Left to right: Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, D.V. Gundappa, K.V. Puttappa, M.V. Seetharamaiah, K.Shivarama Karanth, A.N. Krishna Rao and G.P. Rajaratnam
T.S. NAGARAJAN writes from Bangalore: This rare photograph of the seven legends of Kannada literature sitting together for a discussion programme in a studio of Akashvani, Mysore, was taken by me in 1955, well before the radio station became All India Radio.
I had just graduated from the First Grade College and was entertaining ambitions of becoming a photojournalist. I had a broken (and repaired) Argoflex camera, a present from my celebrated elder-brother T.S. Satyan, with which I took this picture.
Akashvani paid me a handsome sum of Rs 6 for using it in their programme journal.
I stumbled upon this print while looking for another rare picture of my grandmother from a stack of old prints. I feel this picture does not belong to me now. It belongs to all Kannadigas. Therefore, I request churumuri to offer it on my behalf to all lovers of Kannada by placing it in the public domain.
View a larger frame of this picture here
Also By T.S. NAGARAJAN: My most unforgettable picture
The most memorable house I photographed-I
churumuri 
Great picture!!
Many thanks to shri T. S. Nagarajan for making it public domain picture.
Words fail me!
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Wow! Truly one of the best pictures I have ever seen! How I wish to be a spectator when they’re all having their conversations! :-)
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Excellent gesture by a very fine photographer. At a time when artists and artistes are squeezing their works to extract some more juice, some more royalty, it is heart-warming to see a true artiste part with a real treasure.
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kKannadada SaptharshigaLa saalu. What a nice photo! Thanks to TSN and the person who had preserved it for so long….Black and white photography still retains its strenghth.
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I had just heard some of names before, now to see these legends in a single photo is really awe inspiring. This photo deserves a print command from my computer. Thanks a ton Mr. NAGARAJAN, for this magnanimous gesture.
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Thank you.
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http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=I9NfebsdRF4&feature=related
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7000? 7 lakh is unlikely to suffice for this photo!
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Wow, many thanks to Mr. Nagarajan for sharing.
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Great ! AIR needs to be congratulated for successfully getting all the legends to come together for a programme. Today it may be difficult to get just URA and SLB together ! Thanks a million TSN for placing it in public domain. In any other country it would have gone under the hammer at sotheby’s for a fancy price.
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The picture is priceless.
Miss these all time great who promoted Kannada and Kannadigas.
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Wow… Thats a great picture and equally great gesture by Mr. T.S.Nagarajan
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Wow and heartfelt thanks to the Seven seers as well their photographer
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Dhanyavadagaluu.
I request God to create (if he decides) more people of these caliber in karnataka only not in any other place or langauage.
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Hooh! Many thanks to Nagarajan Sir and Churumuri..
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Many thanks and salutes to you Nagarajan Sir, for sharing this priceless photographs with the churumuri baLaga.
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Thanks Nagarajan for the great picture. Can we see more old photos like this in Churumuri.
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waah.. gr8.
thank u
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dhanyOsmi… :-)
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Oh… Great…
ಸಕ್ಕತಾಗಿದೆ…
ನೀವು ನಿಜವಾಗಲೂ ಅದೃಷ್ಟಶಾಲಿಗಳು… :-)
ನಿಮಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು…
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So many legends in one frame… thanks for sharing…
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Cool!
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Great Photo,AIR / Sahathiya parishat will have more photos with them.
JEEVARATNA i do not want bramhadveshi like URA to be any where,they are detrimental to nation building.
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ee chitra bahala amulyavadaddu. ella kannadigara manasige santosha taro antha chitra.
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…….great photo………!! thanks to….churumuri………..
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thumba chennagide…. dhanyavadagalu nagarajan ravarige
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Bendre is missing in this great picture. Thanks.
ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು ನಾಗರಾಜನ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ. ದ.ರಾ.ಬೇಂದ್ರೆ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದರೆ ಇನ್ನು ಅದ್ಬುಥವಾಗಿರುತಿತ್ತು.
