This weekend, many across India celebrate harvest festivals. Each region has a different name for the festival but the intent remains the same, to thank nature for all it bestows on us. We celebrate Pongal in our home, while others celebrate Makar Sankaranti, Lohri, Bihu variously. With this in mind, I bring you the Kanda Padya: a Kannada poetic form. This is from the wondrous land I grew up in – Karnataka (which celebrates Makar Sankaranti).

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. I only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself

Poetic Sundays: Kanda Padya: A Kannada Poetic Form

As I mentioned earlier, today I am featuring a Kannada poetic form on the occasion of the Makara Sankaranti harvest festival.

What is the Kanda Padya Poetic Form?

The kanda padya (ಕಂದಪದ್ಯ) is a Kannada poetic form. Some of the earliest references/use of this form date from the Kavirajamarga era of around 850 C.E. This form contains four lines, with the first and the third lines equal in length and the second and fourth lines equal in length to each other.

The Kanda Padya’s Characteristics

So the Kanda Padya’s elements are that at its most basic, it is:

• stanzaic: a poem with one or more quatrains (4-line stanzas)
• metric, or rather maatraa-based: lines one and three have 3 units of 4 maatraas each, while lines two and four have 5 units of 4 maatraas each. A maatraa can be short (1) or long (2), and many Indian languages use the concept of maatraas. So in English, we can try to use the short and long sounds for the vowels in place of these maatras.
  • there are certain rules (below) on how to use this, but of course they are not mandatory! So feel free to deviate from them (just ensure you follow the basic one mentioned above of 3*4 and 5*4)
    • odd-numbered units should not be ‘u-u’. (short-long-short or in terms of English metre, should not be an amphibrach)
    • sixth and the twelfth units should be either ‘u-u’ or ‘uuuu’ (short-long-short or short-short-short-short, that is should be either an amphibrach or two pyrrhus)
    • eighth and the sixteenth units must have a long at the end (so ‘–‘ or ‘uu-‘, so either a spondee or an anapest)
• rhyme-schemes: while there is a mention of internal rhymes, it is not specified anywhere, so rhyming is optional (internal/end rhyme up to the poet)

How the Kanda Padya Looks

4/4/4
4/4/4/4/4
4/4/4
4/4/4/4/4

And while there are many ways it can go, using some of the rules mentioned, here is an example using the ‘u’ and ‘-‘ for short and long sounds respectively

uu- / u-u / -uu
u-u / — / u-u / uu- / —
-uu / uuuu / uu-
u-u / -uu / uuuu / — / uu-

My Attempt

I need to practice some more, and this one is a very rudimentary one though heartfelt. While I do not actually write letters to my parents, I have many things I do want to tell them but cannot, those thoughts kind of like unmailed letters. I show the breakdown by the units of this form below with ‘/’.

Letters I Wrote
I wrote a letter to her my amma
And yet another to my appa as well yesterday; did not mail
them anywhere. They lie there with more of
their type, some I did not finish yet and they – wait – for, well, me.
~ Vidya Tiru @ ladyinreadwrites

I wrote a / letter to her / my amma
And yet ano/ther to my / appa as well / yesterday ; / did not mail
them anywhere. / they lie there /with more of
Their type, some/ I did not /finish yet and / they wait / for, well, me.

(amma* – mom; appa* – dad)

h/t and further reading and tips

• Kanda Padya
• One easy way to distinguish between short and long sounds in English is
  • sounds where the vowel “says its name” are called “long vowels”/long sounds. As in ‘play’ or ‘use’ or ‘meal’. ‘
  • Whereas ‘a’ in ‘apple’, ‘e’ in ‘elephant’, ‘i’ in ‘it’, ‘o’ in ‘on’ and ‘u’ in ‘umbrella’ are short sounds.

