Kurudu kanchana.... Blind gold...

                                                                                    

Today I listened to one of the most touching songs written by one of most scholarly and distinguished poets the world has ever seen. This has been my favorite song since my school days when this poem/song was a part of syllabus of my 1^st language subject, Kannada. The poet is Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre popularly known as Da. Ra. Bendre. He is a poet of distinct character in whose life friends were everything and just everything. He had to spend a miserable life as he neither desired to make money nor went behind it. There are many heart touching stories about his life because of his poor economic condition. Once when his son was ill he could not manage to get medicines, such was his situation. Its irony that such a great poet had such a difficult living. 

Even with all these problems and may be inspired by many such problems and contemporary situations Bendre has written some classic songs which inspires many even today. His rejection towards exploitation by the upper class and the rich is evident abundantly in his works. Many Bhava Geethes are just very relevant in today’s scenario where the rich suck the blood of poor and lead a lofty lifestyle. 

Kurudu Kanchana Kuniyutalittu.. Kaalige biddavara tuliyutalittu… is that song which reminds me of the exploitation and suppression of the poverished class. Each word in the song is by itself self explanatory and depicts the crude and cruel image of the people with money power. The sight of the evil money power as described in the poem just frightens me. The way the working class people are hunted is very saddening. The evil of the devil will be wearing anklets made out of tender bones of a mother who has just given birth to a baby, chain made of eye balls of poor small children and many more…. 

If that was the situation then, we live in no better society now. If the song explains of the then prevalent exploitation, its same now, it is relevant today as well. We are living in a society where the privileges I get depends on my caste, religion, property I own, richness I have and the bureaucrat or the politician whom I know or support. Where girls especially those from poor background are raped inhumanly and killed by rich insane anti social elements and if the victim survives they are threatened and victimized for being a victim. Even after all these allegations and convictions, the rich will be roaming happily and without any sense of wrongdoing or even guilt for committing such a heinous act. This is just one of many such incidents that are happening today. 

Are we not ashamed to live in such a society?? Or have we lost all our values and become numb not to feel anything from this?? No we cannot be like that..

We need a better place to live, a better country to feel proud of…We need a change in our mindset.

I can change and will change… Can u??