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

Poet: KalavveTranslator: 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____________________________________________________________They say –All those are high bornWho eat sheep, fowl and tiny fish,They say –All those are low bornWho eat the cow that rains on ShivaSacred milk sanctified five times.What the Brahmins had eaten adorned the grassAnd a dog licked it up and went away.What the cobblers had eaten adorned the grass –Now the Brahmin’s ornamentIn other wordsBags are made of cow’s hideFor ghee and for water.Senseless Brahmins who drinkGhee and water from such leather bagsThinking it sacredThey can’t escape utmost perdition.The master of UrilingapeddiDoesn’t approve of such men.__________________________________________________________Kalavve, among the earliest Dalit women poets in Kannada, firmly stood for the principles of Kayaka Siddhanta, emphasizing selfless work over selfishness and greed in her verses. Her poetic expression strongly condemned practices like animal sacrifice under the guise of pleasing the gods and spoke out against casteism. Vrata, or religious observance, held significant importance in her compositions. Although only 12 of her verses are extant, they encapsulate her staunch stance against societal injustices and her advocacy for selfless devotion through righteous actions.