Dattātreya Rāmachandra Bēndre (31 January 1896 – 26 October 1981), popularly known as Da Rā Bēndre, is generally considered the greatest
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
lyric poet of the 20th century
and one of the greatest poets in the history of
Kannada literature.
A pioneering poet of Kannada's ''Navōdaya'' movement and a leading figure in the linguistic renaissance of Kannada in the region of
North Karnataka
North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...
(then part of the
Bombay Presidency), Bendre forged a new path in
Kannada literature and modern
Kannada poetry
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is the language spoken in Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ, ಕರುನಾಡು). Karnataka has eight Jnanapeeth (ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪೀಠ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ) award winners, the highest honor bestowed for Indi ...
through his original use of
''desi'' Kannada, particularly
Dharwad
Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...
Kannada – the form of Kannada spoken in the North
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
region of Dharwad. The richness, originality, and euphony of his poetry, his preternatural feel for the Kannada language, and his charismatic personality would result in him being hailed as a ''Varakavi'' (lit. 'boon-gifted poet-seer') by the
Kannada people
The Kannada people or Kannadigaru IAST">nowiki/>IAST:_Kannadadavaru_or_Kannadigas_(English_term).html" ;"title="IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowik ...
. In a poetic journey that spanned almost 70 years (~ 1914 – 1981), Bendre engaged continuously in what he called ''Kāvyōdyōga'' or 'The High
Yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...
of Poetry'.
A multidisciplinary genius, he has exercised in over 102 disciplines, including Quantum Physics, Mathematic and Human Physiology. A proficient mind, capable of deep conversations with scientists and doctors alike. An instance in his life, where a famous doctor Sudarshan told him about an ailment and Bendre provided a fluent description of the ailment, inspiring the doctor to type it on a paper. After 38 papers, Doctor exclaimed it was the description like none other. In another instance, Bendre was said to have the books which were released just a few weeks back in another part of the world.
From very early on, Bendre published his poetry as ''Ambikātanayadatta'' (). Often mistaken for a pseudonym or pen name (in the western sense), Bendre described Ambikatanayadatta as the "universal inner voice" within him that dictated what he, Bendre, then presented in Kannada to the world.
In 1973, Bendre was awarded the
Jnanapitha, India's highest literary award, for his 1964 poetry collection, ''Naaku Tanti'' (ನಾಕು ತಂತಿ) (). Recognized as Karnataka's ''Kavikula Tilaka'' ("Crown-jewel among Kannada Poets") by
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
's Adamuru Matha, he would also be called a ''Kāvya Gāruḍiga'' (~ poet-sorcerer)
for his ability to create magical poetry. He was awarded the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1968
and made a fellow of the
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
in 1969.
Biography
Early years
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre was born into a
Chitpavan Brahmin
The Chitpavan Brahmin or Konkanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the communi ...
Marathi family in
Dharwad
Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...
, Karnataka.
He was the eldest son of Ramachandrabhatta and Parvatibai (nee Ambavva). The Bendres, also known as Thosars for some time, originally belonged to Kumbaru, a village in the Colaba district of Maharashtra, but a series of migrations which took them to Kalasi, Nasik and Tasgaon would see them finally settle down, along with the Lagus, their patrons, in
Shirahatti, a town that was formerly part of the princely state of
Sangli
Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks ...
but is now in the Dharwad district of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.
Bendre's paternal grandfather, Appashastri (called Appabhatta) (1840–1914), was a ''Dashagranthi'' ("Master of ten volumes of sacred lore") who composed several
kirtans in
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
.
He was also was a
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
scholar who wrote a treatise on the Arya
metre
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...
, titled ''Chhandodaharana''. Bendre's father, Ramachandra Bendre (?–1907), was a Sanskrit scholar who died of
scrofula when Bendre was only 12 years old. His mother, Ambika (?–1924), was Ramachandra Bendre's second wife and the youngest child of his grandmother, Godubai.
Bendre's maternal grandmother, Godubai, was related to the Dixit family of
Naragund on her father's side and the Natu family of
Mulagund on her husband's side. Extraordinarily strong-willed, she confronted being cast out by her in-laws following her husband's death (in 1887–88) by moving, on her own, to Dharwad with her newborn child (Bendre's mother, Ambavva) and her two older daughters. Over there, she set up a ''khanavali'' (eatery) and, given Ramachandra Bendre's ill-health, became the sole breadwinner of her daughter's family. Consequently, Bendre would grow up under the aegis of his mother and grandmother.
In his autobiographical essay titled 'The High Yoga of Poetry', Bendre says that "deprived by fate of my father's and his family's closeness, it was by direct observance of my mother's and grandmother's conduct that I realised my manhood." In a poem he wrote in his seventies, Bendre would pay tribute to Godubai's courage by remembering her as someone who has "fed him
ntiger's milk". The oldest of four boys, Bendre completed his primary and high school education in Dharwad. Matriculating in 1913, he joined
Fergusson College
Fergusson College is an autonomous public-private college offering various courses in the streams of arts and science in the city of Pune, India. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society. Professor Vaman Shivram Apte was its fir ...
