BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru at 7pm on Sunday, Aug 11, 2019
Vocal Concert by Vidwan TM Krishna, with
Vidushi Akkarai Subhalakshmi on Violin and Vidwan Jayachandra Rao KU on Mridangam

The two day event ended with a splendid vocal concert by Sri TM Krishna, making the tribute to Com. BV Kakkilaya a complete and meaningful one. Vidwan TM Krishna was very ably accompanied by Vidushi Akkarai Subhalakshmi on the violin and Vidwan Jayachandra Rao KU on the mridangam. All the songs that Sri TM Krishna had chosen for the occasion furthered the values like secularism, democracy, equality, multi-culturalism and diversity, for which Com. BV Kakkilaya had devoted his life as well. The opening shloka sung by Sri TM Krishna was on Jesus, which in fact had been composed by a Hindu, whose son, now living in the US, had sent it to Sri TM Krishna. In that verse the attributes of Christ were “One who heals all illness, relieves his devotees of all pains, he is ‘Lokahitakari,’ ‘one who is the personification of peace.’ Sri TM Krishna connected that verse to the composition of Sri Muttuswamy Dixitar’s “Sri Dakshinamoorthe” in Shankarabharana ragam, where similar attributes are used to describe Shiva. Shiva is ‘Shantamurthy,’ considered the ameliorator of the sufferings of his devotees. Next, he chose the composition of Kananda poet Kanakadasa, “Kulakulavennutiharu” which makes fun of the concept of purity and pollution, inferior and superior using the paradoxes like the lotus which is offered to god having blossomed in mud. Then came the Tamil Sufi song Allavai in Behag raga, which is sung in the Nagur Darga in Tamilnadu, which has a message of love and brotherhood. It was followed by the Vachana of Basavanna, 12^th century philosopher and social; reformer of Karnataka, ‘Ullavaru Shivalayava Maduvaru’ in Kedaragowla raga, which subtly tells that by building temples one will destroy ‘Shiva,’ who cannot be static and enshrined in a temple, but is dynamic, a ‘Jangama,’ living in the hearts of people and not in the temples which are ‘sthavara and stationed in a place, indicating that stationary things are impermanent while those which are dynamic are permanent. The next was a Meera bhajan, ‘Pada Gunghuru nache’, wherein Meera defied the pressure of political power and social sanctions for realizing the values, which she cherished, the value of becoming a citizen in god’s city. He concluded the concert with a beautiful composition by Rabindranath Tagore ‘Aaguner Parashmoni Chhoao Praane,’ which speaks of purifying the life akin to gold which passes the test of fire and dispels all the darkness bringing the light shining.

Photos: Yajna, Mangaluru

Video: Shenoy Video, Mangaluru

BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru, at 6pm-7pm on Sunday, Aug 11, 2019
Valedictory Programme with Com. Janardhan, Com. BK Krishnappa, Com. Babu G, Com . V Kuckian and Sri PV Mohan

A brief valedictory function was presided over by Com. Janardhan, assistant secretary, CPI Karnataka. Com. BK Krishnappa, senior comrade from Mangalore who had known Com. BV Kakkilaya well, Com. Babu G of MS Krishnan Trust, Bengaluru, Com. V Kuckian, Secretary of Dakshina Kannada Commmittee of CPI, and Sri PV Mohan, Secretary of Congress Party, spoke about the contributions of Com. BV Kakkilaya.

Com. Janardhan addressing the valedictory

Com. BK Krishnappa addressing

Dr. Srinivas Kakkilaya, eldest son of Com. BV Kakkilaya, conducted the proceedings in an unconventional, simple style. The two day event had packed audiences, despite the torrential rains and flooding that cut-off Mangaluru from the rest of Karnataka. The threats and protests by fundamentalist organisations such as ABVP, Bajrang Dal, Shri Ram Sena, Hindu Jagaran Vedike etc., were also thwarted, with complete support from the police. The event also received wide coverage in the media, and some of the sessions were live streamed on the local cable networks.

The two-day  programme was held at the Bishop Jathanna Auditorium, Sahodaya, Balmatta in the city and was jointly organised by Samadarshi Vedike, Mangaluru, Hosathu Monthly, Bengaluru, MS Krishnan Memorial Trust, Bengaluru and Navakarnataka Publications Private limited, Bengaluru. The event also marked 200 years of Karl Marx, 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi, 95 years of the CPI, 75 years of IPTA and 60 years of Navakarnataka Publications and a banner proclaiming so was displayed prominently on the stage.

Photos: Yajna, Mangaluru

Video: Shenoy Video, Mangaluru

BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru at 4pm-6pm on Sunday, Aug 11, 2019
Discussion – Reshaping Art Beyond Caste and Gender by
Sri TM Krishna and Com. Noor Zaheer

Sri TM Krishna, eminent Carnatic vocalist and writer, and Com, Noor Zaheer were the speakers in the next session titled Reshaping Art, which also happens to be the title of the book penned by Sri TM Krishna. Initiating the discussion, and speaking on Reshaping Art Beyond Caste, Sri TM Krishna pointed out that the origin of all forms of discrimination is with aesthetics, or the perception of beauty. He said that such perception is influenced by one’s physical appearance, color, accent, dialects, clothing, food, life style, job, caste, religion and so on, and such perceptive discriminatory tendencies are inculcated right from the households, going on everywhere such as class rooms, work places, places of performing arts etc. Terming western classical music as largely white music and Indian classical music as Brahminical music, Sri TM Krishna enumerated how the other forms of music and art, including visual arts, suffer from casteist discrimination and exclusion. He called upon the art enthusiasts to fight such discrimination from within and out, so as to allow the growth of every form of art and music beyond the shackles of caste. Speaking of the clampdown in Kashmir, Sri TM Krishna expressed his anguish over the homogenization of anger against the Kashmiri people in the rest of India. Com. Noor Zaheer spoke on Reshaping Art Beyond Gender and in her poetic style, narrated several instances of neglect of the many contributions of women to art and music, including religious, folk and even leftist politico-cultural organisations. She concluded by stating that if Habba Khatoon doesn’t reverberate on the Dal Lake, the lake would perish.

Sri TM Krishna releasing Kannada translation of Com. Noor Zaheer’s book ‘My God is a Woman’

Sri TM Krishna speaking on ‘Reshaping Art Beyond Caste’

Com. Noor Zaheer speaking on ‘Reshaping Art Beyond Gender’

Sri TM Krishna honoured by Smt. Gangaratna Talithaya, eldest daughter of late Sri Subraya Kakkilaya

Photos: Yajna, Mangaluru

Video: Shenoy Video, Mangaluru