This weaver quit school in class II, but has written 40+ books

Although formally uneducated after dropping out of school in the second standard, Ramanna Byati has penned about 40 books to credit himself with. His work has been compared to that of greats like Kabir and Kalidasa.

Though he stays at a small house at Sharana Basaveshwar Nagar in Betgeri-Gadag city, Ramanna considers poverty a gift and credits it for making him a son of Goddess Saraswati. In an exclusive interview with dna, Ramanna shared his life’s achievements as well as trials.

Tell us about your childhood.
I was born on December 6, 1951, at Manihal village in Belgaum district. In school, I was shy and afraid to talk to teachers. In fact, I even hesitated to play with the boys of my class. As we stayed in a house rented by some Dasas who used to beg for their livelihood, we were getting a share of their food.

When I was about 17 years old, a canal was built for Malaprabha river by the government. As canal water flooded the house, the handloom products my father made became useless. Finally, my family moved to Betgeri-Gadag in search of food and shelter.

What was your motivation for writing?
After migrating to Betgeri, I indulged in work like collecting cow-dung from streets and bringing wood from nearby fields.

My mother, Channabasavva, had made a vow that one of her sons would recite Satyanarayan Katha if poverty gripped the family. When she asked us (Ramanna and his brother) to learn the Satyanarayan Katha, we immediately denied the task. Disgruntled by our response, she started crying.

I asked her why she was crying and finally she told me about her vow. I promised to fulfil her wish and it prompted me to learn the letters of the Kannada alphabet. I used to visit a dumping yard nearby, to read pieces of waste paper. I started to inquire about the written language in hotels, shops and even on streets.

Many Kannada films of mythological and historical significance motivated me to learn to pronounce some old, archaic words. Finally, I was able to read Kannada, though with some mistakes. Reading became a curse. My father, Doddappa, an astrologer deemed my reading a curse on the family, as we were undergoing an intense financial crisis at the time.

How did your literary journey start?
Whenever I would recite the poems I composed on religious and spiritual occasions, people would show me the door, calling me ‘mad’. Only a few altruistic people would allow me to exhibit my talent. Rather than reciting poems which already existed, I used to present spontaneous poems regarding the occasion of the time.

As a weaver, I failed to meet the expectations of people, but I was fortunate enough to receive encouragement from affluent weavers and literature lovers of Betgeri. Enthusiasts like KV Kundgol, GH Balihalli and PN Allayyanavar stood by me. I am still thankful for their support.

Tell us about the metrical features in your poetry.
Earlier, I was unaware that my poetry encapsulated such features. When scholars identified the same, I started theoretically learning about them from PN Allayanavar, a Kannada teacher in Vidya Dan Samiti High School. Many times, he identified errors in the metrical structure of my poems and corrected them. After training under him, I became cautious about ganas and matras while writing. I have composed 14 books in Bhamini Shatpadi, a kind of six-line verse.

Bhamini is very easy and is an attractive structure. I prefer using it to express my feelings. I have also composed works in Tripadi, a three-line verse, Choupadi, a four-line verse, Kusuma Shatpadi and Bhoga Shatpadi. Classic works in Kannada like Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari by Kumaravyasa, Prabhulingleele by Chamarasa, Toraveya Ramayana by Kumara Valmeeki and Nalacharite by Kanakadasa were composed in Bhamini Shatpadi.

What are the challenges you face while writing?
As my handwriting is not clear, I always take help from others. Sometimes, I face the common writer’s block, and penning down my thoughts becomes difficult. Moreover, my spelling is quite weak. I have been suffering from weak eyesight for the last five or six years, and now depend on others to read to me. I instruct my drafter—my youngest daughter, Gayatri—to read out chapters from books, and dictate 15-20 poems every day.

As she is occupied with tailoring and other work, I have to finish my composition within two hours every day. I have applied to receive artists’ pension from the government, but they have kept applications of over 5,0000 artists pending over the past five years.

Apart from your literary endeavours, what do you indulge in?
I deliver lectures on spirituality and the life of great leaders. I get invitations from many organisations in Bangalore, Kollegal, Mysore and other cities in Karnataka to speak on the same.