,
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, and graduated in 1918 with a BA in Sanskrit and English. While in Pune, he lived with Bandopant Bendre, his father's younger brother. With no children of his own, Bandopant would, until the end of his life, act as a great support to his older brother's wife and children. Upon finishing his BA, Bendre returned immediately to
Dharwad
Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...
, where he became a teacher at the ''Victoria High School'', thereby transforming into "''Bendre Maastara''" (ಬೇಂದ್ರೆ ಮಾಸ್ತರ), a title he held for the rest of his life.
College years
Bendre left for pune in 1913 to attend Fergusson College. Joining him was Shridhar Khanolkar, a classmate from his very first day of primary school. A poet himself, Khanolkar too would return to Dharwad after his BA and work alongside Bendre at ''Victoria High School''. Bendre would "with affection" dedicate his 1938 poetry collection ''ಉಯ್ಯಾಲೆ (Uyyaale)'' to Khanolkar's friendship and encouragement and their warm relationship would last until Khanolkar's death in 1965.
[Amur 1994]
During his years in Pune, Bendre came in contact with Professor B. V. Patwardhan. Patwardhan had taught at the Basel Mission High School in Dharwad and was an influential person in Pune's literary circles. Through Patwardhan's cousin, K. R. Paranjape, Bendre would come to know
Ram Ganesh Gadkari
Ram Ganesh Gadkari (26 May 1885 – 23 January 1919) was a Marathi poet, playwright, and humorist from Bombay Presidency, India.
Ram Ganesh Gadkari was one of the writers the in new age transformation in Marathi literature. He wrote poetry und ...
(Govindagraja), a pioneering poet of modern
Marathi literature. While in college, Bendre would also become very involved in the 'Sharada Mandal', a group built by Prabhakar Hari Khadlikar and his friends. The Mandal was dedicated to the promotion of national identity and the mother tongue. This 'Sharada Mandal' would serve as a model for (and sow the seed of) the famous "ಗೆಳೆಯರ ಗುಂಪು (Geleyara Gumpu)", the "literary circle" that Bendre would put together in the years following his return to Dharwad.
Young Poet
Bendre's first published poem was "Tutoori" (Trumpet). This poem was probably inspired by the Marathi poet's
Keshavasuta
Krishnaji Keshav Damle ( mr, कृष्णाजी केशव दामले) (October 7, 1866 - November 7, 1905) was a Marathi poet from Malgund , Ratnagiri Maharashtra, India, who wrote poetry under the pen name Keshavasuta or Keshavsut ...
's "Tutaari" – but there are important differences between the two. Bendre's poem is a lot shorter and lacks the revolutionary ardour of Keshavasuta's poem. It is possible that Bendre felt a kinship with Keshavasuta based on their common admiration for Keats. Govindagraja too might have exercised an influence on Bendre: the similarity in theme between 'Raatrige (To the Night) and 'Manatali Divasa Ratra' makes this a plausible supposition. However, in the total context of Bendre's poetry, the influence of modern Marathi poetry is limited. Bendre himself was of the opinion that the influence of Marathi poetry on modern Kannada poetry was negligible. Indeed, Bendre had his own views about "influence". In his opinion, "it is not imitation of theme or style that elevates a poet or his poetry.
emust constantly meditate on the lives of great souls". Drawn deeply to Sri Aurobindo's idea of 'Fourfold Beauty', Bendre would come to see the world and the universe in terms of the number four. (His naming his poetry collection ''Four Strings'' is evidence of this.) This "idea of four" included what Bendre called his "guruchatururmukha" or "the four faces of the guru". For Bendre, these four gurus were the Irish mystic and poet,
A.E., the Lebanese poet-philosopher,
Khalil Gibran
Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...
, "Gurudeva"
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
, and the Indian revolutionary and seer,
Sri Aurobindo. According to Bendre, A.E. showed him a new way of experiencing nature while Gibran deepened his awareness of the metaphorical depth of the
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
a concept. Tagore, who was an earlier and much wider influence than either A.E. or Gibran, helped Bendre develop a strong sense of community besides "teaching
imto love
ismother" through the exquisite poems of 'The Crescent Moon' collection. In an early poem of praise titled "Gurudeva", Bendre calls Tagore 'the world's eye'. But Sri Aurobindo's was the greatest and longest-lasting influence. In his early years, his introduction to Sri Aurobindo was through the articles in "Arya" regarding "The Future Poetry". These articles would inspire Bendre to work towards the creation of a
mantra
A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...
-like poetry himself. In later years, his visit to the
Pondicherry Ashram for a
''darshana'' of Sri Aurobindo and
The Mother would make a profound impression and influence the trajectory of his post-1956 poetry.
Public Recognition, Publication, and Elevation to "Varakavi" Status
Unlike poets like
Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resha ...
and
Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
and certainly unlike
Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...
,
Shelley, and
Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...
