Dharwad an ideal place for me to move in: Devy

HUBBALI:

Ganesh Devy

, who has among front runners in movement against intolerance and is

scholar

from

Gujarat

, is permanently shifting his residence from Baroda to Dharwad by the end of this month. He is the one among writers who returned

Sahitya Akademi

’s award following killing of research scholar MM Kalburgi.

Meanwhie his migration is being treated as great strength for Dharwad which has been the hub of writers, linguistics, musicians from centuries. In the wake of his shifting TOI approached Devy, who is currently in Baroda and preparing to shift to Dharwad, to know what he found in Dharwad and why he is leaving his motherland Gujarat.

• What made you to think about migration from Gujarat to Karnataka?

Devy: In order to make a new beginning, I have chosen Dharwad as my 'Karmabhumi' for the coming years. Karnataka state in general and Dharwad in particular has always attracted me. My teacher late Shantinath Desai studied there and taught for a while at the Karnataka University. My wife is from Karnataka and therefore we feel very much at home in Karnataka. The great literary persons like Da Ra Bendre, VK Gokak and Ram Sri Mugali, Girish Karnad as also the Marathi writer GA Kulkarni have made Dharwad a place of eminence. Several eminent scholars like the philosopher KJ Shah, K Krishnamoorthy, GS Amur and MM Kalburgi have brought the city a good name with their scholarly contributions. Therefore, I thought Dharwad makes an ideal place for me to move in.

• Dharwad is in international news after killing of Kalburgi. There is a feeling among writers and artistes that Dharwad is not safer place to express one's views. How do you find it will be safer than Baroda?

Devy: Dharwad has been in international news previously too. The world knows that some of the greatest of the musicians of the 20th century were from Dharwad. The more recent events, particularly the horrific murder of prof Kalburgi has shocked every right thinking person in the country. But, I do not think that Dharwad has become less safer. As for as the freedom for expression is concerned, I do not think one has to worry so long as the courage to express is not lost. Fortunately, the Constitution of India has granted us that freedom. As a person who respects the Constitution, I feel assured that one can pursue one's intellectual and social activities without fear of intimidation.

• Did you find Baroda/Gujarat is not safer for writers/artistes?

Devy: I have spent the last 35 years in Gujarat. It has had for quite a while an atmosphere of caution and anxiety among writers and artists. But, please remember that my Gujarat has been the Gujarat of Gandhi and the Gujarat of tribals and the nomadic people. There are over 80 lakh tribals and nearly 30 lakh nomads in Gujarat. All of my time over the last 20 years is spent with them. They know how to speak up their mind. The organisation I created was Bhasha, which is seen today all over the country as the 'voice of Adivasis'. So, I hope my moving from Gujarat to Karnataka is not seen a migration out of concerns for personal safety, that has never bothered me. I am moving to Dharwad for something far beyond my personal reasons.

• What will be your preparation to reach nomadic community of Karnataka?

Devy: My first plan is to meet the members of the Denotified and Nomadic Communities (DNTs) in and around Hubli, Gokak, Ballari and to understand their difficulties and do what I can do for them. I would like to acquire at least enough Kannada to be able to converse with the tribals and nomadic communities. When I was there for the VK Gokak Memorial Lecture last year, I felt ashamed that I could not deliver it in Kannada and I had to use English. I will feel happy if I can lecture in Kannada, read Kannada books and understand the more complex and philosophical works in Kannada. It will be a great earning for me.

• Do you have any plans to spend some time to explore North Karnataka in your own way?

Devy: When I was in Gujarat, I used to visit frequently the places associated with Mahatma Gandhi such as Dandi and the Sabarmati Ashram. When I move to Dharwad, I plan to spend a lot of time in the places of cultural and natural diversity such as the Dandeli forest, the Western Ghats, Hampi and so on.

• You have been involved in people movements in Gujarat. How about your civic activism after arriving in Dharwad?

Devy: I would like to do is to help the civic body in Dharwad to raise some funds for putting in place a more modern drainage system in place. I have noticed open gutters there. It will be good to have them covered. I consider this far more important a responsibility (for myself) than producing a scholarly book. I believe that citizens have to collaborate with the government on such initiatives. Dharwad is a stunningly beautiful town. I would like to see it become more beautiful. On arriving at Dharwad, it is my plan to meet the officers there to see how I can be of any use in accomplishing the task.

• How was your experience quiting professorship and working for nomadic communities?

Devy: I worked here as Professor of English at the Baroda university. But 20 years ago, I left my professorship and moved to a small tribal village called Tejgadh to set up a people's institution for the tribals and the nomadic communities. That was not a funded project. It was my passion for protecting diverse cultures. I began from a scratch. In 2006, the Government of India ranted 'Centre of Excellence' status to the organisation. At that stage, I decided to hand over the institution to the community members. It is extremely well run by my Adivasi friends.

• Then your work was expanded to other states…

Devy: Yes, in 2007, I started plans for a nation-wide survey of languages. By 2012, the survey of 780 living languages was completed. The team had 3000 volunteers.

• Can you emphasise on output of this survey please?

Devy: The publication of this work will result in 87 books divided in 50 volumes. The books have started coming out and all of them will be out by 2018. When I saw that the People's Linguistic Survey is on a steady footing, I thought that time has come again when I must make a fresh beginning and dream of a new mission.

• You are already involved in movement against intolerance. Will it be continued here also? If yes, how?

Devy: The Dakshinayan movement was initiated as a movement in literature and the arts. In our time, it brings to one’s mind the concerns that dominate the discourse in the Global South. It certainly hints at turning away from easy paths of ascension and exploring new ways of relating to space and time. Dakshinayan is a movement that has sprung up through a collective desire to forge a new solidarity between cinema, threate, literature and the arts. It is a call for fearless articulation of the desire to resist. It is a collective and spontaneous call to sensitive minds to defend dignity of the human and sanctity of the spiritual. Dakshinayan is a new struggle for the freedom of creative expression that foregrounds tolerance and dialogue. It is an attempt to deepen rational and progressive thinking as being pivotal to society that is genuinely equal, just and respectful of diversity. Dakshinayan is the long awaited initiative to go beyond caste, class, creed, gender, language, form and genre, to cross borders between identities, to nurture imagination without narrow borders and to celebrate the voice that frees the mind from limits imposed by ideologies, credos, partisan institutions and movements. It is a movement that asserts that the earth does not belong to us, but rather we belong to it. Dakshinayan asserts that All that is, is significant.

• As movement of pressurizing Karnataka government to arrest culprits of Kalburgi assassination seems losing its voice, will you take lead in this regard?

Devy: I shall do everything that I can. Then there are other issues too related to higher education, mother tongue education, rights of the poor, ecological conservation, dignity of women. I shall participate in activities related to all these to the best of my abilities. However, I do not see myself as leader of anything or anybody. I am a thinker and I feel happy if others look at me as a colleague and not as a leader.