Kuvempu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa (Kannada: ; December 29, 1904 November 11, 1994),[1] widely known by the pen name Kuvempu ( ) or by the abbreviation K. V. Puttappa, was a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the

greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among eight recipients[2] of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu. He is the second - after M. Govinda Pai - among Kannada poets to be revered as Rashtrakavi, a national poet. His work Sri Ramayana Darshanam, the rewriting of the great ancient Indianepic Ramayana in modern Kannada, is regarded as revival of the era of Mahakavya (Epic poetry) in a contemporary form and charm. He is immortalised by some of his phrases, and in particular for his contribution to Universal Humanism or in his own words Vishwa maanavataa Vaada. He was conferred Padma Vibhushan by Government of India. He has penned the Karnataka State anthem Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate.

Early life and education[edit]

Kuvempu's ancestral house in Kuppali

Kuvempu was born in Hirekodige, Koppa taluk, of Chikmagalur district to a native Kannada family. His father Venkatappa Gowda of Kuppalli and mother Seethamma of Hirekodige a nearby village. He was brought up in a place in the lush Malenadu region of Tirthahalli, called Kuppali, of Shivamogga district. His education began at his home by an appointed teacher fromDakshina Kannada. He joined Anglo Vernacular school in Tirthahalli to continue his middle school education. He lost his father Venkatappa Gowda at the early age of 12 due to ill health. Kuvempu finished his lower and secondary education in Kannada and English in Theerthahalli. He moved to Mysore for further education and completed his high school from the Wesleyan high school. He pursued his college studies in from Maharaja College of Mysore and graduated in 1929 majoring in Kannada. He married Hemavathi on 30 April 1937.

Later life[edit]
He had two sons and two daughters, K P Poornachandra Tejaswi, Kokilodaya Chaitra, Indukala and Tharini. Tharini is married to K. Chidananda Gowda, the former Vice-Chancellor ofKuvempu University. He responded poetically to even mundane events. When he got a car, he is quoted to have said, "Chakracharanake swagatha!" - Welcome to wheel footed! He named his house as "Udayaravi", "Rising Sun", called the farmer "uluva Yogi" the "tilling Yogi", and called for egalitarian society in his message "Sarvarige samapaalu, sarvarige samabaalu" - "Equal share for all, Equal life for all". His "Raso Vai Saha" is a famous work of "kavya mimamsa", the "Principles of literary criticism", in the Kannada thought of twentieth century. He is credited for giving Kannada hundreds of new words, phrases and terminologies with distinctly precise ideas; literary, social, philosophical and spiritual. This led to common people asking him to suggest a name for their newborns, for decades, through postal correspondence, which he obliged.

Career[edit]
Kuvempu began his academic career as a lecturer of Kannada language at Maharaja College of Mysore in 1929. He served as an assistant professor in central college of Bangalore from 1936. He rejoined Maharaja college of Mysore in 1946 as a professor.(group photo) He went on to become a principal of Maharaja college in 1955. Soon in 1956 he was elected as the Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University where he served till retirement in 1960. He was the first graduate from Mysore University to rise to that position.[3]

Works and message[edit

Kuvempu's house "Udayaravi" in Mysore Kuvempu's memorial in Kavishaila, Kuppalli

Kuvempu started his literary work in English first, with a collection of poetry called Beginner's Muse, and later switched to Kannada. He spearheaded Kannada as a medium for education, emphasizing the theme of "Education in Mother tongues". To cater to the needs of Kannada research, he founded the KannadaAdhyayana Samsthe (The Institute of Kannada Studies) in Mysore University, which has since been renamed after him as Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies. As Vice-Chancellor ofMysore University, he pioneered the study of Basic Sciences and Languages. He also championed the Publishing of knowledge for laymen, started by G. Hanumanta Rao. Kuvempu was more than a writer, and the way he lived his life was in itself a great message. He was against casteism, meaningless practices and rituals. Kuvempu's writings also reflect his resentment against the caste system according to which the "Shoodra Tapaswi" (1946) shudras were unfit to attain knowledge. Kuvempu (from the Vokkaliga community) also gives a different perspective to the characters in the Ramayana unlike the portrayal of characters by Valmiki in his Sri Ramayana Darshanam which won him Jnanpith Award. This work is the complete Ramayana in Kannada. It underscores his vision of sarvodaya (Upliftment of One & All). Rama of his Ramayana personifies this when he tests himself along with his wife Seeta, by jumping into the fire. O nanna chetana, Agu nee aniketana ( , ) which can be translated as "Be unhoused o my soul, only

the infinite is your goal" is a very popular note by Kuvempu on Universal Humanism. His speech during the convocation ceremony of Bangalore University has been published in the book, vichaarakranthige aahwaana. It calls for a re-assessment of developmental policies. Though it was delivered in 1974, the message is still considered relevant. In the year 1987, a new university was started in Shimoga district, Karnataka in the name of Kuvempu. It is located in Jnana Sahyadri campus, 28 km from Shimoga. His son Poornachandra Tejaswi was a polymath, contributing significantly to Literature, Photography, Calligraphy, Digital Imaging, Social Movements, and Agriculture.

