Nammanadu: 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

ನಮ್ಮ cinema

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Kannada Cinema Pioneer- R. Nagendra ರಾವ್

A legendary figure of the Kannada Theater and Cinema. A Kannada stage and screen star. A pioneer of Kannada Cinema who virtually founded it almost single-handedly in the early 1930's . Actor, writer, music composer, producer and director, he was a multi -faceted personality of South Indian Cinema during its early decades. He made films and also acted not only in Kannada but Tamil, Telugu and even Hindi. Such was the veteran of South Indian Cinema, R. Nagendra Rao.
Long before Kannada Cinema rose on the horizon in 1934 with '' Sathi Sulochana", he had already acted in the lead role in two films, one in Tamil and the other in Telugu in Bombay which were produced by the pioneer of the Indian talkie, Ardeshir Irani. Such was his enterprise, which created history during the tumultuous period of 1930's. His dash, dynamism and drive were unparalleled in that period in the old Mysore State ruled by a fabulously wealthy maharaja. With little formal education, he made his way to Bombay to begin his film career as actor and later worked hard to establish Kannada Cinema.
Before he came into movies he was a stage star and along with M. V. Subbaiah Naidu and Gubbi Veeranna, he formed the legendary trio of Kannada Theater and Cinema.
His work won him much fame and recognition reaching far beyond the confines of his home state Karnataka. Indeed during his day he was one of the most popular figures of South Indian Cinema. Such an interesting stage and screen personality was R. Nagendra Rao.
To him goes the credit of playing the leading role in the making of the first Kannada-talking picture "Sathi Sulochana" (1934). He not only played the role of the mighty ten-headed Ravana but also composed its music. Another significant achievement of his was the role he played in the production of the first 'dubbed' picture of India, '' Sathya Harischandra" (1943). The historic film was the first movie to be dubbed in this country, from Kannada to Tamil. He not only played the lead role in this film but also directed it and was a partner in the production along with AV. Meiyappan. In a long, distinguished and successful career Nagendra Rao made and acted in many memorable films in more than one language. His performance as villain in the successful Gemini Studios - S. S. Vasan production, " Apoorva Sahotharargal"(1949, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) won high praise and ranks to this day as one of the finest performances of suave villainy seen in Indian Cinema. His Kannada movies "Premadha Puthri" (1950) and the "Jathaka Phala" (1957) won him great fame and name.
Rattihalli Nagendra Rao was born on June 23, 1896 in Holalkare, Chitradurga District in the old Mysore State into a modest Brahmin family. His father Krishna Rao was an employee of the Forest Department of the Maharaja -ruled state. Due to pressures of circumstances Nagendra Rao’s childhood was far from happy. His father gave up his job and took to farming at which he was unsuccessful. Indeed Nagendra Rao had to struggle for his daily meal and lived on the charity of kind- hearted Brahmin souls.
(In those days there was a tradition in the Brahmin community by which kind- hearted, affluent Brahmins provided a meal a day in the week for poor Brahmin boys. Each family followed this tradition thus providing the boy with food. They also gifted him clothes keeping him free from worries and to concentrate on the study of Sanskrit, Vedas and such scholarly pursuits. Due to changes in lifestyles and attitudes this custom had vanished...) Even as a mere lad Nagendra Rao showed interest in singing, and coupled with his good looks he seemed to his father to be a perfect choice to go on stage which he thought would at least assure him of his daily meal. He knew a popular stage artist and thanks to him Nagendra Rao joined Kannada Theater as a boy of eight.

the first Kannada film released was Sathi Sulochana in 1934. The mere sound of lion's roar at the start of the film had a section of audience falling unconscious. Other fled the theatre thinking a lion had gate crashed into the theatre.Sathi Sulochana," was 16,000 feet long. It was a success and ran house-full forsix weeks in Bangalore and equally well in other places in Mysore State.
After its success, Y. V. Rao rose to become a leading filmmaker of India and made films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Konkani, and Kannada

The first hero of Kannada cinema was Subbaiyanaidu.

