Pu.Ti.Na., an eminent Kannada poet is well known as the ‘Jayadeva’ of Kannada literature as he blended music to his song drama ballads, the Geetha Roopakas. His musical knowledge was very rich and he himself identified the ragas to his poetry. This rare quality of the poet endeared him to many music maestros especially the Veena Vidwan Dr. Doreswamy Iyengar. Both were great personal friends too. Putina’s most popular Geetharoopka, Gokula Nirgamana has been immortalized by the musical direction provided by Dr. Doreswamy Iyengar.
The poet’s love for Carnatic music was well known. Now Dr.PUTINA trust which has taken forward the rich literary and musical contribution of the poet under the able leadership of the RashtraKavi Dr.G.S. Shivarudrappa, has ventured in to linking PuTiNa’s compositions to Hindustani music.
The famous Hindustani classical singer Dr. Nagarajarao Havaldar presented a musical evening of PuTiNa’s poems to an enthralled audience at H.N. Kalakshetra, Bengaluru on 19th February 2013. Dr. Havaldar belongs to Kirana gharana system of Hindustani classical music and has under gone musical training under Pundit Madhavagudi who is the shisya of Bharatha Ratna Pandith Bhimsen Joshi. Dr. Nagarajarao is the first musician to popularize poems of DVG and D.R. Bendre, Vachana sahityas , and Ughabhogas of various Dasas. Now he made another land mark presentation by singing PuTiNa’s poems.
Dr. Havaldar started the programme with Hrudayavihari set to rag Yeman Kalyan which won over the audience instantaneously. Another poem on darkness was sung in Poorya Kalyan. In between he sang poems of Bendre, H.S.Venkateshamurthy, Vachnas of Akkamahadevi and Ughabhoga of Kanakadasa. He concluded the unique musical evening with PuTiNa’s famous ‘Krishnana kolalinakare’ from Gokulanirgamana which was set to raga Bhairavi.
Pandit Sameer Chatterjee, the famous Tabala maestro who is the founder director of Chandayan Music Institute at New York, USA, provided Tabala support which drew audience admiration. Shree Omkarnath Havaldar, the accompanying singer also gave admirable support.
