Soulful Songs for Soul – Bhaavageete – II

1. Enee Mahaanandave :- There may hardly be a Kannadiga not aware of Shri DVG (D V Gundappa) or his magnanimous work – “Mankutimmana Kagga” that has been aptly regarded as the summary of all epics and vedas. His another brilliant work is “Antahpura geetegaLu” that has verses composed praising the beauty of the sculptures in Belur and Halebid – the “shilaabaalikeyaru”. This particular song is picked from that collection, and has been sung by Smt. Ratnamala Prakash. The poet thrills at the various dance postures exhibited by them, and wonders as to what led to the merriment with such aplomb, clearly oblivious of others! These beautiful damsels engage in their art to please the Lord Chennakeshava, who is hinting at them from the corner of his eyes!
2. O nanna chetana :- Kuvempu’s vishwa maanava sandesha has been wonderfully embedded in this beautiful composition that wishes for the soul to rise and spread! To go beyond the limitations of the mundane existence and reach its full potential and cover the entire space! I feel a certain inspiration emanating from the song, that asks of the mankind, not just the soul, to reach out to its full potential! A very inspiring composition indeed!
3. ellAdaru iru eMtaadaru iru :- Always remain a true Kannadiga! The supreme message, the call that Sri Kuvempu gave out to the multitudinous population of Kannadigas the world over, that lit in their hearts a flame of love and devotion towards their mother tongue! For a true kannadiga every part of his environment, his surrounding reminds him of his motherland, and symbolizes his mothertongue. Yet another awe-inspiring composition by the master! His many other songs that are my all time favorites include “doora balu doora“, “chandramanchake baa chakori“, “tEna vinaa“, “nUru dEvaranella“, “brundaavanake haalanu maaralu“, “teredide mane O bA atithi“, and many others.
4. yaava mOhana muraLi kareyitu :- Composed by Sri Gopala Krishna Adiga, to summarize or explain the essence of this song is something that I have never felt capable of. The deep rooted philosophical significance of man’s desires, their influence on his life, is all strikingly expressed in just one line of the entire poem – iruvudellava biTTu iradudareDege tuDivude jeevana (To ignore what we have, and yearn for what we don’t – that is life).
5. Ondu munjaavinali :- Shri Cennaveera kanavi is yet another poet who revived the dharwad style of kannada, in kannada literature after Sri da.ra.bendre. This song describes the beauty of a rainy morning! The earth looks like a newly wed bride, as the sun rises in the east, smiling softly behind the white clouds! It is as I always say, a verbal painting. My other favorites from his compositions include “Elenna manadanne“.
6. Ello hudukide illada devara :- G S Shivarudrappa, a contemporary poet has been lauded as “samanvaya kavi” – for he blended different styles of modern kannada literature – navodaya, navya, and bandaaya. His poems are lyrical, and talk of nature, human emotions, the exploitation of the underprevileged, etc. In this particular composition, Dr. GSS, writes of how man vainly searches for the supreme spirit in temples and other places of worship, without realizing that he dwells inside us, as love, compassion and understanding. He regrets the importance man gives to his ego, than to love and caring. The other compositions that are amongst my favorites are – “haadu haleyadaadarenu bhaava nava naveena“, “ede tumbi haadidenu andu naanu“, “udugana veshtitha“, etc.
   Well, this in brief is about some of my favorite poetic compositions. I must’ve most certainly left out a lot of songs, but will keep writing often about them, time and again. So thatz it for now!

P.S: Several readers have appreciated and posted comments on this section and its really heartening to see the interest in the light music and compositions. However, I strongly suggest the readers to buy the CDs (they are priced really slow and cost less than a cup of coffee at CCD!).  This way you’ll be promoting the language and music.  And I do not send out songs to anybody’s email IDs. So please make an effort to buy and not share over emails! 🙂