About: Mankuthimmana Kagga

Mankuthimmana Kagga, written by Dr. D. V. Gundappa and published in 1943, is one of the best known of the major literary works in Kannada. It is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Kannada literature and is referred to as the Bhagavad Gita in Kannada. The title of the work can be translated as "Dull Thimma's Rigmarole". Kagga is a collection of 945 poems, each being four lines in length. Some of these poems are written in old Kannada. Kagga poems are profound as well as poetic. Most of them can be sung. Though the author calls it an 'a foggy fools farrago', it is a book giving expression to a noble personality's rich experiences. The poet politely that if the word Mankuthimma is crude and below standard it can be substituted by either Venka or Kanka or Shankararya as they please.