, Bendre's recognition as a poet came rather late, when he was in his early 30s. Though he began writing poetry in his late teens, published his first poem when he was twenty, and his first book (titled ''Krishṇakumaari'', a mid-length narrative poem) came out in 1922, it was only after the public reading of his poem "Hakki Haarutide Nodidiraa" at the
Belagavi Sahitya Sammelana in 1929 that he became famous, almost overnight. Like
Masti Venkatesh Iyengar would say later, "...it is impossible now to describe the ecstasy
he poem'slisteners felt that day.
hile
Hile ( ne, हिले) is a hill town located in the Eastern Part of Nepal, 13 km north of the regional center of Dhankuta Bazar. At an elevation of 1948 meters, it is the main route to other hilly districts like Bhojpur and Sankhuwasab ...
that one reading was hardly sufficient to understand the various meanings the poem suggested, it was enough to astonish the thousand-strong audience. It was clear to everyone of standing in the “poetry world" that here was a new poet whose poetic ''shakti'' (~power) was his very own."
This performance would be followed by the release of Bendre's poetry collection ''Gari'' in 1932. Like
Shankar Mokashi Punekar
Shankar Mokashi Punekar (ಶಂಕರ ಮೊಕಾಶಿ ಪುಣೇಕರ್, 8 May 1928 – 11 August 2004) was a well known writer in the Kannada Language
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian ...
says in his wonderful essay about Bendre's poetry, to read the poems in the ''Gari'' collection is to see "how much further along Bendre has cartwheeled in the ten years since
he publication of''Krishṇakumaari''".
This profound change in Bendre's poetry was not lost on critics. Despite their unfamiliarity with the Dharwad dialect that Bendre had used in ''Gari'' (and which he would soon come to master completely), critics like
V. Seetharamaiah and
Ti. Nam. Sri praised the collection, with Ti. Nam. Sri even going so far as to say that some poems in it were "deserving of a place in world literature". The publication of ''Gari'' would cause the floodgates to open, as it were, and the river of lyric poetry that rushed forth – in the form of the collections ''Moorthi mattu Kaamakastoori'' (1934), ''Sakheegeeta'' (1937), ''Uyyaale'' (1938), and ''Naadaleele'' (1938) – would overwhelm the Kannada literary world with its newness, innovation, and originality. At the same time, it would appeal to the common people through its inherent ''naada'' (~ euphony) and musicality. Writing the foreword to ''Naadaleele'', Masti, whose keen critical sense had taken note of Bendre's work as early as 1926 and been stirred to actively support it after the Belagavi performance of 1929, would note that Bendre's poetry "
snot simply promising but
asachieved fulfillment".
In an essay written examining Bendre's "poetics",
Shankar Mokashi offers an excellent presentation of the idea of a ''varakavi''. He says, "...
is is an important description of an important experience! The simultaneous blossoming of
henecessary words and rhyme with the blossoming of an idea
n the poet's mindis the experience of very very few poets. ... But that this is part of creation in poetry is evidenced by the poetry of
Valmiki
Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
,
Shelley and supported by the theory of "expressionism" put forth by the Italian philosopher,
Croce. We can also look to understand this
nner experiencethrough a number of Bendre's poems and the experience of other poets. Basically, what we are saying is that no sooner does a
feeling and a
word
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...
enter the poet's mind than a rhyme, a rhythm, and a euphony descend simultaneously. ... This is a very piquant matter. This experience is at the root of the distinction made between the ''narakavi'' and the ''varakavi'' (the earthbound-poet and the heaven-touched poet) in our
ancient poetics. In a ''varakavi'',
feeling-
euphony
Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...
-
word
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...
descend in effortless simultaneity and take on form singly-doubly-triply."
The Evolution of Bendre's Poetry
According to
G.S Amur,
the evolution of Bendre's poetry can be seen as having happened over three phases. Amur calls the first phase the "early experimental phase" and avers that it spanned from about 1917 to 1923. The second phase is what he calls "the first flowering", which began in 1923 and continued until 1956. The third phase, per Amur, began in 1956 and lasted until Bendre's death in 1981. Amur calls this phase "the second flowering". Given Bendre's voracious interest in everything under the sun, it is not surprising that these phases present themselves as a mix of continuity and change.
The elements of growth and change in Bendre's poetry can be seen understood in terms of theme, form, and imagery. The early phase, despite being one of experimentation, nonetheless referenced several of Bendre's central poetic concerns and can be thought of as having laid the ground for the poetry that was to come. For instance, there is an "aspirational" quality to the poems of this phase: several poems are suffused with an idealism that desires a regional and national awakening as well as a poetic inspiration. The form and language of Bendre's earliest poems (including ''Krishṇakumaari'') are reasonably conventional. However, the poems of ''Gari'' show the first signs of Bendre's experiments with Dharwad's "earthy" vulgate as well as his preoccupation with ''naada'' or euphony. The themes that dominate the poetry of this first flowering are too varied to count and span the human experience. Nothing is excluded; all life is a ''leele'' (divine play) in which "nothing is fruitless". Or, as Mokashi Punekar says, Bendre "was a true ''bhaavageetakaara'' (lyric poem creator)" – in the sense that everything was 'material' for a ''bhaavageeta'' or a lyric poem. This phase involved endless experimentation and resulted in some of the finest
lyric poetry
Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...
produced in modern Kannada literature. The poetry of the final phase may be called "the visionary phase". In this phase, we see Bendre looking to explore the roots of language (or ''vak'') and its four degrees (or manifestations) as described in Indic
poetics – ''vaikari'', ''madhyama'', ''pashyanti'', and ''parā'' – and to create new poetic forms capable of articulating his vision. In a bid to achieve the quality of the
mantra
A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...
