Goharbai Karnataki or Miss Gohar of Bijapur

Hussain Khan, a tabla player from the little hamlet of Bilagi, had six daughters. Allamma (Ahilya) was the first, followed by Amirbai, Gauhar (born in 1908), badi Munni, Chhoti Munni, and Nanhi Munni. And a Son, and his name was Dastgir. 

 

Gauhar (Gauramma), who comes from a singing family, worked for the Vanivilas Natak mandali theatre group. Because they were close to Sangli/Miraj and Kolhapur and fell under the jurisdiction of the Bombay Presidency, Hubli, Dharwad, and Belgaum were regular locations for their theatrical company. Nilkanth Panchakshari Buwa, a blind instructor, taught Gauhar the fundamentals of classical music. Basavanna, the brother of the legendary classical vocalist Mallikarjuna Mansur, composed songs for Gauhar and played the harmonium during her performances. 

Gauhar started acting in Marathi and Hindi films. She acted, sang and also composed her own songs, but no records were brought out. Gauhar was mesmerised by the famous Marathi singer cum actor BAL GANDHARVA. She first met him in 1937, in actor Himalayawala's flat. From 1938, Gauhar remained with Balgandharva till she died in 1964.

She acted in films like Raas vilas-32, Kala Pahad and Sohni mahiwal-33, Kala vagh and Shak karta Shivaji (M)-34, Pyar ki Maar-35, Bansriwala, Gol Nishan and Graduate-36, Kala Bhoot and Chabuk swar-37, Vijay Danka-38, Hawai khatola and Swadesh sewa-46. Chabuk Sawaar-37 was a stunt film a-la Fearless Nadiya style wherein she did some stunts. 

She must have sung atleast 100 songs but since there were no records, there is no information. However, she has sung many Marathi natyageet and Bhajans.

Some of the songs sung by Goharbai:

Dr. M C Modi

Murigeppa Channaveerappa Modi (4 October 1916 – 11 November 2005) was an Indian ophthalmologist and eye surgeon.

Dr. Modi was an Ayurvedic Eye surgeon who performed a record half-a-million (more than five-lakh) eye surgeries. He travelled to remote villages and towns of India to hold mass eye camps. He was known for his dexterity as a surgeon and diagnostic acumen. He Studied DAM from Kankanwadi Ayurvedic College Belagavi, Karnataka. 

An Indian ophthalmologist, born in  Bilagi  of Bagalkot district. He is an alumnus of KLE U's Shri B M Kankanawadi Ayurved Mahavidyalaya Belgaum.

After attending Gandhiji's historic prayer meeting in Bombay on August 8, 1942, where the Quit India resolution was adopted, Modi abandoned a profitable career in private practise. His life was altered by that meeting. The talented ophthalmologist Modi has devoted his life to helping those who are blind. "When I witnessed blind individuals begging, I was moved. Simply put, they lacked the funds to visit a doctor. Modi remembered. "Dr. Modi is thought to have completed a record five lakh (half a million) eye surgery. He travelled to India's rural cities and villages to host massive eye camps. 

He was the pioneer of mass eye surgery in India. He being an Ayurvedic surgeon The Guinness Book of World Records lists Modi as the "most dedicated doctor," for performing the highest number of eye surgeries. He performed as many as 833 cataract operations in one day.

 He visited 46,120 villages and 12,118,630 patients, and performed a total of 610,564 operations to February 1993."When my time comes I would like to disappear silently" he concluded. He meant that when death comes to him he would accept it wholeheartedly and die without troubling anyone with all the good and bad he did. 

 In 1980, Dr. Modi set up the M.C. Modi Charitable Eye Hospital in Mahalakshmipuram, Bangalore: initially functioning as camp-based eye hospital, it treated thousands of poor and needy patients with eye ailments over the years, and is now a super-specialty eye hospital. Today, the hospital is headed by his son, Amarnath Modi. 

 In an assembly line fashion, Modi operated 40 patients an hour, attending to four patients at a time. Ambidextrous, he performed delicate eye surgeries with his left hand. He did cataract operations, squint corrections and cornea transplants. Earlier, Modi used to perform 600 to 700 operations a day in his camps. But later stages in Karnataka, he operated on 200 to 300 patients every day. Dr. Modi was a nominated member of the Karnataka Legislative Council for a term in the 1990s. 

 Dr. Modi set out to hold eye camps in the then Bombay State, which included parts of Karnataka. He travelled to remote villages and towns to hold camps, often with very little financial or medical support. He mobilized support from local voluntary organizations and people. He also received assistance from India and abroad for his mission. Those operated upon were being given spectacles free of cost. 

 Dr. Modi's phenomenal contributions in the field of medical social service has not gone unappreciated. The government of India has awarded him with its highest awards of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Hellen Keller, the blind and deaf-mute American author, attended one of his camps in 1954, and asked him: "Have you insured your hands?" Dr. Modi appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records in the year 1986, for performing 833 eye operations in a day, the highest in the world. These operations were conducted in Tirupati in 1968 over 14 continuous hours. He was fondly called "Modi, Kannukotta anna", the brother who gave vision, by people in his native state Karnataka. This anna has performed all the eye operations free of cost. Helen Keller, who spoke of him as "a light piercing the darkness with his selfless service". 

 Awards:

Padma Shri  in 1956

Padma Bhushan in 1968

Knight of the Blind award

Doctarate by Mysore University, Karnataka University and Puna University

Watumull Award Humanitarian Award in 1989.

