How can you define passion? If it’s a feeling then how do we define it? How do we classify some as having less passion than others? They say there are certain traits of passion. One of them is the inability to stop thinking about the thing you are truly passionate about. And if we are going by this one trait, then M. Govinda Pai will certainly end up ranking higher in the list of the most passionate people in the world.
M. Govinda Pai: Life At A Glance
Born on 23 March 1883 Manjeshwar Govinda Pai or M. Govinda Pai was the first son of Sahukaar Thimmappa Pai and Devaki Amma. A prolific poet, playwright, linguist and researcher of Karnataka, he started showing his affinity towards languages and using them as a medium of expression at a very tender age. Even at the age of 13, his taste in books was so developed that he started subscribing to many literary journals. And his teacher Panje Mangesh Rao used to borrow many of these literary journals from him.
He was a brilliant Kannada poet who experimented with a lot of different styles of writing. His experiments ranged from blank verses to sonnets to epic poems. Being unable to understand the need to use rhyme in poetry he tried to seek answers for the very same. He did not receive a satisfactory reply to his query. But he continued to adhere to this rule of poetry till 1911. After making up his mind to not use rhymes in his poems Govinda Pai published his poem, “Holeyanu Yaru” without rhyme in “Swadeshabhimani”. When faced with criticism regarding his new style of poetry Govinda Pai presented the examples of English writers, Surrey, Wyatt, Shakespeare and Milton to emphasise his point that it is up to the poet to decide whether they want to use rhyme or not.
Being a polyglot did come in handy on many occasions for Govinda Pai. His proficiency in a plethora of languages helped him understand the source material better. This aided him in his research pursuits and other literary endeavours. Best known for his epic poem, “Golgotha” (The last days of Christ, published in 1937), Govinda Pai apparently learnt Hebrew to acquaint himself with the source material.
M. Govinda Pai: Fame & Glory
Apart from Golgatha Govinda Pai is also well-known for his works such as “Vaisakhi” (The last days of Buddha), “Hebberalu” (The Thumb, the story of Ekalavya retold), “Chitrabhanu” (based on the Quit India Movement), etc. His first published work was called “Gommata Jinastuti”.
For his outstanding contribution to the literary world, he was conferred with the title of Rashtrakavi by the Maharaja of Bhawanagar the then Governor of Madras State in 1949. In 1951, he was chosen to preside over the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Bombay. Despite having such a glorious reputation he was always modest about his achievements. In order to honour his contributions, a national award was instituted in his name on his 125th birth anniversary. With the objective to guide PhD students doing research on language, literature, culture, folk, art and history focusing on the coastal region, preparing a dictionary in the Tulu language, and researching the Konkani language and culture, the Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Research Centre was established at Udupi in 1965.
Afterword
From experimenting with different poetry styles to introducing the sonnet form in Kannada, Govinda Pai was an extraordinary individual. He garnered a lot of attention and accolades for his impeccable skills. Yet he always managed to remain humble and down to earth. For him, the only reason he kept venturing forward on his path of language and cultural exploration was because of his sheer passion towards those subjects.