, Bendre experimented with a variety of metres including
Vedic metres.
Ambikatanayadatta
The phenomenon of ''Ambikatanayadatta''
is an especially interesting one, but one that has been seldom discussed in critical appraisals regarding Bendre and his poetry. In his autobiographical essay, Bendre says that " this name
mbikatanayadattais not some sobriquet meant to conceal the name 'Bendre'. In a poem with that name, you can find clues that illuminate
he phenomenon'spiquancy. Right by this poem's side is the poem 'ನಾನು (I)'.
" Like the last two lines of the poem "ನಾನು (I)" say: "“The Nārayaṇa of the lotus-heart has himself turned into the mortal ''Datta'' / as ''Ambikātanaya'' he mirrors in Kannada the universe's inner voice.”
Perhaps the only critic who has seriously attempted to understand the phenomenon of Ambikatanayadatta is Shankar Mokashi Punekar. In one of his essays following Bendre's death, he writes: "Has Bendre gone heavenwards? Yes. But it is impossible for 'Ambikatanayadatta' to ever leave this earth, this language, this town of Sadhanakeri. To paraphrase Bendre, his poems are living and breathing examples of recipients of the 'Ambikatanayadatta' touch. Occasionally, this touch used to happen in
endre'sdreams. In his poems,
endrehas put such lines
hat came to him in dreamswithin quotation marks. Once in a while, when a couple of stanzas came after much effort, the 'Ambikatanayadatta' that flashed
ithinwould come and, relieving Bendre of his burden, move forward with sure-footed swiftness." In the concluding part of the same essay, Punekar says that "Bendre's mother tongue was Marathi. However, his Marathi poems do not even "reach the knee-height" of his Kannada poems. But the Marathi people must not consider these words an 'insult'.
ecausewhile Bendre's mother tongue was Marathi, Ambikatanayadatta's mother tongue was Kannada. ''He'' was a Kannadiga.
his cannot be explained
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, i ...
Only those who get what I mean will get it."
Punekar's description fits well with Bendre's own estimation of Ambikatanayadatta and his conviction that it was "the universal inner voice" within him. For example, in his foreword to ''Gari'', his very first collection of poems, he says: "I have talked so far of my poems. This is simply a matter of habit. In truth these are not my poems; they are Kannada's poems. The Kannada-language's incorporeal voice is actualizing itself through a thousand throats. That my throat is one among this thousand is itself my blessing. That I am one among the group of poets singing in the dawn of Kannada's renaissance is itself my source of pride. For if it were not so, why should anybody care about my poems? To say ‘my poems’ or ‘his poems’ is fallacious; for Kannada to lay claim to these poems is the truth." Later, many years after he had earned the ''varakavi'' honorific and was secure in his position as the doyen of modern Kannada poetry, he would say in the foreword to ''Naaku Tanti'': "...to all those ''sahrudaya''s who have continued to welcome the poems of ‘Ambikatanayadatta,’ ‘Bendre’ conveys his gratitude: that his scribesmanship is not simply a waste, that his happy, wanton singing is not completely fruitless." In addition to these writings, stories of Bendre going up on stage and conveying "Bendre's salutations to the great poet Ambikatanayadatta" are also in circulation.
Marriage and Family life
Bendre married Lakshmibai (nee Rangoobai) (1906–1966) in 1919 in
Ranebennuru.
He was 23 at the time and Lakshmibai was 13. They would go on to have nine children and stay married for 47 years until Lakshmibai's death in 1966.
To Bendre, marriage was its own form of ''
sadhana''. With Bendre unemployed for long durations between 1924 and 1942, the burden of managing the family and finances fell on Lakshmibai who bore them stoically. The primary reason for this "''
jangama'' life", as Bendre called it, was his imprisonment (in 1932) by the
British government on charges of
sedition. The excuse given was that his poem "Narabali" (Human Sacrifice) was a poem that could possibly incite violence. Despite having to stay in jail for only three months (and having to spend another nine months under house arrest), the
British government's injunction that "nobody
asallowed to employ Bendre for up to eight years after his release" meant giving up the hope of any permanent job during that period.
All these misfortunes meant that Lakshmibai was taxed with keeping the family fed and clothed on the little money that Bendre was able to bring home. It is worth mentioning that
Masti was a great help to Bendre in these years, both as a friend and financially. He appointed Bendre the (unofficial) editor of his magazine, ''Jeevana'', and paid him a monthly sum to help him tide through those years. Bendre would always remain grateful for Masti's generosity and come to think of and refer to him as ''aṇṇa'' (big brother).
Although she had been educated only up to the fourth grade, Bendre involved Lakshmibai in his poetry and she was always the first one to listen to Bendre's poems.
In 1937, Bendre wrote his famous ''Sakheegeeta'', a descriptive account of his married life up to that point. In it, he refers to his wife Lakshmibai as his sakhee, a first in Kannada literature (and possibly
Indian literature). In the foreword to the poem, Bendre says that he has "let spread the happy-sad vine of the ordinary married life upon the trellis of
ispersonal experience." Written in a metre of his own invention, the poem is especially striking for its (rooted) universality and for its prolific use of non-Sanskritized Kannada.