Sanaadi Appanna

In the year 1876, Subbanna Bhajantri gave birth to Appanna in Bilagi as his second son. 

A group of people who used to play music at important events including weddings and sacred festivals are known as a bhajantrigaru. Shehanayi or Sanadi is one of the several tools utilized in this process.  Still there are lot of people around Bilgi take this as profession and play shehanayi in weddings and festivals. In Bilgi there are Appanna's dynasty who played the shehanayi at international levels also.

His father provided this work of art and his brother Babanna helped Appanna to sustain it.  Appanna became well-known and adapted both the Hindustani Sangeeta and the Karnataka Sangeeta via his earnest devotion to this art. 

Appanna gained the hearts of countless people because of his devotion, humility, and sincerity. He was welcomed to every programme and became very famous.

Even though he passed away on September 6, 1945, he is still present in the world today thanks to the film:  Sanadi Appanna..

Sanaadi Appanna is a 1977 Indian Kannada-language musical film directed by Vijay based on the novel Kuniyitu Hejje Naliyithu Gejje by Krishnamoorthy Puranik which was based of Sanaadi appannas life story.  Krishnamoorthy Puranik is also an eminent of Bilgi wrote Sanadi appanna's story as a novel.

In this film Dr Rajkumar played the role of Sanaadi appanna. It is notable for the fact that Bismillah Khan played the actual shehnai for Rajkumar's character in this movie.

We are proud to say Sanaadi Appanna is from the holy land of Bilgi.

Yelu Math

 
From Sri Siddeshwar temple of Bilgi, When we climb the hillock towards north, there is a police wireless station, Maal Gamba, tomb of Baba saab and at a distance towards south-west, there is Yelu Math or Elu math. Very nice place for meditation. We need to trek for around 4-5 kilometers to reach this place... You can see the way how it looks:

There are two ways to reach this place. One was mentioned above from Shree Siddeshwar temple. And the other one is from behind Shree Siddeshwar school enroute to Nagaral thanda or Koppar padevva temple. By any means we have to trek around 5-6 kms inside the hill.

From long distance itself it looks like a white house in the hill:

When you go inside the temple you see seven doors hence the name Yelu Math. In kannada Seven means Yelu- Elu. This temple is of three floors. When you enter, its actually the middle floor. There is a small square which will take you to the ground floor. You need to enter and go down there to see Shivalingam.. Thats the actual place to visit and meditate.

 

In the ground floor there is a place for the meditation. It's really awesome. If you visit Bilgi, don't miss to visit Yelu math. We have captured a video of the whole Elu math. Please see it to experience this awesome architecture. Also when you trek to this place inside the hill, it a thrilling experience.

Amirbai Karnataki

Bilagi, a beautiful place with the above said historical evidences has become a birthplace or a place for their prosperity in their profession and career. Several eminents, who served as Administrators, Artists, Doctors, Scientists, Professors, Freedom Fighters, Swamiji, Industrialist, Educationists, Novelist, Poets, Linguists, etc. are from Bilagi.

Amirbai Karnataki (c. 1906 – 3 March 1965) was a famous actress/singer and playback singer of the early Hindi cinema and was famous as Kannada Kokila. Mahatma Gandhi was an ardent fan of her song Vaishnav Jan To.^[1]

Husainsaab and Ameenaabi's daughter Amirbai Karnataki, who was born in Bilagi in the decade of the nineteenth century (1906) had four sisters and a brother. When all of these were still children, Husainsaab passed away. As a result, Ameenaabi's brother Hatailsaheb began looking after this family. This family was also referred to as the Tummarmatti family because Ameenaabi was from Tummarmatti a village near Bilgi.

The children of this household could only manage a rudimentary education in Bilagi. Due to the family's musical heritage, Amirbai developed a growing interest in dramas and excelled in both singing and acting. Savayi Gandharva saw this rarity in a personality and invited her to work for his company. Accordingly, the entire family was shifted to Vijayapur. People admired Ameerbai after appreciating her melodic voice and lively action, other theatre companies gave her a red carpet welcome as well.  The name and fame of Amirbai (Ameerbai) made her to enter into cinema field and shifted her residence to Mumbai. 

Because of her melodious voice, she could sing in Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, etc. She played prime roles in several cinemas. She was kind and generous lady and Ameer theatre in Vijayapur is the reminiscence of this great artist.

Goharbai Karnataki or Miss Gohar of Bijapur was the sister of Amirbai, who also acted in lot films and Sung lot of songs in differernt languages.

Amirbai Karnataki has sung lot of songs, some of them are:

• "O' Jaanay Waalay Balamwa Laut Kay Aa Laut Kay Aa" Sung by Amirbai Karnataki and Shyam Kumar, lyrics by D. N. Madhok and music by Naushad Ali in the film Rattan (1944)^[4]
• "Dheere Dheere Aa Re, Baadal", from the film Kismat (1943)
• "Priya madhuvanadali", a Kannada song, sung by Amirbai, which is so popular all over Karnataka even today

She had a paralytic attack in 1965, died just four days later, and was buried in Bilgi. Still "Amir Talkies" in the city of Vijayapura (Bijapur), run by her family. 

Songs Playlist from Wynk of Amirbai:

https://wynk.in/u/kQ21P8AYE 

Tribute to AmirBai Karnataki from Radio Ceylon: