EDITOR
OF A GREAT TRADITION
V. V. RAMANA MURTI
In
our national struggle, many a notable journal was found to enlist its support
to the cause of freedom. And numerous writers and editors of distinction used
their ‘pen’ effectively for promoting patriotic fervour
among the people. In this galaxy of memorable journals, Triveni, however,
remained an altogether different journal, ever since its inception nearly four
decades ago. This singular achievement was undoubtedly due to the rare
qualities of its founder editor, K. Ramakotiswara Rau.
He
was an ardent nationalist, and his journal was no less devoted to the
achievement of Indian independence. But the distinction of Triveni consisted
in the notable fact that it was not exclusively confined to the political
question only, however over-whelming it might have been in the prevailing
circumstances. While championing the Indian nationalist claim, the columns of Triveni
were equally concerned with the problems of art, music, literature and
philosophy. Triveni has rightly come to be known as pre-eminently the Journal
of Indian Renaissance.
The
cause of Renaissance meant an infinitely arduous task in the pre-independence
era of
This
richness of the journal has been the characteristic quality of Triveni. Its
previous numbers are an unmistakable proof of its infinite variety. The pages
of Triveni are invariably filled with diverse themes. Whether it was the
message of Theosophy, or the role of the Indian
theatre, poetry by J. Krishnamurti or the discussion
of Tyagaraja’s musical lore, the paintings of D. Rama
Rao or the sculpture of South Indian temples–they all found an honoured place in Triveni under the editorship of
Ramakotiswara Rau. Even to-day, an occasional reading of the old volumes of Triveni
will be highly educative, while a republication of some of its previous
numbers or some select articles will be definitely rewarding. In this respect, Triveni
reminds us of F. R. Leavis’s Scrutiny which
is recently republished in its entirety by Cambridge University Press.
In
the hectic days of non-violent non-cooperation movement, Gandhiji once received
an exceptionally warm letter from Dwijendranath
Tagore, elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore. It is little known that while Gurudev Tagore had some reservations about Gandhi’s
movement, Barodada, Gurudev
Tagore’s elder brother, whole-heartedly approved of all the steps of the
Mahatma. When Gandhiji got Barodada’s note, he
immediately sent it to B. G. Horniman, the peerless
editor of The Bombay Chronicle and wrote to him on April 6, 1919: “The
accompanying is a great letter...the object of my writing this is...to ask you,
if I may, to dip your pen in the ink of love for tomorrow’s leading article in
the Chronicle.” The editor of Triveni belongs to that great
tradition. And it would not be unusual if a similar thought on the culture
renaissance were to be expressed in relation to Ramakotiswara Rau.
He
devoted his whole life-work not merely for the political liberation of