To like someone because he’s rich is dangerous. Equally dangerous is to shun a cultural ambassador, thinker, who is forthright on his views on caste, simply because he is rich. Such an introduction is necessary for someone like D.K. Chowta, who passed away recently. There are a lot of people in our country who are rich. There are plenty of poor people as well. This is a chasm that cannot be bridged. But there are a few rich people who are trying to spread goodness through the work they take up. Chowta was one such person.
If someone asked him: “How are you?” He always said: “So far, so good!” A typical, realistic answer. Only a realistic person can be forthright, a forthright person can be rational, and only a rationalist can be close to truth. Someone who is close to truth is close to society and culture. Chowta was close to culture and society only because he believed in being realistic.
Art, literature, society and agriculture -- all these four interests had amalgamated in Chowta. They were philosophical pursuits for him, but they were part of his persona -- living and dynamic. There was a humanist artiste in him. When he became the head of Chitrakala Parishath I had the opportunity of interacting with him closely. His vision gave it a new lease of life. Art, under his leadership, moved beyond the walls of Chitrakala Parishath, and even reached the villages. It was a glorious period for the institution.
I have known him for 23 years. Like many others, I too was reminded of Rabindranath Tagore and Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar on seeing him. Talking to him brought to mind the memory of the late Ramaswamy Periyar. An intent listener, he gave a patient ear to everyone’s problems; he reciprocated with his help and never by talking. He spoke very little. First timers could bank on him, people who put up their first play went to him and they were seldom turned away without help. He had a knack of spotting genuine talents and went out of his way to do things for them. We once visited the institution Adima in Kolar. They were doing good work, but their office space was a hutment. Soon after returning, he called Kotaganahalli Ramaiah and gave him a generous donation to set up a proper office space. Once help was extended, I have never heard Chowta speaking of who he helped, how much he donated etc. In fact, he would not even remember the people who he had helped. If they came up to him and thanked him for his help, he would just say, “let all be good for you,” and leave the place quietly.
Chowta made his presence felt in every field. He helped the homeless, extended support in the field of education, publishing, theatre, arts, music and more. In his own village, Meeyapadavu, he set up a centre that benefited farmers and the rural folk. He set up several open air theatres. He set up the Allama Prabhu Peetha in Kantavara. He refused to go for the inauguration and instead sent us. He said no to priests. “I want to see Allama in everyone and everywhere, you go and do the puja,” he had said.
Speaking to him was always a delight. He took us to a different world. Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar lived in him. Chowta was not just a novelist, or a playwright. He was not merely a philanthropist. A revolutionary resided within him. He was deeply influenced by Gandhi and felt strongly for the marginalised and helped them. He was above caste and creed.
Chowta’s undivided home is like a huge cultural institution. Thinkers and farming experts from all over the country often meet here. His brother Dr. Chandrashekhar Chowta is a very unusual agriculture scientist. He has done hundreds of experiments on his farm land, and shares them with the farming community. They have done path-breaking work and have come up with plenty of new solutions.
At one point Chowta was a believer. But the way temples came to be disappointed him immensely. Once when he went to Tirupathi and was deeply disturbed by the way temples treated devotees. If there was God, would he allow his devotees to be treated this way?, he asked himself. Since then he distanced himself from temples, priests, maths and seers. “Truth, Dharma, and Morals are god to me. I see God in the good actions I do. The only seer I respect is the Sanehalli seer.”
When he was honoured with the Padmashri, his cardiologist, Dr. C.N. Manjunathartha, asked us to organise a gathering in his honour. We brought out a commemorative volume and made it a grand affair. Dr. Manjunathartha went to Chowta’s village and conducted free heart check-up camps.
In the commemorative volume, this is what Sanehalli seer writes: “Chowta is a wealthy man, he is also rich in heart. From the sweeper at Kalakshetra, to the chief minister of the state, Chowta looks upon everyone equally.
He was very fond of animals too and deeply bonded with nature. When you see him in Bangalore, he looks like an aristocrat, but on his farmland he looks like a true farmer. He understood the distress of the farmer. His outlook was scientific but was a keen listener of tradition. He was a man of nuance and sensitivity, that’s what made him a wonderful writer.”
Translated from Kannada by
Deepa Ganesh