ನಮ್ಮ ನಾಡಿನ bagge

Karnataka-Some Facts and Figures
Area
1,92,000 sq. Km (eighth largest state in India)
Length
760 Km. (north-south)
Breadth
420 Km. (east-west)
Population
(1981 Census)52.73 million (eighth rank in India);Urban Population: 28.5%
Literacy
38.5% (National average:36.2%);Female Literacy:27.7%
Climate
Semi-tropical
Seasons
Summer: March to May (18oC to 40oC);Winter: Oct to Dec (14oC to 32oC);South-West Monsoon: June to August;North-East Monsoon: October to December
Rainfall
500 mm to over 4000 mm. Agumbe in theSahyadris receives the second heaviest annualrainfall (7600 mm) in India
Physiograpy
Karavali, the Coastal Plain; Sahyadris,the Western Ghats; Malnad, the Transitional Belt;the Southern Plateau; the Northern Plateau;the Eastern Ghats.
Traditional Products
Coffee, silk, sandalwood, agarbathis, ivorycarvings, inlay work, badriware, lacquerware
Rivers
The Krishna System- Krishna, Tungabhadra,Vedavati, Hagari Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Doni, Bhima.The Kaveri System- Kaveri, Hemavati, Harangi,Kapila, Shimsha.West-flowing rivers - Kalinadi, Gagavali,Aghanashini, Sharavati, Varahi, Netravati.Other rivers - Manjra and Karanja (tributaries of the Godavari);Palar, Pennar, Poonaiyar
Greens
Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Semi-evergreen,Dry Deciduous (Malnad), Dry Deciduous(Plateau), Shrub
Prime Industries
Electronics, Computer Engineering, Aeronautics,Machine Tools, Watch-making, ElectricalEngineering, Aluminiun, Steel
Major Crops
Ragi, jowar, rice; sugarcane, coconut, groundnuts; coffee; cotton
Major Minerals
Gold (90% of India's production), iron ore,manganese, maganesite
Premier Educational Centres
Indian Institute of Science, Raman ResearchInstitute, National Institute of Mental Health andNeuro-Sciences, Central Food TechnologicalResearch Institute, Indian Space Research Organisation, National Aeronautical Laboratory,National Institute for Sports(South).
Major Cities/Towns
Over 10 lakhs: Bangalore;Over 5 lakhs: Hubli-Dharwad;Over 2 lakhs: Belgaum, Bellary, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore;Over 1 lakh: Bhadravati, Bijapur, Chitradurga,Gadag-Betagiri, Hospet, KGF, Mandya, Raichur,Shimoga, Tumkur.
Religion
Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Christians
Roads
Total length of roads: 1,22,489 ನ್ಯಾಷನಲ್ highways: 2,357 ಸ್ಟೇಟ್ highways: 28,311 ಮಜೋರ ಡಿಸ್ಟ್ರಿಕ್ಟ್ roads: 2,090 kms
Lingua Franca
Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Marathi, Tulu, Kodagu, Konkani, Hindi

