escape. The boy had only been
"We have noproblem stopping these classes," Ilied, "But pretending to cry. When my trusting friend had walked up
boy had
the
government would lose money." Hearing this, he fell to him, the boy's gang had closed in on him. The
money"
silent. The classes flourished. pointed to my friend and said, "He has stolen all my
to rob him
Iwas teaching at the R. It had all been planned. They had got together
Gopalaswamy Colony whenl
was suddenly called to the school of whatever little money he had had. My timely
appearance
in Swatantra Palya, where my students
a fipht had broken out. I had saved my friend's money. The rogues were
rushed there. It was past nine n in that area.
the evening, yet
hundreds of people were standing around. place at Kolar's Nachiketa
They were planning An important event took
to beat up a teacher. At that centre, students had asked me to make aspeech.
Nilaya hostel. The
we taught students who
had failed their school
secondary
 Siddalingaiah 133
World
A Word Wth You,
L32

whether they could show me

was N. Rachaiah, a minister. standing around
The chief guest He some
boys
those who had painted those
lines. They led
my speech,, Ispoke of spoke houses off
frankly andhonestly. In
ideas andimpressed Rachaiah. He
embarrassed
revolutionBmerary
the audience. I denounced the
had to wipe out the
the
meto
the houses of DSS

came to the
meetingon
activists. Thanks to their help, I
time
Bangalore Rural district had been
assaulted,
gency. This
evolutionaryfeelingssI had created in the audience. Adalit in and we visited the village. He
had a
He started off by praising me. "T like Siddalingaiah be. this time,
and had tied a bandage around his
around
head injury, an
every day," he said. The serious so that we could
Cause he reads the papers
classes need today is audience head. We
told him to get a photo taken
tbefore taking the picture,
clapped "What the dalit education, presspublicity.Just
not revolution," he continued. "From vidye (education), you hand it out.for "Smile!" The man smiled. The
get hudde (position), from hudde, mudde (food) and from photographerhad said, he looked
the
very little sympathy for him, because
mudde, nidde (sleep). The philosophy of vidye, hudde nublichad
thepicture.
mudde and nidde appealed immensely to the audience. sohappyin home one day when Isaw
my mother
Iwas returning
During this period we founded the Dalit Sangharsha halfwaythere. Shesaid arowdy was
waiting
Samítí (pss) I went on the road all over Karnataka, read waiting for me panic. I
me, and askedI meto turn back. I did not
my poetry, and spoke in public. Many times, I arrived at a at home for in our area and went
home
six boys I knew
place in the middle of the night and slept on the street gathered five or university
Iintroduced myself to the rowdy. A
till it was morning When Igot off the bus at Aldur near with themn. A dalit
him to teach me a lesson.
Chikmagalur, it was midnight. I had to walk a long way professor had sent name, that
had written to the government, in my
to get to the DSS camp. Five or six beggars were sleeping professor had sent
professor
on the street. I thought I would be safer in a group, professor was anti-dalit. The angry
the rowdy that
so I went and slept by their side. "A thief is sleeping to enquire after me. When I told the
the rowdy believed me and went away.
by our side. Be carefiul," one of them said. The group to do with it, he
Ihadnothing parents
ten and found my
believed his words and started discussing me. I became Another night, Ireturned at come,
aware of their suspicions, and introduced myself. They told me a dozen kabaddi players had
in distress. players
They wouldn't admit to being beggars. They claimed to beat me up. The
wearing banians and shorts, saying
they were rich landlords who had not finding me, left without
to undertaken a pilgrimage had asked for me, and
the boys from their
Dharmasthala. They said they pretending to be identified one of
beggars only to test people's charity. were why they had come. I
They bid me afriendly somewhat apprehensively, walked to his
farewell in the morning description, and, my
woke him up and asked why he had visited
Iwas to attend a Dss house. I
public meeting in Hassan. see me. He said the boys had
my efiorts, I just house. He was bewildered to
place. I saw lines couldn't fnd the address of the Despite idea to ask me to present
the
of my poetry meeting thought it would be a good
painted on a wall. I asked
 You, World
14 AWord With Siddalingaiah 135

a kabaddi really concerned about the dalits,

shield tothe winners of tournament. I went you are
swamiji, "If
reassured, and went to sleep. home an
untouchable the head of your religious order"
conducted a make clear answer, but explained the
An organization in Udupi seminar to swamiji did not give a
they had invited Kalegowda Nagawara to speak which The
Concern he had for
reform. The organization took care of
written to them, suggesting my Udupi.
caste system. He had well until left
I
instead, and Ireceived an invitation. Kalegowda name me

and D.R. Nagaraj came to see me off at the bus stond Nagawara
teacher, Dr M. Chidananda Murthy, was also going Haadu
to the my first work, Holemaadigara Ki
same seminar During this period, Madigas), was published.
and
When we got off at Udupi the next morning, the (Song of the Holeyas
org Kalegowda Nagawara and D.R. Nagaraj got
anizers were waiting for us. They eagerly welcomed Ram Nagaraj,
publishedthis book of poems. It was printed
Chidananda Murthy and escorted him to an auto. They together and would
Printers in Malleswaram. Ki Ram Nagaraj
Coorg
did not recognize me, so I got in myself and sat beside at
Basavangudi to Malleswaramn on abired bicycle,
come from Haadu
Chidananda Murthy. The auto didnt move for a long time
check the proofs every day. Holemaadigara
and in
Even when Chidananda Murthy urged them to hurry, the released at the Progressive Writers' Conference
was
ofice-bearers were not ready to go. When he asked them wife Anupama Niranjana,
Davangere. Niranjana and his and were delighted.
snh'a
ColleCe
of the reason for the delay, they said they were waiting for
and Basavaraj
Kattimani read the book
Siddalingaiah. He then introduced me to them. They had Kattimani. He hugged me and
Someone introduced me to a
mistaken me for aboy accompanying Chidananda Murthy. My friends' initiative helped the book sell
cried loudly. released
They apologized, and the auto started moving. copies in just a week. Asecond edition was
thousand ten editions to
We were sitting on the dais. The Pejavara swamiji was to again. The book has seen
and was sold out
make a benediction. As soon as he arrived, the entire hall, thousand copies have been sold.
date. About twenty Narasimhachar
as well as the people on the dais, stood up to
show respect. class M.A. and won the D.L.
Igot a first stone bench
Iwas the only one sitting. I regret it now,
but I did what I while I was sitting on a
Gold Medal. One day,
thought was right at the time. I had caught the Kalegowda Nagawara and D.R. Nagaraj
of the audience and the attention at Central College, said G.S. Shivarudrappa had
swamiji by me. They
ensured that no one could take me, continuing
a very
to sit. I nau came looking for
I meet him immediately. I went to his house
that
boy, lightly. The swamiji had visited younglo0king
dalit colonies, speaking
sent word
He said a research assistant's post was
vacant
of reform. the next day. an
Given how and asked me to handin
were, his visits to dalit reactionary most of his followers in the Kannada department,
there.
colonies was indeed significant. Yet the application right
, beinga iery application. Hemade me write vice-chancellor, got an
revolutionary, publicly asked the Pejavara He met Dr H.
Narasimhaiah, the
 World
WithYou,
Word
136 A
issuedfor me, and gave me
appointmentletter the Kannada Study
the job. He
showedme my office at
chair andtable And so Centre,
began the
and
provided me with a
onTholonol bada next
phase of my life.ssie
6olioel