Blog

Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre 31 January 1896-26 October 1981 , popularly known as da Ra Bendre , is generally considered the greatest Kannada lyric poet of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the history of Kannada literature . A pioneering poet of Kannada’s Navodaya movement and a leading figure in the linguistic renaissance of Kannada in the region of north karnataka , Bendre forged a new path in Kannada literature and modern Kannada poetry ;, particularly Dharwad Kannada- the from of karnataka spoken in the north karnataka 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 by the Kannada people . in a poetic journey that spanned almost 70 years Bendre engaged continuously in what he called Kavyodyoga or ‘the high yoga of poetry’.

as a multidisciplinary genius, his library is said to have held books spanning 102 subjects, including quantum physics, mathematical, and physiology. from very early on, Bendre published his poetry as ambikatanayadatta .often mistaken for a pseudonym or pen name, Bendre described ambikatanyadatta as the ” universal inner voice ” within him dictated what he, Bendre, then, presented in Kannada to the world.

in 1974, Bendre was awarded the Jnanapith, India’s highest literary award, for his 1964 poetry collection, naaku tanti. recognized as karnataka ‘s kavikula Tilaka by Udupi ‘s adamaru Matha, he would also be called a kavya garudiga for his ability to create magical poetry. he was awarded the Padma shri in 1968 and made a fellow of the sahitya akademi in 1969.

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 to Khandokar’s death in 1965.

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 also become very involved in the ‘Sharada mandal’, a group built by Prabhakar hair khadlika 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 the famous, the ” literary circular” that bendre would put together in the year following his return to Dharwad.

Biography

early years

Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre was born into a chitpavan brahmin family in Dharwad , karnataka . he was the eldest son of Ramachandra Datta and parvatobai. 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 where finally settled down, along with their Patros, the lags family in shirahatti, a town that was formerly part of the princely state of sangli and is now a part of gadag district karnataka

Bendre s paternal grandfather, appashastri , was a Dasha granthi who composed several kirtans in Marathi. he was also a Vedic scholar who wrote a treatise on the Arya Metra, titled chhandodaharana. appabhatta took sannyasa deeksha in his old age, later he died in shirahatti still his samadhi is in Killa oni of scrofula when bendre’s father ,Ramachandra bendre, was a Sanskrit scholar who died in 1924, was Ramachandra bendre’s second wife. she was the youngest child of her mother, godubai.

the oldest of four boys, bendre completed his primary and high school education in Dharwad matriculating in 1913, he joined Fergusson college, Pune, 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 ‘s 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 where became a teacher at the victoria high school , thereby transforming into “bendre master , a title he held for the rest of his life.

who is Da Ra Bendre ?

da Ra Bendre is one of the eight recipients to win the Jnanpith/jnana Peeta Prashanti award. Dendre has a prominent place in Kannada literature as one of the greatest Kannada poets of the pre-independence period. da Ra Bendre chronology: this section provides an overview of da Ra Bendre’s history along with a detailed timeline.

D.R.Bendre , also known as Da.Ra. Bendre, was one of the greatest Kannada poets of the 20th century . he lived in Dharwad, karnataka , where his home -called ambikatanayadatta mane -become a hub for literary and cultural activity. this house is often remembered as a place where Bendre composed many of his iconic poems and hosted gatherings with fellow writers and artists. today, it stands as a symbol of his immense contribution to Kannada literature and is cherished by admirers of his work.

would you like me to give you details about how to visit his home in Dharwad, or would you prefer a deeper look into his poetry and legacy.

who was Da Ra Bendre wife Lakshmibai?

Da Ra Bendre Marrie Lakshmibai who was 10 years younger than him, in 1979 at the age of 23. Despite having nine children, the couple tragically lost six of them. with the help of his uncle, Bendre completed both his school education in Dharwad. later 1913, he completed his matriculation.

post- retirement years, old age, and death.

upon his retirement from D.A.V college , Solapur, in 1956, bendre returned to sadhanakeri. fortunately for him , no sooner did he return then he was made the adviser to the dharwad branch of akashvani . this was, in large part, thank to the generosity and foresight of P. M lad, the then secretary to the government of india in the ministery of information and broadcasting. during his stint there, bendre wrote a great deal for A.I.R, including a number of