The village of Sulebhavi, tucked away in the lap of the Tanikolla mountain along the Belagavi-Bagalkot highway with a population of around 9,000 people, is famous for the temple of the village deity Dyamavva. The temple complex, now renovated and renamed, houses shrines for three deities. The Lakshmi temple here is the go-to point for several politicians from Karnataka and Maharashtra before starting election campaigns.
However, very few take the trouble to wander into Bazar Galli where stands “Basava Kunja”, a building that doubles as a tea shop and the home of Rudrappa Naganur, who runs the hotel.
It was here that one of the greatest Hindustani musicians, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, was born in 1924. The old house, renovated partially, still has a leaky roof. Other than this house that the Gandharva family sold to the family of Mahadevappa Naganur, a hotelier, there is little else to remind visitors of the maestro. Till 1990, Panditji kept visiting the plce every year. His children have come once or twice since then, recalls Mr. Rudrappa Naganur.
While the world prepares to celebrate the birth centenary of Pandit Kumar Gandharva, his native village of Sulebavi in Belagavi district waits for a memorial for the gifted singer.
“The problem is that we are not proud of our own people. We forget them soon,” says Basavaraj Marihal, a resident of the village. “If Panditji was born in any of the villages across the border in Maharashtra, they would be feted while alive, and celebrated every day long after their death,” he said.
Memorial in disuse
In 2008, a delegation of villagers met the then Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and asked him to build a memorial. The Department of Kannada and Culture and the zilla panchayat engineering wing constructed a two-storied building and named it after Pandit Kumar Gandharva. But the building, at the far end of Bazar Galli, has fallen into disuse. Plans to have a Hindustani music Gurukul have not been taken up.
“I tell all the politicians who visit the Lakshmi temple to erect a statue of Panditji in the village. But they do not show interest. Our MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar made the promise too, but nothing has happened,” said Jagadish Naganur, son of Mr. Rudrappa Naganur who works for a private firm in Belagavi.
Born as Shivaputrayya Sidramayya Komkalimath in this village, Kumar Gandharva learnt music from his uncles who sang Bhajans and Natyageet. Along with family members, he started performing in concerts across the country. He earned the sobriquet of Kumar Gandharva from a local seer who listened to the child prodigy. Due to failing health, he had to shift to Dewas in Madhya Pradesh for its non humid air.
A distinct style
After a five year hiatus due to a lung infection, he returned to the stage with a unique rendering style. He was known for his distinct voice modulations and tempo and non traditional classical singing. What brought him global fame was adaptation of the Nirguni Bhajans of Sant Kabir to classical music style, that was considered revolutionary in the 1950s.
Kumar Gandharva died in 1992. His wife Vasundhara Komkali passed away in 2015. Panditji’s children Kalapini Komkali and son Mukul Shivaputra and grand son Bhuvanesh Komkali are all accomplished musicians too.
Meaningful memorial
“We do not want another building,’‘ says Sulebhavi-based writer Bhairoba Kamble. “We want a meaningful memorial like a music school, study centre and a museum. To start with, we should have a national-level conference and concert. Music lovers in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are organising concerts honouring Panditji.”