ಹಿಸ್ಟರಿ ಆಫ್ ನಮ್ಮ nadu

A Pre-historic Brief:The pre-historic culture of Karnataka, the hand-axe culture, compares favourable with the one that existed in Africa and is quite distinct from the pre-historic culture of North India. The early inhabitants of Karnataka knew the use of iron far earlier than the North, and iron weapons, dating back to 1200 B.C have found at Hallur in Dhaward district.
Early rulers:The early rulers of Karnataka were predominantly from North India. Parts of Karnataka were subject to the rule of the Nandas and the Mauryas.
The Shathavahanas (30 B.C to 230 A.D of paithan) ruled over extensive areas in Northern Karnataka. Karnataka fell into the hands of the Pallavas of Kanchi. Pallavas domination was ended by indigenous dynasties, the Kadambas of Banavasi and the Gangas of Kolar, who divided Karnataka between themselves.
The Kadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was founded by Mayurasharman in c. 345 A.D. Subjected to some kind of humiliation at the Pallava capital, this young brahmin gave up his hereditary priestly vacation and took to the life of a warrior and revolted aganist the Pallavas. The Pallavas were forced to recognise him as a sovereign when he crowned himself at Banavasi in Uttar Kannada Dt. One of his successors, Kakustha Varman (c. 435-55) was such a powerful ruler that even the Vakatakas and the guptas cultivated martial relationship with this family during his time. The great poet Kalidasa deems to have visited his court.
The Gangas
The Gangas started their rule from c. 350 from Kolara and later their capital was shifted to Talakadu (Mysore Dt.). Till the advent of the Badami Chalukyas, they were almost a sovereign power. Later they continued to rule ove Gangavadi (which comprised major parts of South Karnataka) till the close of the 10th century as subordinates of the Badami Chalukyas and the Rastrakutas.
The Badami Chalukyas
It is the Chalukyas of Badami who brought the whole of Karnataka under a single rule. They are also remembered for their contributions in the feild of art. Their monuments are found at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. The first great prince of the dynasty was Pulikeshin I (c. 540-66 A.D) who built the ashwamedha (horse sacrifice) after subduing many rulers including the Kadambas.
His grandson, Pulikeshin II (609-42) built a vast empire which extended from Narmada in the north to the Cauveri in the south. In the east, he overthrew the Vishnukundins and appointed his younger brother Vishnuvardhana, the voceroy of Vengi.
The Chalukyan empire included not only the whole of karnataka and Maharashtra, but the greater part of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andra, and also parts of Orissa and Tamilnadu. Vikramaditya II (693-734) in the line defeated the Pallavas, entered the Pallava capital Kanchi victorious. The Chalukyan power was weakened in the long run by its wars with the Pallavas.
The Rastrakutas
In 753, Danthidurga, the Rastrakuta feudatory of the Chalukyas, overthrew the Chalukya king Keerthivarman II, and his family inherited the fortunes of the Chalukyas. The engraving of the celebrated monolithic Kailas temple at Ellora (now in Maharshtra) is attribuited to Danthidurga's uncle, Krishna I (756-74). Krishna's son, Dhruva (780-93) crossed the Narmada, and after defeating celebrated princes like Vathsaraja (of the Gurjara Pratheehara family of central India) and Dharmapala of Bengal, extracted tribute from the ruler of Kanauji, 'the seat of India's paramountry'. His son Givinda III (793-814) also repeated the feast when he defeated Nagabhata II, the Gujara Pratheehara and Dharmapala of Bengal and again extracted tribute from the King of Kanauj.The achievements of the Chalukyas of Badami and the Rastrakutas by defeating the rulers of Kanauj have made their erathe "Age of Imperial Karnataka".
The Kalyana Chalukyas
The Chalukyas of Kalyana overthrew the Rastrakutas in 973, Someshwara I (10432068), succeeded in resisting the efforts of the Cholas to subdue Karnataka, and he built a new capital, Kalyana (mordern Basava Kaluyana in Bidar Dt.) The Chola king Rajadhiraja was killed by him at Koppar in 1054.
His son Vikramaditya VI (10762127) has been celebrated in history as the patron of the great jurist Vijnaneshwara, (work: mitakshara, standard work on Hindu law), and the emperor has been immortalised by poet Dilhana (haling from Kashmir) who chose this prince himself as the hero for his sanskrit poem, Vikramankadeva Charitam. Vikramaditya defeated the Paramaras of Centeral India thrice. In the South he captured Kanchi from the Cholas in 1085, and in the East, he conqured Vengi in 1093. His commander, Mahadeva built the Mahadeva temple at Itagi (Raichur Dt.) the finest Chalukyan monument. His son Someshwara III (1127-39) was a great scholar. He has written Manasollasa, a sanskrit encyclopedia and Vikrmankabhyudayam, a peom of which his father is the hero,