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ತುಂಬಾ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು ಸರ್, ಫೋಟೋ ತೆಗೆದಿದಲ್ಲದೆ, ಇದು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಸ್ವತ್ತು ಅಂದ್ರಲ್ಲ….. ನಿಮ್ದು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗುಣ ಸರ್, ನೀವು ನಿಜವಾಗಲು ಅದೄಷ್ಟಶಾಲಿಗಳು.. ಇಂಥ ಮಹಾನ್ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ಬೆಳೆದಿರೋದಕ್ಕೆ……
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Can we find these stalwarts’ convertsaion in akashavani archives.
Can any of our friend in mysore try it out.
If akashavani does not help We can use right to infromation act :-)
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Nice picture.
But just a clarification. Either the legend is wrong or if the person in the middle is indeed MV Seetharamaiah (and not Vee Cee), then I am not sure the description “legend of Kannada literature” fits him.
Replace GPR and ANK with say, Adiga and Bendre, and what we will have is a line-up of not just great poets and writers, but people of tremendous intellect. Which brings up the question – if one were to assemble 7 such intelligent people in karnataka today, who would they be? Will they hold a candle to this group?
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Public Domain! WOW! Thank you!
We can finally have free(as in freedom) photos of littérateurs in Wikipedia!
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With due respect to Manohara Grantha Male, are the photos in their archive, sixty years old?
If yes, we could also use them in Wikipedia.
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This is indeed a rare gem. Thanks a lot, TSN.
I wonder if we can get to know what was discussed during that program.
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ಬಹಳ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. ಬಹಳ ಅಪರೂಪದ ಫೋಟೋ ಅತ್ಯಮೂಲ್ಯ
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awesome. churumuri, sir, creative commons licence haaki saar. attribution to TSN. (million and one thanks sir)
aside: in the larger frame image border chennagilla. yellow red. symbolic ok but kaNNu kukkutte. some combination of gray and black would prolly have been awesome.
also why 808 wide? by development or by scaling? or flickr kitapati na? innu larger frame idia?
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The old masters never fade away, even in black and white. May our memories of them be always green. Scholars and writers, they were all as much at home with English and Sanskrit as they were with our own Kannada. Yet Kannada was their usiru.
Now we have the KRV. Etthana maamara, eththana kogile?
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wow What a great photo!
ee Churumuri, publish this kind of photos more and more.
I am sure many treasures must be hiding. Dig it up and publish! :)
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Mohan,
I don’t intend to demean Adiga and Bendre. In their times, Gee.Pee.Rajaratnam and Aa.Na.Kru have equal contribution to literary world in their respective areas of kannada literature.
Actually, Aa.Na.Kru might have reached more common people than adiga and bendre combined. He is termed as Kannada kaadambari bramha and started whole new generation of kannada readers through his kaadambaris. As we know, kaadambari is the easier form for the masses to read and understand than poetry.
Instead of replace, we should wish for having Adiga & Bendre in the same picture.
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As Satya aptly put it they are indeed saptarishis..we have to be grateful to TS Nagarajan for his genorosity in sharing it..
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ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಮಹನೀಯರಿಗೆ ನಮೋನಮ:
ಇದನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ದಾನ ಮಾಡಿದ ನಾಗರಾಜನ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು
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This is unique in many ways.
First we have a rare chance to see the greats of Kannada literature.
Second the artist instead of trying to monetize his valuable asset was generous to gift it.
Third when the artist could have given this to any other media, he decided to show it on churumuri. This speaks of the wide exposure of churumuri.
Who knows this picture may become as famous as the one Gandhi and Nehru sitting togther for Kannadigas.
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sakathth photo!! Thanks
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An awesome photograph!
Is GP Rajaratnam the same poet who composed Naayee maari song? It’s the only Kannada song I learnt in my childhood days in TN.
Really glad to see this constellation of writers.
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Thanks a lot.. The picture itself has a certain sanctity and greatness to it. Truly beautiful to see this.
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Wonderful picture.
My mind goes back to my own days with Akashvani, as a freelance photographer (getting Rs.6 per picture) and later as sub-editor cum news reader on a grand monthly salary of Rs.50.
Incidentally, I had bought the Argofoflex camera (bakelite body) for Rs. 350. Since I had no money, Professor WG Eagleton who was teaching me English at the Maharaja’s College, loaned me the amount but refused to accept the money when I went to return it.”
Instead, he asked me to take to photography seriously and do a book on Karnataka some day. His desire was fulfilled in June 1981 when my book, “Exploring Karnataka”, designed by Nagarajan, was published with a remarkable text by my friend HY Sharada Prasad.
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Pingback: ಈ ಫೋಟೋ ನೋಡಿದಿರಾ? « ಅವಧಿ
ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅಪರೂಪದ ಚಿತ್ರ, ನಮಗಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ ದನ್ಯವಾಧಗಳು.
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Kannada Saahithya Loka kanda 7 diggajaru onde chayachitradalli. Nijakku adbhutha.
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This is one of the most valuable picture of Kannada pride. Thanks for publishing it. That was the time when the best Kannada literature was produced.
By the way, it was funny to read Mr. Mohan’s comment to replace ANK & GPR with Adiga & Bendre.
Out of all the above 7 litterateus ANK & GPR are the best orators that Kannadigas have ever seen. ANK was/is the king of Kannada novels. His novels are being reprinted even to this day. ANK was a full time, professional writer unlike others who took writing only as a hobby.
ANK was not only a great writer but also a TRUE kannada abhimani who inspired thousand others in the literary world as well as the common man.
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By the way, the person in the middle is not M.V. Seetharamaiah. It is V. Seetharamaiah (ವೀಸೀ) (“ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಂಗಳದಿ ಬೆಳೆದೊಂದು ಹೂವನ್ನು…”)
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I have seen A.Na.Kru and Tha Ra Su together, met GPR once. Looking at Masti,DVG and Kuvempu sitting together and A. Na. Kru and GPR next to each other is a sight that should be perpetuated. This photograph should be copied and distributed to every school, college and public libraries.
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Mohan:
I knew Adiga well in my days in Mysore and was a fan of his navya kavithe genre. But he wouldn’t want to replace A.Na Kru and GPR. The latter two have made unique contributions to Kannada.
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What a precious gift to all Kannadigas by Sri. Nagarajan & Churmuri.
This rare photo is even more precious to me personally because I had the honor/punya of meeting and interacting with six of these seven rishis on several occasions in Basavanagudi 1956-1962,as a National College & BMS College student. I was not able to meet Sri. Karantharu.
I feel so fortunate and blessed for my past in this regard. I am grateful to all of them for their influence on my life. Coincidentally,the just concluded AKKA conference in Chicago I attended, paid tribute to most, if not all of our great poets in this photo. Sri. Nagarajan, “Thanks for the memories” and this opportunity to remember and respect our heritage.
G.S.Satya, San Jose, CA
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Nice to see so many writers in one place!
@Mohan,
Aanakru not in the intelectual group? You think only Gnanapeethees are intelectuals? Anakru is the uncrowned emperor of Kannada sahithya.
-Naveen
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kannada naadina rathnagalu….how beautifull it is!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kannada Loka kanda 7 diggajaru onde chayachitradalli. thanks 2 you, sir Nagarajan.
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I too enjoyed and saved this rare b/w photo. Shot about 55 years ago. Thanks to the lenseman Mr. T.S. Nagarajan. May your tribe increase, sir.
