Boosa at 50

When B Basavalingappa, a firebrand Ambedkarite and minister for Municipality Affairs in Karnataka, spoke in his characteristic hard-hitting manner at a public meeting in Mysore on November 19, 1973, nobody anticipated the turn of events that would follow. Basavalingappa had mentioned, in passing, the word 'boosa' (meaning fodder or trash), while advising the students to read English books rather than Kannada books. 

G H Nayak, a conscientious Kannada critic, later gave the authentic report of the speech: “I was present at the meeting. The previous day, Basavalingappa had spoken about Hinduism in Shivamogga and was seething in anger against a journalist who had misreported his speech. ‘Those who write for such papers to eke out a living are 'boosa' writers; the Kannada literature of such writers is nothing but 'boosa sahitya'; I care the least for such writers and their literature’, thundered Basavalingappa.”  

All hell broke loose. A misinformation campaign portrayed Basavalingappa as one who had dubbed Kannada literature itself as 'boosa'. Some demanded his resignation. 

The controversy triggered some debates too. Kuvempu, one of the tallest modern Kannada writers and a Jnanpith awardee, remarked that there was enough 'boosa' in Kannada literature, and one had to pick up the best and reject the rest. P Lankesh and U R Ananthamurthy endorsed Basavalingappa’s right to be critical of Kannada literature.

Basavalingappa had, by then, worked to abolish the inhuman practice of manual scavenging. He had a huge following among the Dalits. Privileged caste leaders had expressed their discomfort at his bold remarks against the caste hierarchy. With the 'boosa' remark, the political opposition came to the fore. 

Growing support

However, Dalit intelligentsia and progressive writers stood solidly by Basavalingappa. Siddalingaiah, a budding revolutionary poet and an undergraduate student in the Government Arts College, Bangalore, took the lead in the protests supporting Basavalingappa. His college mates, Agrahara Krishnamurthy, D R Nagaraj and several other young people accompanied him. 

As the pro-Basavalingappa voice grew stronger, demonstrations against him turned violent. Siddalingaiah narrowly escaped a deadly assault, while P Lankesh was roughed up by the mob. 

Public protests continued, and the chief minister, Devaraj Urs, asked the entire cabinet to resign to reconstitute his ministry. Basavalingappa too resigned on December 14, 1973, but was not redrafted.

The churning that Basavalingappa had started turned out to be historic. A seminal seminar on the annihilation of caste was held in Mysore in September 1973, followed by the Karnataka Barahagarara Kalavidara Okkoota conference in April 1974.

Soon after, the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) was registered at Bhadravathi in 1974 and took up Dalit issues in the surrounding districts. Dalit writers, artists and activists organised the Dalekayusam (Dalit Lekhaka Kalavidara Yuva Sanghatane) Conference in December 1976, inaugurated by Basavalingappa. Eventually, the DSS grew a broad base across the state.

New expression

Thus, the Dalit movement in Karnataka had a distinct beginning and purpose. Dalit writers rejected the existing modes of Kannada writing and explored new modes of expression. Dalit critics started a re-evaluation of Kannada literature. Devaiah Harave’s 'Dalita Sahitya Mattu Itara Lekhangalu' marked the beginning of a distinct Dalit literary criticism. B Krishnappa, a founding father of DSS, drafted a critical analysis of the representation of Dalits in Kuvempu’s novels. 

The Dalit movement and Dalit literature carried forward the torch lit by the 'boosa' controversy. Dalit masses made Basavalingappa their icon whenever they fought for their rights. His fiery style echoed in DSS speakers. The Bandaya (the rebel) literary movement followed Dalit literature. The ideological debates surrounding the Boosa movement prompted Bandaya writers to redefine the role of the writer and literature.

The Boosa episode had its political impact too. The soft-spoken Gandhian Dalit politicians had to make way for the outspoken Ambedkarite Dalit politicians. It became imperative for political parties and governments to provide adequate representation to Dalit politicians and it continues even now. 

B Basavalingappa.

Later, Basavalingappa worked as a cabinet minister under different chief ministers, but preserved his undaunted style until his death in 1992. His legacy continues. He has been a recurring name, theme and an inspiring idea in Dalit literature, movements and in the protest culture of Karnataka. Lakshminarayan Nagavar edited a volume titled 'Basavalingappa: Boosa Chaluvaliya Kaalu Shatamana', where writers and activists revisited the Boosa phase after 25 years. Hundreds of PhD theses have dealt with the Boosa movement. 

N K Hanumanthaiah, a Dalit poet who passed away in the prime of his youth, wrote 'Krantiya Vasantha', a biography of Basavalingappa, where he presented him as the harbinger of revolution. Karigowda Bichanahally’s novel, 'Male Kogile', records the privileged-caste terror unleashed during the Boosa movement, and the evolution of the pro-Dalit intellectuals. Atmananda records the visible impact of Basavalingappa and the Boosa movement on his father in his memoirs, 'Nannolagina Appa'. Basavalingappa also appears as an inspiring character in my own short story, 'Basavalingappanavaru mattu David Sahebaru'.

B Basavalingappa.

Basavalingappa and the Boosa movement continue to ignite the imagination of the Kannada writers and inspire the Dalit thought, movement and the masses even after 50 years of the controversy.

(Nataraj Huliyar is a well-known Kannada short story writer and a playwright.)