The Sevunas
The Sevunas (or Yadavas) who were foundatories of the Rastrakutas and the chalukyas of Kalyana, became a sovereign power from the days of Bhillama V (1173-92) who founded the new capital Devagiri (modern Daulathabad in Maharastra). Bhillama V captured Kalyana in 1186, and later clashed with Hoysala Ballala II at Sorarturu in 1190. Though he lost the battle.He built a vast kingdom, extending from the Narmada to the Krishna. His son Jaitugi (1192-99) not only defeated Parmara Subhata varma, but also killed the Kakatiya kings of Orangal, Rudra and Mahadeva.
Singhana II (11992247), the greatest of the Sevunas, extended the Sevuna kingdom upto the Tungabhadra. But the Servunas were defeated by the army of the Delhi Sultan in 1296, and again in 1307 and finally in 1318, and thus the kingdom was wiped out. The Sevunas have become in immortal in history by the writings of the mathematician Baskarasharya, of the great writer on music, Sharngadeva, and of the celebrated scholar Hemadri.
The Hoysalas
The Hoyasala continued the great traditions of their art-loving overlords the Kalyana Chalukyas, and their fine temples are found at Beluru, Helebidu and Somanathapura. Vishnuvardhana (11082141) freed Gangavadi from the Cholas (who had held it from 999), and in commemoration of his victory, built the celebrated Vijayanarayana (Chennakeshva) Temple at Belur.
His commander Katamalla built the famous Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu.
Though Vishnuvardhana did not succeed in his serious effort to overthrow the Chalukyan yoke, his grandson Balla II (11732220) not only became free, but even defeated Sevuna Bhillama V at Soraturu in 1190, after having defeated Chalukyas Someshwara IV in 1187. When the Cholas were attacted by the Pandyas in Tamilnadu, Balla II drove the Pandyas back and thus assumed the title "Establisher of the Chola Kingdom". Later, in the days of his son Narasimha II (1120-35), Hoysalas even secured a foothold in Tamilnadu and Kuppam, near Srirangam became a second capital of the Hoysalas.
Ballala III (12912343), the last Hoysala, had to struggle hard to hold his own against the invasion of the Delhi Sultan. He died fighting the Sultan of Madhurai. It was his commanders, Harihara and Bukka, who founded the Vijayanagra Kingdom, which later grew to be an empire. Hoyasala age saw great kannada poets like Rudrabhatta, Janna, Harihara and Raghavanka. Hoysala temples at Beluru, Halebidu, Somanathapur, Arasikere, Amritapura etc., are wonderful works of art.
Vijayanagara Empire
When the armies of the Delhi Sultanate destroyed the four great kingdom of the south (the Sevunas, Kakatiyas of Orangal, Hoysalas and of the Pandyas of Madhurai) it looked as if a political power following a religion quite alien to the South was going to dominate the peninsula. Many princes including heroic Kumara Rama, a fudatory from Kamapila in Bellary dist. perished while resisting the onslaughts. When the Vijayanagara Kingdom was founded by the Sangama brothers, people wholeheartedly supported them. Tradition says that sage Vidyaranya had caused a shower of gold to finance the Sangama brothers. Perphaps the sage succeeded in securing financial help from various quarters for the founders of Vijayanagara . Harisha founded the kingdom in about 1336, and he secured control over northern parts of Karnataka and Andhra iron coasts. After the death of Ballala III (1343) and his son Virupaksha Ballala (in 1346), the whole of the Hoysala dominion came under his control. His brother Bukka (1356-77) succeeded in destroying the Madhurai Sultanate. It is this prince who sponsored the writing of the monumental commentary on the vedas: Vedarthaprakasha; the work was completed in the days of his son Harihara II (13772404)
Krishnadevaraya (15092529) was the greatest emperor during his time. He was also a great warrior, scholar and administrator. He secured Raichur Doab in 1512, and later marched victorious into the capitals of his enemies like Bidar (1512) Bijapur (1523) and in the East, Cuttack (1518), the capital of the Gajapatis. His rule saw the reign of peace and prosperity.
In the days of Aravidu Ramaraya (1542-65), Krishnadevaraya's son-in-law, the four Shashi Sultans attacked the empire, and after killing Ramarya at Rallasathangadi (Rakkasagi-Tangadagi) in 1565, destroyed the capital Vijayanagara.
The Last Rulers:With the weakening of the Mughul power in the North, the Marathas came to have control over the northern districts of Karnataka. Haidar Ali, Who used power from the Wodeyars of Mysore, merged the Keladi Kingdom in Mysore in 1763. Karnataka came under British rule after the overthrow of Tipu, Haidar's son in 1799 and the Marathas in 1818 (When the Peshwa was defeated). After having been subjected to a number of administrations during the British rule, Karnataka became a single state in 1956.

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