HUBLI: BD Nemagouda struggled to get his students to connect with the works of Kannada poets Kuvempu and Bendre. The teacher of a government primary school in Chimmad village in Bagalkot district then hit upon the idea of taking them on a journey through the lives of the litterateurs. Mere anecdotes, he knew, wouldn't suffice; the students needed to have glimpses of chapters of their lives. Nemagouda did the next best thing to turning back the clock. He took them to All India Radio's (AIR) unit in Dharwad, which boasts of a permanent gallery - Banuliya Chitrabhitti - of nearly 100 black and white, and 12 colour rare photographs of eminent personalities from the fields of literature, music and art who visited or performed there over the last 60 years.

The gallery, which was inaugurated in June this year, has put AIR, Dharwad, on the tourist map. It had also seen an overwhelming response from school and college students, besides enthusiasts.

The photo archive captures precious ephemeral moments from visits of celebrities like music stalwarts Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansur, Gangubai Hangal and Basavaraj Rajguru, shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan, poets Da Ra Bendre, VK Gokak, DS Karki, Shivaram Karanth, Basavaraj Kattimani, Girish Karnad and Jubedabai Savanur. The exhibits are split into different categories -'Naada Taranga', 'Memorable Moments', 'Ranga Taranga' and 'Sahitya Saangatya'.

Nemagouda says his students have found their perspectives of the poets widened through the nuggets of captured memories. "AIR official Sharanabasav Cholin threw light on the stories behind the photographs, which helped students connect with the poets." The teacher says he'll be back for more, with a fresh batch of students in November.

Lingaraj Nidavani, a postgraduate student of social work, says it was only after a visit to the gallery did he realize the importance of the role the radio played in the absence of other forms of broadcast media. The cherry on the cake was when he found out that popular Hindi film actors of yesteryear like Balraj Sahni, too, had visited AIR, Dharwad.

A security guard posted at the main entrance of AIR says the gallery draws the largest crowds. "Earlier, artistes used to visit AIR for recordings. Now, we find entries mentioning trips to the gallery against the 'purpose of visit' in the visitors' book."

Station head CU Bellakki says the idea to open a permanent gallery of photographs was pitched soon after exhibitions of rare photographs were organized in Belgaum, Dharwad and Jamkhandi in 2011-12. The tremendous response to the exhibits prompted AIR authorities to establish a permanent spot to display the photographs. "We requested veterans like poet Channaveer Kanavi to select the photographs for the gallery. Family members of Pt Basavaraj Rajguru contributed some photographs from their family album," explains Bellakki.

AIR, Dharwad, is only radio station in South India with such a gallery, he claims.

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