G.H. Nayak (Govindaraya Hanumanna Nayaka) is one of the pioneers of the Navya critical tradition. “Baalu” is G.H. Nayak’s autobiographical narrative that traces the evolution of the personal self of the author by correlating it with those phases of history that shaped his political, social and intellectual attitudes and concerns. It is an outstanding document that foregrounds the conflicts, anxieties and values of the different communities that the text deals with. Of equal importance are the individuals who belong to them. Baalu, with remarkable detachment and objectivity, and no self-privileging whatsoever, brings us face to face with the last seven to eight decades of Karnataka’s socio-political, cultural and intellectual struggles and choices.
Mapping the eight decades of his life – from childhood to now – G.H. Nayak forges an organic unity between his personal life and the historical epochs that shaped his being.
Govindaraya Hanumanna Nayaka begins his autobiography with a reference to the “No Tax Agitation” that Ankola Taluk of Uttara Kannada district launched during the 1930s. The tenth child of Baalu and Hanummanna Raku Nayaka, G.H. Nayak kindly captures the intensity of the freedom movement at Ankola (then a part of the Bombay presidency) shaped by the undaunted spirit of the common folk. The Indian Freedom struggle was not a singular, centralised movement drawing attention to major national figures and geographical locations. It produced fascinating local histories and gave birth to hundreds of women and men who, in their localised contexts, displayed incredible coverage and fierce dedication in their participation in the fight for independence. The simple people of the area confronted colonial rule, refused to pay taxes to the colonial government and, bringing massive difficulties upon themselves, confronted the colonial administration. G.H. Nayak’s father fearlessly plunged into the movement and was jailed, as he was for the second time in 1942 during the Quit India movement. Nayak’s elder brother Narayana Hanumanna Nayak too was involved during the ‘Chale Jaao’ agitation. G.H. Nayak writes about the whole phase that moulded his convictions, integrity and fearless honesty with tenderness and affection devoid of rhetoric and sentimentality. For those who have known G.H. Nayak as a human being, a teacher and intellectual, the qualities of moral intransigence and integrity are the distinguishing features of his personality, and “Baalu” locates the origins of those virtues.
The work pays tributes in unequivocal terms to the daring temper of the unnamed, unrecognised people of the land – a virtue applicable to each of them. This is subaltern history that all need to become aware of -- the autobiography opening us up to another dimension that reorients our views on culture and knowledge. G.H. Nayak draws attention to the rich and profound learning of his father and brother, both great yakshagana and talamaddale artistes, who blended the creative energies of oral traditions with a comprehensive understanding of the magnitude of the Indian epic and the great classical texts of the Kannada language. The oral and written traditions were part of the performative culture and the people who were witnesses to these were a vital part of the living culture of the land. (Nayak pays growing tributes to Vandige Ramachandra Nayak and his bond with the cultural traditions – one among the innumerable figures the book mentions while drawing the cultural landscape of Ankola, and, of Soorve too, the particular place where G.H. Nayak was born.) Although the Nadavas, the community Nayak was born into, were not counted as one among the high vaidikas, there was no disputing the fact that they were creative, deeply learned and could match the scholasticism of the upper castes with ease. There was a vibrant oral tradition that was part of the cultural spirit of the place, even if it was of no consequence to modern education. The community did not have many literates with degrees from universities. “Baalu” dissolves stereotypes and barriers constructed about oral cultures and demands a restructuring of our understanding of traditional societies. It needs to be mentioned that G.H. Nayak’s text also records the experience of humiliation and shame – in relation to caste hierarchy that the region created for the so-called lower caste . It is this experiential reality that moulds Nayak’s rational and secular outlook. The world of Ankola is left behind when Nayak moves to Mysore to further his studies there. As one of the few from the Nadava community to seek higher education, the young Nayak arrives at Mysore to join the intermediate course.
“Baalu” moves into areas of struggle, despair, confusion and anxiety out of which emerges the scholar and critic, G.H. Nayak. The autobiography is an archive of memories, experiences and sharp conflicts all of which work at various levels to sculpt the strong, unbending personality of G.H. Nayak. The initial years at Mysore revolve round Nayak’s stay at Sarvajanika Hostel, nourished by the noble T.S. Subbanna, devoted to the cause of education of students who had no access to even basic facilities. The selfless idealism of T.S. Subbanna is what G.H. Nayak cherishes with gratitude nearly seven decades later adding that it was the benevolence of such visionaries that sustained the lives of many young people.
“Baalu” then enters the cosmos of Maharaja’s college and we get a full picture of what constituted the nature of the academic world at Mysore, especially the institute of Kannada studies at Manasa Gangothri. He received training from outstanding scholars like D.L. Narasimhachar and Ti. Nam. Shrikantaiah, stalwarts in their fields. The great value of “Baalu” is its open and honest negotiations as far as the past and the present are concerned. As G.H. Nayak builds his narratives with his modern sensibility guiding his perspective, he is absolutely truthful in acknowledging the positive dimensions that honed his basic cultural sensibility. Even as the text deals with questions of literature and culture of the times, the grateful acknowledgement of the generosity and benevolence of enlightened souls that supported the young Nayak during his days of economic hardship underlines the essential nature of the man – Nayak remembers the kindness of S.P. Gaonkar of his native place, and mentions the caring and the concern of Prof. C.D. Narasimhaiah and long with his junior Prof. M.N. Ramamurthy at Maharaja’s college.
The autobiography, in its concluding pages is all about the towering presence of Kuvempu and the emergence of the Navya movement, with the coffee house meetings playing a crucial role in forming the new literary concerns of young writers and critics. Gopalakrishna Adiga, U.R. Ananthamurthy, Tejaswi, among many others, were tremendous influences. It was also a confrontation with the feudal and decadent establishment that had converted Kuvempu into a sacred symbol that none could be critical about. The great poet was an object of reverence, and the only possible relationship with his works was that of surrender. In an open and fearless narration, Baalu speaks of literary authoritarianism, which was also a period when G.H. Nayak was victimised for his Navya sensibility and and his perceptive critical analysis of Kuvempu (Nayak also talks about how his dear teacher Prabhushankara was victimised then).
The friendship with Tejasvi, the maverick son of Kuvempu, the transparency of their relationship – in spite of G.H. Nayak’s critical stance and the long relationship with his wife Meera Nayak are all part of the quality of the struggles of a man who never sacrificed his integrity and honour for any position of importance or authority.