Awards[edit]

Jnanpith Award - 1967[4] Padma Bhushan - 1958[5] Sahitya Akademi Award - 1955[6] National Poet - 1964[6] Pampa Award - 1987[6] Padma Vibhushan- 1988[5] Karnataka Ratna - 1992[6]

Bibliography[edit]
Novels[edit]

Kaanuru Subbamma Heggadati (1936) Malegalalli madumagalu (1967)

Modern epic (Mahakavya)[edit]

Sri Ramayana Darshanam, Volume-1 (1949), Volume-2 (1957)

Collection of poems[edit]
Kolalu (1930) Panchajanya (1936) Navillu (1937) Kindarijogi Mattu Itara Kavanagalu (1938) Kogile Mattu Soviet Russia (1944) Shoodra Tapaswi (1946) Kavya Vihara (1946) Kinkini (1946) Agnihamsa (1946) Prema Kashmira (1946) Chandramanchake Baa Chakori (1954) Ikshugangotri (1957) Kabbigana kaibutti Pakshikaashi Jenaaguvaa Kutichaka Kadiradake Kathana KavanagaLu

Plays[edit]
Birugaali (1930) Maharatri (1931) SmashaaNa kurukshetram (1931) Jalagaara (1931) Raktaakshi(1932) Shoodra tapaswi (1944) Beralge koral (1947) Yamana solu Chandrahaasa Balidaana

Autobiography[edit]
Nenapina Doniyali (1980)

Collection of stories[edit]
Malenaadina Chitragalu (1933) Sanyaasi Mattu Itare KategaLu (1937) Nanna Devaru Mattu Itara Kategalu (1940)

Literary criticism[edit]
Atmashreegagi Nirankushamatigalagi (1944) Kavyavihara (1946)

Taponandana (1951) Vibhuthi Pooje (1953) Draupadiya Shrimudi (1960) Vicharakrantige Ahvana (1976) Sahityaprachara

Biography[edit]

Swami Vivekananda(1926) Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa(1934) Guruvinodane Devaredege

Stories for children[edit]

Bommanahalliya kindarijogi(1936) Mari vijnani(1947) Meghapura(1947) Nanna mane(1947) Nanna gopaala Amalana kathe Sahasa pavana

Kuvempu's works in visual media[edit]

Movies[edit]

Kanooru Heggadithi, directed by Girish Karnad.

D. R. Bendre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Bendre" redirects here. For other uses, see Bendre (disambiguation). Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (31 January 1896 21 October 1981) was amongst the most famous of Kannada poets of the Navodaya Period. Praised as varakavi, literally 'gifted poet', he was the second person among eight recipients[1] of Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the highest literary honour conferred in India.[2] He wrote under the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta("Datta, Child of Ambika"). He also held the title Karnataka kula Thilaka ("The light of the Kannada Nation") conferred by Udupi Adamaru Math. He was conferred Padma Shri by Government of India.

Biography[edit]
Early life and education[edit]
He was born on into a Chitpavan Brahmin family at Dharwad in Karnataka.[citation needed] His grandfather was a Dasagranthi (Master of ten volumes of sacred lore) and scholar in Sanskrit classical literature. Dattatreya's father was also a Sanskrit scholar who died when Dattatreya was only 12 years old. Dattatreya later adopted the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta which literally means Datta, son of Ambika after his mother who ran a Khanavali or eatery to feed the family. Bendre completed his primary and high school education in Dharwad with his uncle's help and completed his matriculation in 1913. He joined the Fergusson College, Pune for his higher education. After obtaining his degree Bendre

returned to Dharwad and started teaching atVictoria high school. He married Laxmibai from Ranebennur in 1919. He obtained his Master of Arts degree in 1935.[3]

Career[edit]
Starting his career as a teacher at Victoria high school(Renamed as Vidyaranya High school after independence) in Dharwad, he worked as a professor of Kannada in D.A.V. College Solapur between 1944 and 1956. In 1956 he was appointed an advisor for All India Radio's Dharwad station.

Later life[edit]
Bendre formed the "Geleyara Gumpu" (Group of Friends) in 1922. Mainly intended as a peer group for the study of culture and literature, this friends' circle drew poets, writers and intellectuals from different parts of Karnataka includingAnanda Kanda, Sham. Ba. Joshi, Siddavanahalli Krishna Sharma, Enke, G.B.Joshi, Krishnakumar Kallur, V. K. Gokak and R. S. Mugali.[citation needed] In 1926, Bendre started the cultural movement "Nada-habba'", a celebration of the land and its culture which is still prevalent in Karnataka. This festival is celebrated during the navaratri. In 1932 Bendre was sentenced to imprisonment for writing Nara Bali (Human Sacrifice), which was then branded seditious.[citation
needed]

He was under house arrest in Mugad village. Bendre's two sons Panduranga and Vamana and daughter Mangala were the

only surviving children among nine who were born.[citation needed] In 1943, he presided over the 27th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Shimoga. He went on to become a fellow of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat. In 1972 the Government of Karnataka produced a documentary on his life.[citation needed]

Works and message[edit]

Bendre started off with simple and earthly romantic poetry, often using the "spoken" language. His later works dig deeper into social and philosophical matters. G. S. Amur, a leading critic in Kannada, says "Bendre believed in the value of an integrated personality but loved to project himself as a threefold being: Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, the biological self, the dehi; Professor Bendre, the thinking self; and Ambikatanayadatta, the creative self. The three selves were conceived as mutually supporting selves, as the imagery Bendre used to concretise this idea clearly suggests. He spoke of Ambikatanayadatta and Professor Bendre as closely related to each other as the banks of a river or the belly and the back. One could not exist without the other."[this quote needs a citation] Bendre has been hailed[by whom?] as the father figure of modern Kannada poetry. His poems are linked to the Kannada poetic tradition through their use of folklore, the vachanas and the kirthanas. Apart from native prosodic forms, Bendre has also employed native imagery, folk beliefs, references to Indian mythology and the language spoken by common people. Nada Lila (The Play of Sounds) is perhaps the most remarkable of his poetry collections.. All the features of Navodaya poetry like patriotism, the reformatory zeal, critical attitude, Indian culture, consolidation of traditional strength, mystical faith and assertion of a poet's individuality can be found in this collection of poems. Bendre used diverse techniques for spiritual lyrics, classical style for sonnets and traditional as well as colloquial idiom for pastoral and folk lyrics. Symbolism is characteristic of his poetry. His poem Patargitti (Butterfly) sung as a nursery rhyme speaks of colors of temptation. Another one Mudalmaneya (Morning) becomes symbolic of all pervading peace or, the poet's yearning for it. In the Kuniyonu bara (Dance Eternal) all diverse currents of thought meet in on great confluence. Apparently, all Bendre's poems could be set to music and abound in alliteration; but there was always a hidden layer of meaning which only a trained poetic mind could decipher. Towards the end of his life Bendre was deeply absorbed in numbers. This was not a new interest for him but now it became a central concern.[citation needed] When Dom Moraes visited him during his exploration of Karnataka in 1976, he found him totally

immersed in numbers. In his books Vishvadharanasutra and A Theory of Immortality Bendre made ambitious attempts to intuit all knowledge into numbers.[citation needed]

In popular culture[edit]
In 1972, film director and playwright Girish Karnad made a Kannada documentary film, D. R. Bendre on his life and work.[4][5]

Awards and honors[edit]

Jnanpith Award 1974 (For the collection of poems Naaku Tanti) Padma Shri 1968 Sahitya Academy award 1958 Kelkar prize 1965 Fellowship of Sahitya Academy 1968 And many more.

Bibliography[edit]
Poetry collections[edit]

Krishnakumari (1922) Gari (1932) Moorthi mattu Kamakastoori (1934) Sakheegeeta (1937) Uyyale (1938) Nadaleele (1940) Meghadoota (1943)) Haadu Paadu (1946) Gangavatarana (1951) Krishnakumari mattu Haadu Paadu (1956) Sooryapana (1956) Hridayasamudra (1956) Muktakantha (1956) Chaityalaya (1957) Jeevalahari (1957) Aralu Maralu (1957) Namana (1958) Sanchaya (1959) Uttarayana (1960) Mugilamallige (1961) Yaksha Yakshi (1962) Naku Tanti (1964) Maryade (1966) Shrimata (1968) Baa Hattara (1969) Idu Nabhovani (1970)

Vinaya (1972) Matte Shravana Bantu (1973) Olave Namma Badaku (1977) Chaturokti (1978) Paraki (1982) Kavyavaikhari (1982) Balabodhe (1983) Ta Lekkaniki Ta Dauti (1983) Chaitanyada Puje (1983) Pratibimbagalu (1987) Shravana Pratibhe (1987) Kuniyonu Baa (1990) Buddha i*

Plays[edit]
Tirukara Pidugu (1930) Uddhara (1930) Nageya Hoge (1931) Hucchatagalu (1935) Hosa Samsara mattu Itara Ekankagalu (1950) Ambikatanayadatta Nataka Samputa (1982)

Katha Sankalana[edit]
Nirabharanasundari (1940)

