Lessons for a lifetime

BENGALURU: My bond with Nisar Ahmed goes back over 60 years. I first saw him when I was 17 years old. I got enrolled in 1st PUC at 1st Grade College, Chitradurga, where he was a professor. He specialised in Geology while I had taken up science. But it was poetry that brought us together as a guru and shishya. He was the first person who taught me nuances of poetry.

He would always encourage people who had a talent for writing, and would personally ask us to show him our poems. He wrote the first review for my first collection of poems. I have written at least 10 essays on Nisar Ahmed’s poetry. He is one of the most significant names in Kannada poetry who made a connection with all generations. He was known to be surreal in his poetry, but he used to make his poems simple for everybody to understand. He had a sense of humour and a dramatic aura about him, and that’s why he rose to such great popularity.

He is most known for his poem, Nityotsava Thayi Nityotsava. I too have a list of favourites. Among them is Raman Satha Suddhi. It was a classic poem about the effects of CV Raman’s death. Another one to remember will be Amma Achara Naanu, a humorous poem based on a newly-married couple. I remember he once compared a girl’s teeth to children’s handwriting. He was an expert in bringing in fresh metaphors. His other very popular poem is Kurigalu Sir Kurigalu, which was translated into a song by Ananth Swamy.

I had last met him two months back when he had invited a few of his friends for lunch. He had then mentioned that his health was deteriorating day by day. He loved talking for long hours. Nisar Ahmed translated Pablo Neruda’s poetry, besides Shakespeare’s Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, into Kannada. His strength lay as much in his translation as in his poetry and even lyrics. He was inspired by Kuvempu and had a good hold on Sanskrit too. His use of language in its purity was his other strength. His sense of rhythm and rhyme is what attracted many people to his works. I call him a technically sound poet. He will remain my favourite poet.  — As told to A Sharadhaa

HS Venkatesh  Murthy Kannada poet, playwright, director