Given the extremely good response to the felicitation article, CLN is taking the opportunity to showcase B P Appanna’s latest book A Place Apart.
A Place Apart Portrays the sense of dislocation and erosion of identity that the Kodava people have felt over the past decades. The magnificent landscape of Kodagu, which achieved mythical status in Kodava culture, forms the backdrop of Bacharanianda P.Appanna’s deceptively simple poems. The lines are layered with history, culture, myth, politics, and what it means to be a Kodava. In a rapidly homogenizing world, this collection of poems gives voice to one of the many small, distinctive societies that is on the brink of irretrievable cultural loss. Written in one of the UNESCO’s listed ‘definitely endangered’ languages of the world, this is the first time the poems have been translated into English.
Very few copies are left before it goes to reprint. A Place Apart can be ordered through Amazon at – https://www.amazon.in/Place-
In the context of this felicitation, I am reproducing my comments about the extremely well written book of poems – A Place Apart.
The world of Kodavas, their unique worldview are captured in these poems. Bacharanianda P.Appanna’s love for his language and culture, his strong desire to preserve it for future generations is palpable in his writing. He has beautifully depicted the intricate relationship between nature and the inner life of the Kodavas. Kaveri Ponnapa’s translation has captured the immediacy and urgency of the voice in these poems.
I met Appanna Ajja and Ranu Acca recently at their residence in Kushalnagar. I would like to reproduce my comment regarding their book – A Place Apart, along with noted writer Mrs. Kaveri Ponnapa.
These poems are a chance to be an eyewitness and experience the Kodava world. Being a Dravidian language speaker, the rhymes and rhythm in the poems catch the reader’s mind. Layered with old words from the Kodava language, the English translation mirrors the poet’s thoughts. The transliteration adds a unique opportunity for English language readers to enter into the Kodava language. More of these presentations should be done in our languages.