Dharwad district’s cultural life flourished with some of the finest poets, writers, and thinkers at the beginning of the 20th century. Dharwad has earned the reputation of being called the ‘Cultural Capital of Karnataka’.
There is a popular saying ‘Throw a stone over your shoulder in Dharwad, it is bound to hit the house of either a Poet or a Writer or a Singer‘. Let’s explore the contributions of Dharwad district in the fields of Music, Literature, and Fine Arts.
Contribution of Dharwad district in Music field: The Dharwad district has produced some of the most well-known and influential musicians in the field of Hindustani music.
Many musicians born in the early part of the 20th century, not only made an incredible mark for themselves but etched the name of Dharwad eternally on the map of Hindustani Music.
Pandit Sawai Gandharva, Mallikarjun Mansur, Basavaraj Rajguru, Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Puttaraj Gawai have made Dharwad district the Cradle of Hindustani Music.
- Pandit Sawai Gandharva was a well-known classical vocalist who trained many singers, including Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, and Basavaraj Rajguru.
- Gangubai Hangal, the Queen of Kirana Gharana, was renowned for her deep and powerful voice, representing the authentic Kirana Gharana tradition.
- Pandit Basavraj Rajguru was a prominent Indian classical vocalist in the Kirana Gharana. Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi is known for the Khayal form of singing.
- “Mallikarjun Mansur was an expert in the Khayal style of singing, particularly in the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana.”
Contribution of Dharwad district in Literature field: Dharwad has nurtured some of the best Kannada writers and is home to many iconic places associated with the language and the state’s culture.
Dharwad has the reputation of earning 3 (out of 8) Jnanapeetha awards for Karnataka. Da Ra Bendre, V.K. Gokak, and Girish Karnad had a close association with Dharwad.
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre popularly known as Da Ra Bendre is generally considered as one of the greatest Kannada lyric poets of the 20th century. Da Ra Bendre wrote with the pen name ‘Ambikatanayadatta’.
Da Ra Bendre described Sadhanakeri as a place of inspiration for his poems praising the beauty of nature. He was honored with the Padma Shri award in 1968 and his collection of poems ‘Naaku Tanti’ earned him the Jnanapeeta Award.
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak (VK Gokak) was a major writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada Literatures. His epic ‘Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi’ has earned him Jnanapeeta Award in 1990. He completed his education in Majid High School, Savanur, and attended the Karnataka College, Dharwad where he studied Literature.
Girish Karnad was an Indian Actor, Film Director, and Kannada writer. He was awarded the Jnanapeeta award for his immense contributions to Kannada Literature and Theatre in 1998.
Girish Karnad had earned a Bachelor of Arts B.A) degree in Mathematics and Statistics from Karnatak Arts College, Dharwad (affiliated to Karnataka University).
Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha played a crucial role in uniting literary enthusiasts. Places such as Sadhanakeri, in front of Varakavi D R Bendre’s house, are serene locations from which the poet drew inspiration to write his poems.
Contribution of Dharwad district in Fine Arts field: D V Halbhavi established Halbhavi School of Art, Dharwad which has the distinction of being Karnataka’s first school of Arts in the year 1935.
The school, which was established under the auspices of the Dharwad Fine Art Society, has been providing art education to thousands of students for the past 76 years. In addition, the school introduces students to complementary fields such as Theatre, Literature, and Music.
Kumareshwara Fine Arts College (1991) was founded by K.N. Neglurumatha at Hangal. V.R.Sutar started Gangambika Memorial Art School (1993) at Dharwad.
Hubballi’s Fine Arts Society and Dharwad’s Rainbow Kalavrindha both operate art schools. Additionally, in 1966, Dandavathi Math in Dharwad established an art school for children with mental disabilities.
Lalitha Kala Akademi Regional Centre: Recognizing the immense contribution of Dharwad district towards the Music, Literature, and Arts field, Central Government has decided to set up Lalitha Kala Akademy Regional Centre in Hubballi Dharwad.
The Lalitha Kala Akademy will act as a catalyst for artists to get equal exposure as some of the bigger cities artists get and make Art Field more vibrant in North Karnataka region.
Lalitha Kala Akademy currently has only one regional center in South India, located in Chennai. The upcoming LKA center in Hubballi Dharwad will be the second in South India.
Also read: History of Hubballi Dharwad.
Lalitha Kala Akademy will have Art galleries, Studios, a Library, and other facilities to promote research in Visual Arts and encourage local artists.