The Bendres' married life was a difficult one. They were unfortunate enough to lose six of their nine children. One of them, Ramachandra, a budding poet himself, died of an infection at 20, on the cusp of manhood and just when he was beginning to be the dependable support his parents were looking for. The elegy Bendre composed for Rama (as he was known) is considered one of the greatest poems of its kind in Kannada.
Another poem, "ನೀ ಹೀಂಗ ನೋಡಬ್ಯಾಡ ನನ್ನ (Don't Look at Me This Way)", written as a lament at the loss of his daughter Lalitha, is one of 20th-century Kannada literature's most popular as well as critically acclaimed song-poems.
Lakshmibai's constitution was not strong and she suffered periodically from illnesses. According to her younger son (of the two who survived), Dr. Vamana Bendre, the loss of Ramachandra plunged her into a despondence she was never quite able to overcome. With Bendre's job never being well-paying, Lakshmibai stoically endured a life of hardship. Her memory, though, has been immortalized in a number of Bendre's 'love poems'. In an especially touching gesture, Bendre dedicated his dazzling Kannada translation of
Kalidasa's
Meghadoota to Lakshmibai, calling her his "Lakshmi of good fortune" and asking that she "accept this garland made of pearls picked from Kalidasa's sea" and "become a partner in his prosperity".
In some ways, despite the
western cultural mores
Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...
that underpin the statement, it would not be wrong to say that Bendre, through his art, brought to life
Eliot's assertion that ''the more perfect the artist, the more completely separate in him will be the man who suffers and the mind which creates; the more perfectly will the mind digest and transmute the passions which are its material". There is no doubt that while Bendre the man suffered, the creative mind (Ambikatanayadatta?) digested and transmuted Bendre's suffering into some of the finest lyric poetry in modern Kannada. Or to say it using Bendre's own words, "''rasika'', let my troubles stay my own / I will give you just their song! / And if that melts your sugar-heart / send drops of sweetness back along!"
Lakshmibai finally passed away on 17 August 1966, after another illness. Deeply saddened by Lakshmibai's death (at a time when things were finally beginning to look up financially), Bendre found solace in the company of Swami Nityananda of Vajreshvari. He would, some years later, address his departed ''sakhee'' in his ''Matte Shravana Bantu'' collection (1973), where he returned to the metre of ''Sakheegeeta'' to narrate the story of his boyhood and youth up until he married his ''sakhee''.
Dr. Vamana Bendre (1935–2017), Panduranga Bendre (1929–2004), and Mangala (b. 1939) were the only children of Bendre's who lived to be adults. Upon Bendre's death in 1981, Dr. Vamana Bendre took over as his 'literary executor' and edited the 18-volume ''Audumbaragaathe'', a compilation of all of Bendre's poetry and prose writings. With his siblings Panduranga Bendre and Mangala and his colleague K.S. Sharma, Dr. Vamana Bendre was also responsible for the creation of the ''Ambikatanayadatta Vedike'', a platform to promote Bendre's work. With the help of a grant from the
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
government, a portion of Bendre's 'Shrimaata' home was used to build the 'Bendre Bhavana' as a memorial to the Ambikatanayadatta, the poet.
Bendre and Dharwad
According to Bendre himself, his relationship with Dharwad was an umbilical one. His affection for Dharwad and its people and the inspiration he drew from it has been compared to the inspiration
Lake District provided
Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's '' ...
. Closer home, it has been compared to the
Adikavi Pampa's affection for his beloved
Banavasi
Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka t ...
(which, says Pampa in one verse, he wishes to be reborn in, if only as a little bee.) With his firm belief in the "mother principle", Bendre would address the land of Dharwad as ''Dharawada taayi'' or 'Mother Dharawada' and ask her, when he had to go away for a period on work, to await his coming like she would her child's. Having grown up in different homes in Dharwad, he would settle in a house (gifted to him by his uncle, Bandopant Bendre) in the Sadhanakeri area of Dharwad and make the area famous through his famous song-poem "Baaro Saadhanakerige".
Here is an account by
Keerthinath Kurtakoti, who along with Shankar Mokashi and G.S Amur is considered one of the three finest critics of Bendre's poetry, of Bendre's relationship with Dharwad and its people. "It was when I was ... filming a documentary of Bendre that this idea of the relationship Bendre had with Dharwad struck me of a sudden.
hat is
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
the style of Dharwad's development is the style of Bendre's poetry. Dharwad's culture is a mixture of folk-culture and city-culture. Bendre had once heard someone say that Dharwad's natural beauty – in particular, its rains and its lush greenness – was capable of making anybody who lived there a poet. In the foreword he wrote to
Chennaveera Kanavi's ''Nela-Mugilu'' poetry collection, Bendre would answer this by saying that "despite Dandeli's thick forests having more rain and greenness than Dharwad, not a single poet has come out of the region". Now it might seem astonishing that a poet who has immortalized Dharwad's scenic beauty in his poetry has such little faith in the inspiring power of the region's natural beauty. But it is only the Dharwad people's "divine vigour" that Bendre has faith in. He has, with his own eyes, seen how Dharwad has put back and rebuilt the Kannada
anguage and culturethat at the beginning of this century was lying waste. He has himself participated in this rebuilding." ... Every inch of the Dharwad land has revealed its history to Bendre. For him, both the classical and the modern have to present themselves through Dharwad
lone"
Post-retirement years, old age, and death
Upon his retirement from D.A.V College,
Solapur
Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch lin ...
