Siddalingaiah, Kannada poet and dalit voice, dies of Covid

BENGALURU: BENGALURU: Kannada poet Dr Siddalingaiaiah, who passed away on Friday (June 11, 2021) was a prominent face of dalit movement that changed the course of literary and socio-political ethos of Karnataka in the 1980s.
He died after battling Covid-19 for more than a month at a private hospital. He was 67 and he is survived by his wife, who is also being treating for Covid, a son and daughter.
Siddalingaiah, who was tested positive on May 2, had in fact struggled to get an ICU bed and he was admitted to Manipal Hospital on May 4 after a Kannada activist tweeted about the emergency need of shifting him to a hospital where ICU bed was available.
The Manipal Hospital release said Siddalingiah was admitted with severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure and he succumbed to his illness at 3.45pm on Friday.
A towering literary figure, Dr Siddalingaiah taught Kannada at the Bengaluru University and he came to prominence with his revolutionary poems like ‘Yarige Banthu, Ellige Banthu Nalavaththelara Swathanthra’, a dismayed take on the Freedom not being beneficial to the poor, and ‘Nanna Janagalu…’ His debut anthology 'Hole Maadigara Haadu,' a sharp response to the oppression of the marginalised classes, gave fillip to the fledgling dalit movment.
Apart from being pioneered dalita Sahitya (dalit literture) genre in Kannada literature, he was one of the founders of the Dalitha Sangarsha Samithi (DSS) that spearheaded the dalit movement and inspired pro-downtrodden political idelogy in Karnataka.
An English translation of his autobiography 'Ooru Keri' was the text for students in many universities.
He penned a very few film songs and they were all the hit numbers enthralling movie buffs.
Siddalingaiah was a two-term member of the Legislative Council. He was the chairman of Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara (Kannada Books Authority) and Kannada Development Pradhikara (Kannada Development Authority).
His admirers often criticised him for cozying up to the ruling parties as they rue that his soft-spoken diminuer never reflected fire seen in his poems. The progressive leaders were dismayed when Siddalingaiah went to the extent of likening chief minister BS Yediyurappa to the 12th century social reformer-poet Basaveswara and hailed him modern Basavanna at a time when the latter was embroiled in corruption charges.
However, he will be endearingly remembered for the charm of his personality laced with simplicity and humour.
Malavika Avinash, actor and BJP functionary and his neighbour, remembered his self-deprecating sense of humour.
"His humour and ability to laugh about himself made him a very special person. Kannada literature will miss him,” she said.