Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa (December 29, 1904 – November 11, 1994) was a
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
writerA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century
Kannada literatureKannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
. He is the first among eight recipients of
Jnanpith AwardThe Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
for
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the
pen nameA pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Kuvempu. He is the second among
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
poets to be revered as
Rashtrakavi (after
M. Govinda PaiManjeshwar Govinda Pai , also known as Rastrakavi Govinda Pai, was a Kannada poet. He was awarded the Rashtrakavi title by the Madras Government...
). His work
Sri Ramayana DarshanamSri Ramayana Darshanam is the most famous work and the magnum opus by Kuvempu in Kannada based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. It earned him many distinctions including the Sahitya Akademi and the Jnanapeeth award in 1967....
, the rewriting of the great ancient
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n epic
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
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 BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by Government of India. He has penned the Karnataka State anthem 'Jaya Bharata Jananiya tanujate'.
Early life and education
Kuvempu was born in Hirekodige, Koppa taluk, of
Chikmagalur districtChikkamagaluru is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Chikkamagaluru is where coffee was first cultivated in India. The mountains here which are a part of the Western Ghats are the source of rivers like Tunga and Bhadra. Chikkamagaluru district also contains Mullayanagiri; which is the...
to a native
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
family. 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 from
Dakshina Kannada- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
. 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
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
and
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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-History & Evolution:It was one of the constituent colleges of Madras University and transferred to Mysore University in 1916. It is one of the oldest colleges of South India. It is the first college for higher studies built by an Indian king at the time of British rule. Former President of India...
and graduated in 1929 majoring in
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
. He married
Hemavathi on 30 April 1937.
Later life
He had two sons and two daughters. K
Poornachandra TejaswiKuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Kannada writer and novelist who has made a great impession in "Navya" period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the bandaya or "protest literature" with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu.At early stages of his writing...
, Kokilodaya Chaitra, Indukala and Tharini. Tharini is married to
K. Chidananda GowdaProf. K. Chidananda Gowda is the former Vice-Chancellor of the Kuvempu University, which is located in the state of Karnataka, India. He is also the son-in-law of the Kannada playwright, Kuvempu, after whom the Kuvempu University is named. He has published many papers, mainly in the field of...
, the former Vice-Chancellor of
Kuvempu UniversityKuvempu University is a public state university located in Shimoga, Karnataka, India established in 1987 by the act of the Karnataka state legislature through an amendment No.28/1976 dated 29 January 1989 under the Karnataka State University Act 1976. The university offers undergraduate and...
. 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 egalatarian 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 correspondece, which he obliged!
Career
Kuvempu began his academic career as a lecturer of
Kannada languageKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
at Maharaja College of
Mysore in 1929. He served as an assistant professor in central college of
BangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
from 1936. He rejoined Maharaja college of
Mysore in 1946 as a professor. 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.
Works and Message
Kuvempu started his literary work in
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
first, with a collection of poetry called
Beginner's Muse, and later switched to
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
.
He spearheaded
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
as a medium for education, emphasizing the theme of "Education in Mother tongues". To cater to the needs of
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
research, he founded the
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
Adhyayana 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 of Mysore 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
casteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
ism, meaningless practices and rituals. Kuvempu's writings also reflect his resentment against the
caste systemCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
according to which the "Shoodra Tapaswi" (1946)
shudraShudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
s were unfit to attain knowledge. Kuvempu (from the
VokkaligaThe Vokkaligas are an Indian caste or social group found mainly in the Old Mysore Region of southern Karnataka state. In Tamil Nadu they are known as Okkaligar and use Gowder as a title...
community) also gives a different perspective to the characters in the
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
unlike the portrayal of characters by
ValmikiValmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
in his
Sri Ramayana DarshanamSri Ramayana Darshanam is the most famous work and the magnum opus by Kuvempu in Kannada based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. It earned him many distinctions including the Sahitya Akademi and the Jnanapeeth award in 1967....
which won him
Jnanpith AwardThe Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
. This work is the complete
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
in
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
. It underscores his vision of
sarvodaya (Upliftment of One & All).
RamaRama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
of his
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
personifies this when he tests himself along with his wife Seeta, by jumping into the fire.
O nanna chetana, Agu nee aniketana (ಓ ನನ್ನ ಚೇತನ, ಆಗು ನೀ ಅನಿಕೇತನ ) 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 UniversityBangalore University is a public university located in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. The university is one of the oldest in India, dating back to 1886...
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 districtShimoga District is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga District lies in the Malnad region of the Western Ghats, a hilly area known for its green forests, plentiful rainfall, and as the source of many of the area's rivers. Shimoga City is the administrative centre...
,
KarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
in the name of Kuvempu. It is located in
Jnana Sahyadri campus, 28 km from
Shimoga.
His son
Poornachandra TejaswiKuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Kannada writer and novelist who has made a great impession in "Navya" period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the bandaya or "protest literature" with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu.At early stages of his writing...
was a
polymathA polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
, contributing significantly to
LiteratureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
,
PhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
,
CalligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
,
Digital ImagingDigital imaging or digital image acquisition is the creation of digital images, typically from a physical scene. The term is often assumed to imply or include the processing, compression, storage, printing, and display of such images...
, Social Movements, and
AgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Further reading
- Poornachandra Tejaswi
Kuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Kannada writer and novelist who has made a great impession in "Navya" period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the bandaya or "protest literature" with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu.At early stages of his writing...
, Annana Nenapu
- K.C. Shiva Reddy, Yugada Kavi
- Dr. Pradhan Gurudatta, Kuvempu
- Tharini Chidananda, "Magalu Kanda Kuvempu"
poornachandra Tejaswi
Awards
- Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
- 1967
- Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
- 1958
- Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
- 1955
- National Poet - 1964
- Pampa Award
Pampa , called by the honorific Ādikavi is one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time.He is very famous even today for his philosophical beliefs...
- 1987
- Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
- 1988
- Karnataka Ratna
Karnataka Ratna is the highest civilian honour of the State of Karnataka. It is awarded to a person for his extraordinary contribution in any field. It was constituted in the year 1992 by the Government of Karnataka. There have been a total of 8 recipients of this award.- The Award :The Award...
- 1992
Collection of Poems
- Kolalu (1930)
- Panchajanya (1936)
- Navilu (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
- Birugaali (1930)
- Maharatri (1931)
- SmashaaNa kurukshetram (1931)
- Jalagaara (1931)
- Raktaakshi(1932)
- Shoodra tapaswi (1944)
- Beralge koral (1947)
- Yamana solu
- Chandrahaasa
- Balidaana
Collection of stories
- Malenadina Chitragalu (1933)
- Sanyaasi Mattu Itare KategaLu (1937)
- Nanna Devaru Mattu Itara Kategalu (1940)
Literary criticism
- Atmashreegagi Nirankushamatigalagi (1944)
- Kavyavihara (1946)
- Taponandana (1951)
- Vibhuthi Pooje (1953)
- Draupadiya Shrimudi (1960)
- Vicharakrantige Ahvana (1976)
- Sahityaprachara
Biography
- Swami Vivekananda(1926)
- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa(1934)
- Guruvinodane Devaredege
Stories for children
- Bommanahalliya kindarijogi(1936)
- Mari vijnani(1947)
- Meghapura(1947)
- Nanna mane(1947)
- Nanna gopaala
- Amalana kathe
See also
- Kannada
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
- Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
- Kannada poetry
Kannada poetry is poetry written in the Kannada language spoken in Karnataka. Karnataka is the land that gave birth to eight Jnanapeeth award winners, the highest honour bestowed for Indian literature...
External links