, in 1956, Bendre returned to Sadhanakeri. Fortunately for him, no sooner did he return than he was made the adviser to the Dharwad branch of
Akashvani. This was, in large part, thanks to the generosity and foresight of P.M. Lad, the then Secretary to the Government of India in the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. During his stint there, Bendre wrote a great deal for A.I.R, including a number of
radio plays
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
, of which only a few have been published so far. Meanwhile, his association with a publisher friend, Bhalachandra Ghanekar, led to the publication of five new books of poetry. These books were soon combined into a single-volume and published in 1957 under the title ''Aralu-Maralu''. The collection would win the
Sahitya Academy award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
in 1958.
In 1965, Bendre, who also wrote poetry and prose in Marathi, received the Kelkar Prize for ''Samvada'', a selection of his Marathi prose writing. In 1966, Bendre turned 70. The event was marked by a grand celebration in
Shirahatti, his ancestral hometown.
This period also saw Bendre receive with a number of well-deserved honours. The
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission ...
gave him an Honorary Doctorate in 1966 and
Karnatak University
Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014, ...
followed suit in 1968. 1968 was also the year that he received the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
from the Government of India.
Elected a
Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.Quote: "In his acceptance speech when India's National Academy of Letters (Sahitya Akademi) in 1997 conferred its h ...
in 1969, he was awarded India's highest literary award, the
Jnanapitha, in 1974.
Kashi Vidyapitha presented him with his third Honorary Doctorate in 1976.
Through all of this, Bendre's 'High Yoga of Poetry' continued unabated and he brought out eleven collections of poetry between 1957 and 1978. As was his wont from the very beginning, he continued to mingle with all kinds of people, accept invitations to speak from all over, and talk uninterruptedly for hours together.
Towards the end of his life, Bendre became deeply absorbed in numbers. Interested from early on itself in numbers and their representation, the theory of
Sankhya
''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a dualistic school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit); and ''prakṛti'', (nature ...
, and the
Katapayadi system, they now became his central concern. In fact, he was known to waylay hapless travellers and hold forth for hours about this or that new idea regarding numbers that had come to him. When Dom Moraes visited Bendre in 1976, he found him completely immersed in numbers. He was still a ''Gārudiga'', but the ''Gārudi'' had been replaced by a calculator.
"Only great poets", wrote Moraes, "have such interests and ideas as Dr. Bendre."
Bendre died in Mumbai's Harkishandas hospital on 26 October 1981, aged 85. He was cremated that very evening in accordance with
Hinduism's last rites. His ashes were later taken to Dharwad where a procession gathered to mourn and celebrate Karnataka's and Dharwad's favourite poet.
Critical Reception, influence, and legacy
Bendre is widely recognized the greatest and most influential Kannada poet of the 20th century, by his peers of the Navodaya period, younger contemporaries, and the later poets of the
Navya,
Bandaya,
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
, and other movements. While he has been criticized by some for the lack of "social concern" in his poetry and others have called the poetry of the post-''Naaku Tanti'' period incomprehensible and "meaningless wordplay", there is near-unanimous agreement about the originality and inventiveness of his poetry, his position as the trailblazer of modern Kannada poetry, and his remarkable use of the Kannada language. The well-known critic,
L. S. Seshagiri Rao, has written that it is "doubtful that anybody in Kannada's literary history has explored the Kannada language as comprehensively as Bendre". In an essay written a few years before Bendre's death,
Gopalkrishna Adiga
Mogeri Gopalakrishna Adiga (1918–1992) was a modern Kannada poet. He is known by some commentators as the "pioneer of New style" poetry. The Hindu - 26 September 2002
Biography
He was born in an orthodox brahmin family in coastal village of ...
, often called the leader of Kannada's Navya movement, would say that, "After
Pampa and
Naranappa, nobody has grasped the very quick of the Kannada language and, strumming the language's life-chord itself, written poetry the way
urBendre has." He would add in the same essay that, no matter what differences of opinion one might have with Bendre, "he is the ''
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...
'' of every poet writing
n Kannada
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
now. ... There is no poet who has not, either directly or indirectly, come within the sphere of his influence. That he showed the way
orwardnot just to imitators but to poets possessed of great talent themselves or that he nourished their poetry
ith his ownis a matter of importance. Bendre is the most important poet-creator of this century. Every poet writing now is a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild of Bendre's poetry. ... Not only has Bendre's poetry become a part of our culture, it has become one with our essence."
V. K. Gokak
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak (9 August 1909 – 28 April 1992), abbreviated in Kannada as Vi. Kru. Gokak, was an Indian historian and writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada literatures. He was the fifth writer to be hono ...
