Krishnamoorthy Puranik

Krishnamoorthy Puranik (5 September 1911 – 12 November 1985) was an Indian writer and poet who wrote in Kannada. He was the principal of a government high school in Gokak and was awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for his work Mannina Magalu (Daughter of the Soil). 

On September 5, 1911, in Bilagi, Krishnamoorthy Puranik was born to Tammanna Shastree and Lakshmi Bai. This was a traditional poor Brahmin family interested in the traditional songs sung in the temples. 

Krishnamoorthy completed his primary education in Bilagi and then enrolled to high school in Bagalkot where he used to receive food from kind individuals who fed the underprivileged pupils. In Kannada they call them as Varada mani hudugaru. 

When he was 14 years old, he met an 18-year-old widow during his high school years who had lost her husband just a year before. She was so limited to staying exclusively in rooms with low lighting. She had never been in contact with anyone else and had never seen the sun. This caused him to reflect and reform society's social norms. Such circumstances eventually became a major theme in his book, poetry, etc.  

After graduating from Karnataka College, he met several people, including Bendre, Betageri, and Gokak. He joined Municipal High School as a Kannada teacher in the year 1935 and the same year he got married with Ganga. 

His approach to literature was quite methodical..  He published Ramoona Kathegalu in the year 1946, Baal Kanasu 1947. The first novel, Mugila Mallige published in the year 1948.

 

He wrote constantly. With his earnest and diligent efforts, he was able to produce 116 books totaling 19,879 pages. Of them, 80 were novels, 12 collections of short stories, 11 poetry plays, and 8 works of children's literature. Instead of using his imagination, he was getting close to the events, being involved, and using that to make things happen. He brought his sentiments into actuality and engaged the readers in the issue.

Some of his writings were made into successful Kannada and Tamil movies. Of the eleven, Anireekshitha(1970), Bhageerathi(1969), Halunda Thavaru(1994), Hoo Bisilu(1971), 

Karuneye Kutumbada Kannu(1962), Kulavadhu(1963), Mannina Magalu(1974), Pavana Ganga(1977),Sanaadi Appanna(1977), Suli(1978), etc. are the prominent cinemas. 

In 1959, he received his first Award for the book Mannina Magalu (Daughter of the Soil); At 1969, Taralabalu Jagadguru delivered the Kadambari Sree award; in Hubballi, all of his admirers gave him "Kadambari Darshan" when he turned 60. 

Krishnamoorthy Puranik passed away on November 12, 1985, at the age of 74, yet his commitment to our Kannada literature has made him immortal.

Kandagal Hanamantaraya

On January 11, 1896, Shree Hanamantaraya was born in Kandagal (in the Bilagi taluk) to Shree Bheemarao and Shreemati Gangubai. His interest was in folklore songs, bhajana, theatre, etc., even though his parents wanted him to get the academic credentials to work in government departments.

He began attending all the theatres for plays instead of going to school, and subsequently he began composing plays.  He wrote "Paroo" and "Tarale Toppige" to perform during Ganesh Chavati- festival, earning him a prize from F.G. Halakatti in 1965. Even after joining the military, his enthusiasm in play(dramas and theater) did not go down.

He was the manager, owner, etc. of Drama Company and was familiar with every facet of it. He founded the "Shree Krishna Nataka Company" at Vijayapur and staged his own play, "Sandhya Raaga." Mudaveedu Krishnaraya and Aloor Venkataraya appreciated it since it was extremely successful in both Vijayapur and Dharawad. Hanamantaraya's enthusiasm in dramas prevented him from working in the banking sector either. His participation as a director in the Yallubai drama "Sandya Raaga," which was successful even in south Canara  also.

Then he joined as a manager in “Vaani Vilas Naataka Company”, played “Raja Harishchandra” and “Vara Pradhana” got highest appreciation from the audience. With this experience, once again he established “Lalit Kaloddaraka Naataka Mandali”  and played Varapradan  of “Punya Prabha and Akshayamba”.  Famous stars like Siddramappa and Ameerbai acted in these plays also. Raktaraatri, Kurukshetra and Badatanada Bhoota, dramas written by Kandagal Hanumantaraaya, brought success to Siddaramappa.

He wrote “Badatanada Bhoota”. Subsequently, this company reached even Hyderabad and he was honoured as “Shakespeare of Karnataka” by “Sir Siddappa Kambali”. 

Hanamantaraya has authored 36 dramas, according to the information that is currently available. 12 of these are Pouranika, 2 are historical, and 8 are social.  14- dramas are in the form of manuscripts (8-ekaanka and six are mooranka). Mahadev Kanavi wrote a booklet, “Kandagal Smriti”, Dr Sriram Ittannavar edited it. Then, Shree Alagi wrote a book on Kandagal Hanamntaraya. 

To honour him: A drama theatre has been started in Guledagudda and Vijayapur and Smaraka Vedike in Bilagi.

   

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.