Aluva Kadalolu - In an ocean of tears.

This is a poem by one of Kannada’s greatest poets – Late Mogeri Gopala Krishna Adiga (1918 – 1992). He’s also considered the father of modern Kannada poetry and known as the pioneer of the “New Wave”.

This song has been immortalized by the legendary Late P. Kalinga Rao, one of the doyens of Kannada Sugama Sangeetha (Light Music), he, who won Pt. Nehru’s heart with his “throat of gold”. Kalinga Rao peformed with his protégées - the sisters – Sohan Kumari and Mohan Kumari. With spotlight shifting away from that genre of music and the doyen’s death, the sisters lived a life of loneliness and penury. Mohan Kumari, the younger of the two, passed away a few days back. This blog post is a tribute to artists like them who bring pleasure to others, while they suffer quietly, wallowing without support.

The Kannada original -
Pronunciation Key –
L – retroflex “l”
D – retroflex ‘d’ as in doom
N – retroflex ‘n’
Vowels written in upper case denote the long vowel sounds, lower case vowels make the short sounds.

aluva kaDaloLu tEli barutalide nageya hAyi dONi
bALa gangeya mahApooradoLu sAvinondu vENi

neretide beretide kuNiva moreva tere teregaLONiyalli
janana maraNagaLa ubbu taggu horaLuruLuvATadalli

Ase bUdi taLadallu keraLutive kiDigaLenito maraLi
muridu bidda mana marada koraDoLu hoovu hoovu araLi

kooDalAradedeyALadallu kanDIttu Eka sUtra
kanDadunTu bese desegaLallu bhinnateya vikaTa hAsya

Ase emba taLavoDeda dONiyali doora teera yAna
yAra leelegO yArO EnO guri irade biTTa bANa

idu bALu nODu ida tiLidenendarU tiLida dheeranilla
halavutanada maimaresuvATavidu nijavu tOradalla

bengADu nODu idu kAmba bayalu dorakilla Adi antya
ada tiLidenenda halarunTu taNidenendavara kANenayya

are beLakinalli bALalli sutti nAveshTO maletu meredu
konege karaguvevu maraNa teera ghana timiradalli beredu

An attempt at translation –

In an ocean of tears, drifts an elfin sail boat of smiles
In the deluge of life, a stream of death intertwined

Tumbling and twisting in the dancing topsy-turvy merriment of the waves
Through the highs and lows of birth and death, in the rolling frolicking game of unrest.

Even in the depths of the ashes of desire, countless sparks return to rekindle the fire
Flowers blossom on the dead branches of the fallen mind

Even in the depths of divergent hearts, a revelation of a converging connecting strand
Revealing an ironic farce of distinctness in the sameness.

In the broken boat of desire, a long voyage unto the banks of hope
In a strange, unknown sport, an outsider’s aimless, misdirected target.

Look, this is life, and no brave man, despite his claims, has found what it's all about
It reveals myriad intoxicating games, but the truth it won't reveal.

Life is a barren vast land, a testimony to this Lord’s unending reign
There are a few who are aware of this, but none satiated with it.

Walking in circles, through life’s murky glow, we forget humility;
Then finally we melt and blend into the greater pool of death.