Recently

On My Blog

My recent posts since and including my last Sunday Scribblings:

• Look…. and then look more closely
• 30 Productive Things to Do in Five Minutes and Make Life Better
• Do You See What I See? A Found Poem!
• How to Worry Less and Wonder More
• Top Books and More that I am Looking Forward to
• New Years and Other Celebrations: Picture Books and More
• Sunday Scribblings #171: A Wonderful Poetry Break with Word Reverse

And At Home

Rushing towards the finish line for my daughter’s Eagle Scout project before she turns eighteen in just a few weeks! Where did the years fly by? I don’t know but for now, I am so heartened by how her troop members (adults and scouts) are banding together to help her get it done on time. She is building benches for her elementary school on their request. I will post the pictures of the finished benches in a couple of weeks here.

Upcoming

On My Blog and Home Front

Hoping to continue posting everyday on my blog for the UBC, and note that I have a couple of bookish giveaways coming this week for you!

On the homefront, we are celebrating Pongal, and will be continuing work on my daughter’s project.

This Week’s Celebrations (includes a Poetry Break)

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also)

• Literary birthdays this week include: Ernest J. Gaines on the 15th; Susan Sontag and Rebecca Stead on January 16th; Jan 17th is Anne Brontë, Benjamin Franklin, Michelle Obama, and Javed Akhtar; the 18th of January is A.A. Milne; Edgar Allan Poe, Patricia Highsmith, Pat Mora, and Julian Barnes on the 19th of January; Tami Hoag, Vanessa Diffenbaugh on January 20th
• Book Publishers Day is on January 16 every year
• The 17th is Popeye Day!
• January 18th is National Thesaurus Day and National Winnie The Pooh Day
• It is Universal Letter Writing Week this week.

Foodie Celebrations

• It is National Strawberry Icecream Day on the 15th and also National Undhiyu Day (India). Undhiyu is a hearty vegetable dish that will you wanting more with its tangy sweet taste. The 15th also observes National Bagel Day and National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day
• Then on the 16th of January, it is International Hot and Spicy Food Day as well as National Fig Newton Day and National Quinoa Day!
• Followed by National Hot Buttered Rum Day on the 17th of January
• Then January 18th is one for coffee lovers with National Gourmet Coffee Day
• While January 19th is National Popcorn Day and World Quark Day (quark is a dairy product very similar to cottage cheese (but not really), and popular across Europe)
• It is National Buttercrunch Day as well as National Cheese Lover’s Day on the 20th of January. Also, National Coffee Break Day
• The 21st observes National Granola Bar Day. What is your favorite one?

Other Celebrations

• The 15th is National Hat Day and National Pothole Day too (one on your head and the other right below you!!). And also Martin Luther King Jr. Day (celebrated on the third Monday in January).
• Followed by Appreciate a Dragon Day on the 16th…
• Then on January 17th, it is International Mentoring Day as well as Museum Selfie Day and Kid Inventor’s Day.
• The 18th observes Get to Know Your Customers Day
• followed by Artist as Outlaw Day and Good Memory Day on the 19th.
• Then, it is National Disc Jockey Day on the 20th of January
• While the 21st of January is National Hugging Day….

• And if you want to do nothing, none of these celebrations, then there is a day for that! It is National Nothing Day on the 16th of January!!

Related Reads and More

• Check out this book for tons of juicy ideas, literally!! Juicing for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Juicing Recipes and Juicing for Weight Loss from #CallistoPublishing
• Kid Innovators: True Tales of Childhood from Inventors and Trailblazers (Kid Legends Book 7) is a great way to inspire young inventors (and older ones too). (8 – 12 years, and up)
• Another great option for younger readers – The Questioneers series. I have loved each and every one of them. Be sure to check out the workbooks for these as well. (3 – 6 years, and up)
• And this one is another fascnating and inspiring read for readers of all ages: Spare Parts (Young Readers’ Edition): The True Story of Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and an Impossible Dream written by Joshua Davis and adapted by Reyna Grande for young readers

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. Will you attempt to write the kanda padya or any other Kannada poetic form you know, or other regional poetic form? Do share your favorite regional poetic forms with me. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon