Mysuru: “Renowned poet M. Gopalakrishna Adiga had belief in human relations and introspection and not in idol worship,” said well-known poetess Prof. C. Sarvamangala.

She was speaking after inaugurating the programme ‘Kavi M. Gopalakrishna Adiga – Baduku-Baraha’ (Poet M. Gopalakrishna Adiga – Life and writings) jointly organised by District Kannada Sahitya Parishat and Kannada Sahitya Kalakoota at the Parishat auditorium, Palace North Gate, in city on Feb.1.

“Just because he did not believe in idol worship did not mean that he would reject everything. A person should grow individually and not depend on others was his stand. In the present days, it is not just in politics that people comment and try to pull one’s legs, it is there in all fields, including in the field of literature,” she said. Let the society descend to its lowest level. However, today the youth should be alert and instead of following great people’s paths, they should create their own path, is what Adiga used to tell. The work Adiga’s fans are doing to preserve his works is very laudable. However, the number of people reading his poems and his works are going down, she said.

In 1968, Adiga’s collected poems were sold at Rs.7 and this was a good book. Even though it is old, its value is increasing, Sarvamangala added.

In the 1960s, Adiga  had brought out a newspaper titled ‘Sakshi’ that encouraged not only writers but also attracted readers to the paper and through his poems he woke up the political conscience of the people. As a teacher, Adiga firmly believed that a student deserved the marks that one was entitled to and he was completely against giving even five grace marks. He used to say that as teachers we were not free to allot the marks that we wanted, said Prof. Sarvamangala.

Adiga never stayed in one place and like nomads, he would move from one place to another. Moreover, if he found that he could not get along with the management of educational institutions, especially if they were arrogant, he would just quit and move on. Not only did Adiga and Subbanna enrich the Kannada literary world but also influenced writers like Jayant Kaikini and others, she said.

Maharani’s  Arts College Assistant Professor Dr. B.V. Vasanthkumar spoke on Adiga’s life and writings. Kannada Sahitya Kalakoota President M. Chandrashekar and others were present during the occasion.