Criticism[edit]
Sahitya mattu Vimarshe (1937) Sahityasamshodhana (1940) Vicharamanjari (1945) Kavi Lakshmishana Jaimini Bharatakke Munnudi (1954) Maharashtra Sahitya (1959) Kannada Sahityadalli Nalku Nayakaratnagalu (1968) Matella Jyotu (1972) Sahityada Viratsvaroopa (1974) Kumaravyasa (1979) Matadharma mattu Adhunika Manava (1979)

Edited works[edit]
Nannadu Ee Kannada Nadu (1928) Hakki Haruthide (1930) Chandrahasa (1948) Hosagannada Kavyashree (1957) Kanakadasa Chaturshatamanotsava Samsmarana Samputa (1965)

Works in other languages and translations[edit]

A Theory of Immortality (1977) Santa Mahantancha Poorna Shambhu Vitthal (1963) Samvad (1965) Vittala Sampradaya (1984) Hosagannada Kavyashree (1957) Shantala (1972) Upanishadrahasya, by R.D. Ranade (1923) Bharatiya Navajanma "The Indian Renaissance", by Sri Aurobindo (1936) Sri Aravindara Yoga Ashrama mattu Tatvopadesha (1947) Kabira Vachanavali (1968) Bhagnamoorthi (Tr. of Anil's Marathi poem) (1972) Guru Govindasingh (Tr. of Harbans Singh's book) Noorondu Kavanagalu (Tr. of Tagore's poems ed. by Humayun Kabir)

Maasthi Venkatesa Iyengar (June 6, 1891 - June 6, 1986) was a well known writer in Kannada language. He was the fourth person among eight recipients[1] of Jnanpith Award for Kannadathe highest literary honour conferred in India.[2] He was popularly referred to as Maasti Kannadada Aasti which means Maasti is Kannada's Treasure. He is most renowned for his short stories. He wrote under the pen name Srinivasa. He was honored with the title Rajasevasakta by then Maharaja of Mysore Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar.
Contents
[hide]

1 Early life and education 2 Works 3 Bibliography 4 Notes

Early life and education[edit]

Maasti was born in 1891, at Hosahalli in Kolar district of Karnataka in a Tamil speaking Sri Vaishnavaite family. He spent his early childhood in Maasti village. He obtained a master's degree in English literature (Arts) in 1914 from Madras University.[3] After joining the Indian Civil Service (Known as the Mysore Civil Service in the days of the Maharaja of Mysore), he held various positions of responsibility in different parts of Karnataka, rising to the rank of District Commissioner. After 26 years of service, he resigned in 1943, as a protest when he did not get the post equalant to a Minister, which he deserved and a junior was promoted ahead of him.[3] He wrote some pieces in English and then switched over to write in Kannada language.[3]He used pen name Srinivasa to write short stories and novels in Kannada.[4]

Works[edit]
He published his first work Rangana Maduve in 1910 and his last work is Maatugara Ramanna (1985).[4] His Kelavu Sanna Kategalu (Some Short Stories) was the first noted work in the modern Kannada literature. Maasti also crafted a number poems on various philosophic, aesthetic and social themes. He composed and translated several important plays. He was the editor of monthly journal Jivana (Life) from 1944 to 1965. A prolific writer, he wrote more than 123 books in Kannada[4] and 17 in English, for over seventy years. He won the Jnanpith Award in 1983 for his novel Chikkavira Rajendra. The story was about the last Raja of Kodagu.

He died on his 95th birthday in 1986.[citation needed] Since 1993, an award in his name, "Masti Venkatesha Iyangar Award" is awarded to well-known writers of Karnataka.[5] His house located in Basavanagudi area, Bangalore is converted as a museum and maintained by Masti Venkatesha Iyangar Jeevana Karyalaya Trust.[6] His house located in Maasti village, Malur Taluk (Kolar District) is converted as library and maintained by Departments of Government of Karnataka.[7] Masti Residential School was started in memory of Masti Venkatesha Iyangar during 2006-07, at Masti village, Malur Taluk by Government of Karnataka.[8]

Bibliography[edit]

Epics Shri Rama Pattabisheka (Coronation of Shri Ram) Novels Chikkaveera Rajendra Historical Novel about the last king of Kodagu Channabasava Nayaka Historical Novel about the last king among Nayakas of Shimoga District. Subbana Stories and Anthologies Kelavu Sanna Kathegalu (Some Short Stories) Dombara Chenni Kaagegalu (Crows) Rangana Maduve (Ranga's Marriage) Plays Kakanakote Kalidasa Yashodhara Autobiography Bhaava Other Subbanna (1928) Sheshamma (1976) Shanta (1923) Talikoti (1929) Yashodhara(1933) Kannadad Seve(1930) Arun (1924) Tavare(1930) Sankranti (1969)