, a younger contemporary of Bendre's, one of the members of Bendre's "Geleyara Gumpu", and himself a Jnanapitha awardee, confesses in his book, ''Bendre: Poet and Seer'', that it was Bendre's acquaintance that ensured "
okak'smuse did not perish in the deserts of Indo-Anglian verse" and goes on to say that "Bendre's poetry has ushered in a tradition of its own in modern Kannada literature ...
ispoetic style has an intricate pattern of its own ...
isis an epic style harnessed to
iclyric uses ... every great modern writer illustrates
he synthesis of India and Europe, ancient and modern culture, science and artin his own way ... and this is what Bendre does
hich puts himamong the best writers that the modern world has produced."
Interestingly, Bendre's remarkable poetry for responsible for the critical development of three of Kannada's best-known thinkers, viz. Keertinath Kurtakoti, Shankar Mokashi, and G.S Amur. Each of these younger-by-a-generation contemporaries of his used his poetry as the whetstone to sharpen their critical acumen on. In doing so, each of them made a notable contribution to modern Kannada criticism. In particular, their insights about Bendre include Mokashi's statement that "of those
annadapoets to whose study one may capably and successfully devote a whole lifetime, Shri Bendre is the most modern ... his is a poetry that may be thought of as 'out-topping knowledge'".
Meanwhile, G.S Amur writes in his Sahitya Akademi award-winning book, ''Bhuvanada Bhaagya'', that "no matter what criteria we use to measure Bendre's poetry – vision, richness of language, the ability to create images, the successful use of metre, the variety of poetic style, it is evident that his poetry stands shoulder to shoulder with the poetry of any epic poet who has
ver Ver or VER may refer to:
* Voluntary Export Restraints, in international trade
* VER, the IATA airport code for General Heriberto Jara International Airport
* Volk's Electric Railway, Brighton, England
* VerPublishing, of the German group VDM P ...
lived." In the book he wrote for the Sahitya Akademi,
Amur concludes by saying that "the ''bhaavageeta'' was
endre'schief mode of expression but in his hands it assumed many forms, from a folk lyric to ''Mantra''
icand expressed itself in a variety of a rhythms and an amazing range of symbolic imagery. He was undoubtedly the greatest lyrical poetic genius of the century."
Written as early as 1962, Kurtakoti's essay, on the other hand, offers us an understanding of the influence that Bendre's poetry would have on 20th century Kannada poetry and beyond. Kurtakoti says that "from every point of view, Bendre is the leading poet of the age. Later critics can discuss the merits of Bendre's own poetry and the style of its beauty in more detail. For the time being, all we can is this: that Bendre's poetry is rich in a way that does justice to the Kannada language's natural rhythms, to the present-day's sensibilities, and to the inner-essence of the Kannada literary tradition. In this fashion, his
Kannada poetic creation has given new life to the Kannada poetic tradition. When Bendre first began to write poetry, there was nothing before him
o model his poetry on But the poets of the future will have Bendre's poetry
o refer to... this alone tells us clearly of the importance of Bendre's poetry."
Bendre himself was not unaware of the depth, range, and brilliance of his poetry. In his foreword to ''Naaku Tanti'', he speaks about "the poetry of wordly effort and the poetry of
yogic
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
effort" and says that "we must not by holding on tight to the ignorance and egotism of ordinariness give it up to the curse of petrification" before adding that "complexity and incomprehension are the result of one's natural sensibilities. It is only through comprehensive learning that old bonds can be shaken off, and new relationships created." In another essay of his, he says "The process of understanding literature is a living, breathing process. It may take centuries even. Understanding me is left to the future". Having said this, he quotes
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhūti (Devanagari: भवभूति) was an 8th-century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered the equal of the works of Kalidasa. Bhavabhuti was born in Padmapura, Vidarbha, in Gondi ...
's famous "time is endless and the world is large" statement in the foreword to his 1972 collection ''Vinaya'' and goes on to say that the statement is the maxim a poet has to live by until his readers garner the necessary "cultural capital" that is needed to understand his work. "A critical examination of the work of a ''born poet'' can only be done by a ''born''
iterarycritic."
Bendre's legacy as a popular poet remains secure, mostly on account of the immense popularity of Kannada's
bhaavageete tradition and his play with the Kannada language's sound. His poetry, including his post-''Naaku Tanti'' work, also continues to attract new writers and critics. Like Shankar Mokashi once said of Ambikatanayadatta, "
ewill live on forever in Shri Bendre's work. He will remain a favoured son of the world. As Shri Bendre himself once said about poetry: ‘Oh vision seen by the men of god!’ To have known such a man of god is our good fortune; to attempt to understand him is futile: like ''Gommata'', ‘ಅತ್ಯತಿಷ್ಠತ್ ದಶಾಂಗುಲಂ’ (अत्यतिष्ठत् दशाङ्गुलं) – he stands ten ''angula''s above us all.”
In popular culture
In 1972, film director and playwright
Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...
directed a Kannada documentary film, ''Da Ra Bendre'', for the
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
. The script was written by Keertinath Kurtakoti. Bendre is also the primary character of the semi-fictional novel ''Dharawadada Dattu Master'' by N. K. Kulkarni.
Awards and honours
* President of the 27th
Kannada Sahitya Sammelana
The Kannada Sahitya Sammelana () is the premier gathering of writers, poets and Kannadigas. It is held with the aim of preserving and developing the Kannada language, its literature, art, culture and music. It was started in 1915 by H. V. Nanj ...