I do agree with many readers here who recorded their “thanks”. I wonder who are these gentlemen sitting in a curve shaped picture? what is their contribution to the society? Appreciate information
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Great picture
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This photo is really worth keeping in every houses of karnataka. All the stalwarts in one picture….wow! It reminded me a poem by shri.K.V.Puttappa; sarasvatiye rachisidondu nitya sachiva mandala, jnana ruchira kundala
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ಈ ಅಪರೂಪದ, ಅತ್ಯಮೂಲ್ಯವಾದ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಧ್ಯಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತಿರುವವರು ನನ್ನ ತಾತ ಪ್ರೊ.ಎಂ.ವಿ.ಸೀತಾರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರ ಸಹೋದ್ಯೋಗಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದ ಶ್ರೀ ವಿ. ಸೀತಾರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರದ್ದು. ಕೆಲವು ಸಲ ವಿ.ಸೀ.ಯವರಿಗೆ ತಲುಪಬೇಕಾಗಿದ್ದ ಅಂಚೆಪತ್ರಗಳು ಅಕಸ್ಮಾತಾಗಿ ನನ್ನ ತಾತನ ಮನೆಗೆ ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಮ್ಯಾನ್ ತಂದು ತಲುಪಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ ನನ್ನ ತಾತನವರು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ವಿನಮ್ರತೆಯಿಂದ ಆ ಅಂಚೆಪತ್ರದ ಮೇಲೆ ವಿ.ಸೀ.ಯವರ ವಿಳಾಸ ಬರೆದು ಪುನಃ ಅವನ ಕೈಲೇ ವಾಪಸ್ ಕಳಿಸುತ್ತ ಇದ್ದುದು, ಮತ್ತೆ ಕೆಲವು ಸಲ ತಾವೇ ಸ್ವತಃ ತಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯ ಅತಿ ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲೇ ಇದ್ದ ಗವೀಪುರಂ ೩ನೇ ಅಡ್ಡರಸ್ತೆಯ ಅಂಚೆಕಛೇರಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ತಲುಪಿಸಿಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದುದು ಇವತ್ತಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣ ಮುಂದೆ ಅಚ್ಚೊತ್ತಿದಂತೆ ನನ್ನ ನೆನಪಿನಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಈ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ನೋಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೆ ಆ ಗತವೈಭವದ ದಿನಗಳು ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಕಣ್ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂದು ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತವೆ. ಈ ಅತ್ಯಪೂರ್ವ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿತುವ ಚುರುಮುರಿಗೆ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. ನನ್ನ ತಾತನವರ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಮತ್ತೇನಾದರೂ ಚುರುಮುರಿಯ ಬಳಿ ಇದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ದಯಮಾಡಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದು ಕೋರುತ್ತೇನೆ.
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Thank you, sir.
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Yes, as rightly mentioned this priceless photo should be kept in every school in Karnataka.
I had the honour of seeing/listening to Karanthajja during one of our school funtions.
Even today, when my father puts Mankutimmana Kagga tapes and starts laughing, sometimes with tears in his eyes, it makes me AWE/STILL. These literary geniuses have given us masterpieces.
Thumba thanks to T.S.Nagarajan Sir to share this with us all.
Kannadave Satya, Kannadave Nitya…
PS: btw today we lost one of the best music composers/singer of Kannada, C.Ashwath – Ashwath Sir..Nimma Atmakke Shanti sigali.
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Sir,
We are so grateful to you for generously donating a very rare and rich piece of heritage to all of us. Wonderful and an amazing get together picture. Worth a million words :)
Thanks,
Sridhar
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Kudos to T.S.N for a great photo of the literary stalwarts. I noticed a very small error in one of the names, the person in the center is Dr. V. Seetharamaiah (Vee Cee), it is not Dr. M. V. Seetharamaiah (Raghava). Dr.VeeCee was a renowned poet, essayist and dramatist. It would be nice if this can be corrected.
Raghuram
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Just awesome, much appreciated the intent of Sri T S Nagarajan to share with us all. Now I can share with Kannada Sangha of Arizona. As a young kid I have had the fortune to meet and listen to Padmabhushan Sri Dr DVG – experiences second to none.
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tumba thanks sir yellarnu 1de photop dalli nodoke avakaasha kalpisidakke.
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Thanks,
great picture
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ಅನ೦ತ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು ಶ್ರೀ ನಾಗರಾಜನ್ ರವರೆ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸಾಹಿತಿಗಳ ಚಿತ್ರ ಸಹಿತ ವಿವರಗಳು ಲಭ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಾದರೆ ಅದು ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಭಾಗ್ಯ ಎ೦ದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
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Do you have any photos of professor Bellave Venktanaranappa with other kannada scholas.
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The photo of fourth person from left is of V.Seetharamiah and not of M.V.seetharmiah
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The creator of this invaluable photograph started his long journey on 18-2-2014 to meet the Creator.Long live T.S.Nagarajan.
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