Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reworking Masculinities
Reworking Masculinities
T
he kidnapping of Rajkumar by like Hi Bengalur!, Agni, Polisara Horata Newer and cheaper technology provides
Veerappan has inspired new nego- (Police Struggle), Crime News, Star of the wherewithal for a different kind of
tiations of the question of Kannada Bangalore, or Sanje Sphota (Evening popular cultural artefact, the audio cas-
linguistic identity, of what being Kannadiga Explosion) which retail in equal measure sette, which for the first time in Kannada
means today. The crisis has enabled a re- political criticism and local scandal. The has moved out of the devotional, folk and
articulation of the anxieties and social first two papers have a different profile mimicry genres into contemporary politi-
tensions of the last few years which have from the rest, seeking – unlike the others cal commentary.2 Eleven audio cassettes
been put in historical perspective by Janaki – to make visible interventions in the public have been released in the wake of Rajkumar’s
Nair’s accompanying piece in this issue. sphere and maintain connections with kidnapping, nine in Kannada, one in Hindi,
Central to these anxieties, I would argue, literary figures.1 Lankesh Patrike (approxi- and one in Urdu. The technical quality of
is the recurrent theme of masculinity in mately 1 lakh copies circulated), a fore- the productions is reasonably high, and all
crisis. The ‘manhood’ of the defenders of runner in this field, started by noted writer the cassettes are adorned by slick covers.
the endangered language is a topic of heated P Lankesh a quarter century ago and now run Well-known comedians, mimics, playback
discussion in the texts I am examining here. by his daughter Gauri Lankesh with the singers, and drama company actors provide
The event of the kidnapping has pro- assistance of an all-male staff, is somewhat the voices. The first cassette was released
duced various kinds of popular arguments different even from its most successful some 10 days after the event, and the latest
for new cultural agendas in relation to the progeny, having over the years enlisted the two months after. An article in Lankesh
Kannada language, often seen as embod- goodwill and talent of several leading fiction Patrike informs us that each audio com-
ied in the star-presence of Rajkumar (“my writers, poets and essayists, often appearing pany has released about 20-25,000 copies
blood is Kannada, my life is Kannada, my therefore as a sort of more popular cousin of each cassette into the market. One little
heart and mind are Kannada” – these of the ubiquitous Kannada literary journal. music shop in Gandhi Bazar, a commercial
phrases circulate through his many film The two tabloids I present here in some area, sells approximately 100 cassettes per
dialogues and his public speeches). A detail are Hi Bengalur! (HB), edited by week (Rs 25-30 each).3 It is believed that
popular magazine headlining the kidnap Ravi Belagere and Agni, edited by Sridhar. retailers from Mysore, Kolar and other
story proclaimed that it was “An axe-blow Both editors are fiction writers and essay- places come to Bangalore and buy about
(kodali yetu) to the very existence of the ists; the first is also a poet. Both are 20 copies of each cassette.
language” (Taranga, September 14, 2000). rumoured to have underworld connections; The structure is a relatively simple one,
Why does the language issue appear so the latter openly flaunts his knowledge of following the harikathe mode: we hear
salient in the portrayal of an embattled “the world of crime”. Peppered with refer- two men talking – one questioning, the
Kannada identity in a way that is certainly ences to Belagere’s Zen, his Esteem and other replying, with occasional interjec-
different from assertions of Telugu or his new red Gypsy, deploying the slang of tions by others. Seldom do we have female
Malayalam identity? Why has Kannada hip teenagers (e g, the column ‘Luv luvike’), characters, although the dialogues are often
linguistic pride often defined itself in HB, like Agni, often expresses anti-globali- interspersed with songs, a few sung by
opposition to and alongside Tamil pride? sation sentiments; several articles by staff- women. The songs, unless composed for
Is this phenomenon – and the star-culture ers project a pro-Kannada anti-‘outsider’ the occasion, are remixes of famous
associated with it – more an issue for the position. The outsider is always upper class, Rajkumar numbers, either picturised on
southern Karnataka districts than elsewhere moneyed: businessmen and software pro- him or sung by him. When the lyrics are
in the state? fessionals living in safe suburbs like Indira- changed [e g, a song from the hit film
The responses to the kidnapping have nagar or Jayanagar, college students from Yeradu Kanasu (1974), where Rajkumar
to be seen in relation to the aggressively elite institutions who frequent the pubs on romances Manjula, goes “I will never be
masculinist public sphere which emerges Brigade Road and M G Road. The poor able to live if I forget you”, and is trans-
in its present form in the 1990s in Banga- outsiders, like the migrant Tamil labourers formed into “Endendu nimmanu maretu
lore. Crucial to the articulation of this new and street-vendors who usually bear the naaniralare/naanendu kannada bittu
Kannada public sphere are phenomena like brunt of pro-Kannada violence, are not badukiralaare” as Rajkumar now romances
the hugely successful films of Upendra [in singled out by the tabloid press, although the abhimani and his language, in these
particular, ‘A’ (1998), ‘Swastik’ (1999) – as we shall see – the anti-Tamil pronounce- words: I will never be able to live if I forget
and ‘Upendra’ (2000)], and weekly tabloids ments clearly include them as targets. you/I will never be able to live if I leave