(held in
Shimoga
Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...
in 1943)
*
Sahitya Academy
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
award – 1958
*
Kelkar Prize – 1965
*
Padma Shri award
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferr ...
– 1968
*
Fellowship
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Sahitya Academy
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
– 1968
*
Jnanpitha Award – 1973 (For the collection of poems ''Naaku Tanti'')
Bibliography
;Poetry collections
* ''Krishṇakumaari'' (1922)
* ''Gari'' (1932)
* ''Moorthi mattu Kaamakastoori'' (1934)
* ''Sakheegeeta'' (1937)
* ''Uyyaale'' (1938)
* ''Naadaleele'' (1938)
* ''Meghadoota'' (1943))
* ''Haaḍu Paaḍu'' (1946)
* ''Gangaavataraṇa'' (1951)
* ''Sooryapaana'' (1956)
* ''Hrudaya Samudra'' (1956)
* ''Muktakanṭha'' (1956)
* ''Chaityaalaya'' (1957)
* ''Jeevalahari'' (1957)
* ''Araḷu Maraḷu'' (1957)
* ''Namana'' (1958)
* ''Sanchaya'' (1959)
* ''Uttaraayaṇa'' (1960)
* ''Mugila Mallige'' (1961)
* ''YakshaYakshi'' (1962)
* ''Naaku Tanti'' (1964)
* ''Maryaade'' (1966)
* ''Shrimaata'' (1968)
* ''Idu Nabhōvaaṇi'' (1970)
* ''Matte Shraavaṇa Bantu'' (1973)
* ''Chaturōkti'' (1978)
* ''Paraaki'' (1982)
* ''Kavyavaikhari'' (1982)
* ''Taa Lekkaniki Taa Dauti'' (1983)
* ''Baalabodhe'' (1983)
* ''Pratibimbagaḷu'' (1987)
* ''Shatamaana'' (1990)
* ''Bhoo Daivategaḷu''
;Plays
* ''Tirukara Pidugu'' (1930)
* ''Uddhaara'' (1930)
* ''Nageya Hoge'' (1931)
* ''Hucchataagalu'' (1935)
* ''Hosa Samsara mattu Itara Ekaankagalu'' (1950)
* ''Ambikatanayadatta Nataka Samputa'' (1982)
;Story collections
* ''Niraabharanasundari'' (1940)
;Works of Criticism
* ''Saahitya mattu Vimarshe'' (1937)
* ''Saahityasamshodhana'' (1940)
* ''Vichaaramanjari'' (1945)
* ''Kavi Lakshmishana Jaimini Bhaaratakke Munnudi'' (1954)
* ''Maharashtra Saahitya'' (1959)
* ''Kannada Saahityadalli Naalku Nayakaratnagalu'' (1968)
* ''Maatella Jyotu'' (1972)
* ''Saahityada Viratsvaroopa'' (1974)
* ''Kumaaravyasa'' (1979)
* ''Matadharma mattu Aadhunika Maanava'' (1979)
;Edited works
* ''Nannadu Ee Kannada Nadu'' (1928)
* ''Hakki Haaruthide'' (1930)
* ''Chandrahaasa'' (1948)
* ''Hosagannada Kaavyashree'' (1957)
* ''Kanakadasa Chaturshatamaanotsava Samsmarana – Samputa'' (1965)
;Translations
* ''Vittala Sampradaaya'' (1984)
* ''Hosagannada Kaavyashree'' (1957)
* ''Shantala'' (1972)
* ''Upanishadrahasya'', by R.D. Ranade (1923)
* ''Bhaaratiya Navajanma'' (1936, "The Indian Renaissance" by Sri Aurobindo)
* ''Sri Aravindara Yoga Ashrama mattu Tatvopadesha'' (1947)
* ''Kabira Vachanaavali'' (1968)
* ''Bhagnamoorthi'' (1972)
* ''Guru Govindasingh''
* ''Noorondu Kavanagalu'' (from Tagore's poems ed. by Humayun Kabir)
;Works in other languages
* ''A Theory of Immortality'' (1977)
Further reading
Da Ra Bendre in English– Translations of the poetry of Kannada's Varakavi
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre – Makers of Modern Indian LiteratureNa Kanda Bendre – by Dr.Jeevi Kulkarni
* ''Bendre: Poet and Seer'',
V. K. Gokak
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak (9 August 1909 – 28 April 1992), abbreviated in Kannada as Vi. Kru. Gokak, was an Indian historian and writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada literatures. He was the fifth writer to be hono ...
,
* ''The Peacock Smile'', K. Raghavendra Rao
* ''Shravana Pratibhe'',
Keertinath Kurtakoti and Vamana Bendre,
* ''Bhuvanada Bhaagya'',
G. S. Amur
Gururaja Shyamacharya Amur (8 May 1925 – 28 September 2020) was an Indian professor of literature, writer and critic in both the Kannada and English languages. He was a recipient of many prestigious awards including the Central Sahitya Akadem ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bendre, D.R.
Kannada poets
Kannada-language writers
Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education
Recipients of the Jnanpith Award
1896 births
1981 deaths
People from Dharwad
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada
20th-century Indian poets
Indian male poets
Poets from Karnataka
20th-century Indian male writers
Madhva Brahmins