Kattaleyalli | Kayakave Kailasa - Bhakti Republic OST | M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee Mani

Poet: MaritandeTranslator: H.S. ShivaprakashSource: I Keep Vigil of Rudra, Penguin ClassicsPerformed by M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee ManiFor Bhakti Republic with Amit BasoleRadio Azim Premji University, 2023_________________________________________________________If I am a thief at nightThat would be a shameTo the master who gave me the picklockIf I enter housesWhen people are forgetfulThat would be a shameTo my expertise.I wake up the forgetful,Show them their richesThen bring out my own riches, O FatherLord of Mara, the love godFoe of Mara._________________________________________________________Maritande, a professional burglar known for targeting the houses of the affluent, sustained his livelihood by pilfering and spending the loot until he was apprehended by Bijjala's security guards. Around 1160 AD, during the time of Basavanna, the transformative figure in Maritande's life, Basavanna advocated for leniency on his behalf. This plea led to a change in Maritande's life as he transitioned from a burglar to a devoted Sharana. Influenced by this attitudinal shift, Maritande began writing vachanas, with only a few properly attributed to him. Notably, his vachanas drew on the imagery of his former profession, freely incorporating elements of burglary into his poetic expression.