The Literary Bubble of Hampana

Most people think literature is synonymous with Shakespeare. But any literature student would argue otherwise. Literature shapes itself around the elements of time, history, society and psychology occasionally. Therefore, literature in itself is a sea of opportunities. One such personality who continues swimming across literary currents is Kamala Hampana.

The literary laureate, Kamala Hampana; Image Source- Wikipedia

Somewhere in the town of Devanahalli in Bangalore, Kamala Hampana was born in 1935. She imbibed her interest in literature, art and culture through her mother, who was a singer.

Fast forwarding the years of her schooling, Kamala discovered her love for Kannada literature while pursuing her Bachelors and Masters. She duly credits her professors D L Narasimhachar and T N Srikantaiah, who sparked her interest in the subject and pushed her to pursue various research projects.

While Kamala was doing exceptionally good in academics, another side of her story begs for attention. Hampa Nagarajaiah and Kamala herself are the protagonists of this cute story.

It all started when these two young individuals were in college. Nagarajaiah was an able debater and so was Kamala. They would often team up for competitions and spend long hours perfecting their arguments. As time went on, they became good friends who eventually became lovers. When Kamala started working at the Maharani College of Bangalore, Nagarajaiah taught at the same college at the Mysore branch. Their relationship only grew fonder to the point where Nagarajaiah proposed marriage.

Alas! A battle awaited the faith of these college sweethearts! It is no secret that Modern India could not digest inter-religious marriages. Nagarajaiah being a Jain, faced stiff opposition from Kamala's family. Nagarajaiah had to forge a deed stating that he shall relinquish all rights over Kamala's ancestral property. After many tumultuous times, the couple indulged in the joys of marital life.

Kamala and Nagrajaiah are a power couple. Both are renowned in the literary circles for their achievements. Their love was so revolutionary and inspiring that Yasemin Samdereli decided to capture their story in his documentary, The Night of All Nights. While the documentary also revolves around the lives of other international couples, the tale of Nagarajaiah and Kamala continues to remain the epitome of boundless love.

The now old couple still debate and banter on topics of their interest. It is almost as if literature is their language of love.

Kamala's life beyond her thrilling love story stretches extensively to her myriads of literary works, whether it be authoring books, reviews, essays, criticism, research or experimenting and discovering archaic works, Kamala, has done it all. Kamala also shares a keen interest in Jainology, much like her husband.

From 1959 to 1996, Kamala has devoted herself to the purpose of teaching and has won many hearts. As an all-time favourite professor, Kamala has learnt a lot in the process. Her years of experience and knowledge have sharpened her scholarly works beyond perfection, for getting recognition from the Asiatic Society of India, Toronto University, St. Louis and much more.

Apart from being a literary master, Kamala is also a staunch feminist. Her works dedicated to the cause of women empowerment, like Bharana, is a mirror to her ideologies. Furthering the cause, she boldly claims that a separate Dalit Mahila Sahitya Sammelana will only estrange Dalit women. She goes on to highlight the role of Dalit women in preserving the essence of folk literature through oral traditions and thereby refuses to accept the label of backward for Dalit women.

Kamala's illustrious career gave her the golden opportunity to chair the 71st Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 2003 at Mudbidri. She was the third woman to have held the conference. It is indeed a matter of pride here!

Today, Kamala continues to wield her pen to mould incredible pieces of Kannada literature, which shall inscribe on the golden pages of history. Cheers! To Kamala's happy literary bubble.

Evergreen literary love birds; Image Source- Film Freak Central