For delegates and participants at the 83rd Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, ‘Kavirajamarga’ brought alive a slice of heritage related to littérateurs and institutions associated with Mysuru.
An initiative of the Tourism Department, it entailed a guided tour to Udayaravi, the residence of Kuvempu; R.K. Narayan’s house, which has been turned into a museum; Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies (KIKS) at Manasagangotri and theatre repertoire Rangayana.
The first stop was Udayaravi at V.V. Mohalla, which was akin to a place of pilgrimage for literary buffs. It was here that the poet laureate spent the greater part of his life. On display were some of the memorabilia associated with Kuvempu, family portraits and furniture used by the poet.
The second stop was at the house of R.K. Narayan at Yadavgiri, which has been converted to a full-fledged museum by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) after procuring the property from the family of the writer. Apart from seeing some of his personal belongings, the visitors were taken to the early 1950s through photographs shot by another well-known Mysurean T.S. Satyan.
The KIKS at Manasagangotri has a rich collection of Kuvempu’s works besides being a treasure trove of information on other Kannada poets as well.
The last stop on the tour was the theatre repertoire Rangayana.
Janardhan, Deputy Director of Tourism, said the trip will be held on Sunday too with pick up at Ekalvya Circle at 10 a.m. “We want to convey to the public that besides the palace and zoo, there are places associated with literary personalities in Mysuru,” he said.
Incidentally, Kavirajamarga is also the title of the earliest extant literary work in Kannada poetics attributed to Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha Nrupatunga who lived in the 9th century A.D.
