When the multifaceted Jayant Kaikini relocated to Bangalore from Mumbai in 2000, it marked the beginning of a new, artistic phase in his life. He joined the Kannada television industry as the anchor of a series on Kuvempu, the poet laureate of Karnataka, and began penning lyrics for Kannada movies.
His words are credited with infusing beauty and softness into the songs of successful films such as Mungaru Male , Gaalipata , Milana and Gelaya .
This 56-year-old acclaimed poet, short-story writer, film lyricist and television show host, who is endowed with a wry sense of humour, has been a resident of an apartment complex at Kumaraswamy Layout since the start of the millennium.
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“After having lived in Mumbai for 23 years, I came to Bangalore because of my new job. A friend, who is also a writer from this area, recommended it to me. I have been in this place ever since as I feel quite comfortable here,” Jayant said.
All at sea
According to Jayant, Kumaraswamy Layout is a convivial neighbourhood. The presence of the Dayananda Sagar Engineering College makes the atmosphere youthful and lively for him.
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On the other hand, he misses the sea. This is hardly surprising considering the fact that he hails from Gokarna, a coastal town in Karwar district in the northern region of Karnataka. He says, “The presence of the sea gives the feeling that one side of a place is open. It has influenced the mindset. I experience a sense of claustrophobia without it.”
Humanistic
On the changes in Bangalore and the loss of the city's green cover, the artiste says, “This is a growing city, which has its share of pretensions and confusions. There is a romanticised lamenting of loss. But the minds of people are full of caste, creed and corruption. It is more important to take note of human beings on whose lives the growth in competition and glorification of money is having an adverse impact.”
A winner of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and Filmfare awards, Jayant has been writing poetry from a young age and continued to do so even while working as a biochemist in Mumbai.
Despite being a polyglot who knows Konkani, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi and English, he has written only in Kannada. He happened to enjoy good readership in Mumbai, which seems to imply that the megapolis had quite a few connoisseurs of Kannada literature.
An anthology of his short stories titled Charminar and a collection of film lyrics, Yello Malayagidhe , were released recently.