|
Celebrating Kannada and Kannadigas
Dr. Kota Shivram Karanth (1902-1997)
Leena Kamath
Click
here to read book reviews from Leena.
When one thinks of famous Kannada literary personalities, lots of names come to
our minds. One of them, undoubtedly is Dr. Shivram Karanth. Dr. Karanth is not
only well known in Kannada literary circles but also is well known nationally.
He hails from Kota, a small village in the South Canara. Apart from his literary
prowess, Dr. Karanth is also an authority in Yakshagana. He has studied the art
form - Yakshagana extensively and has published books on them.
Yakshagana-Bayalata (1958) in Kannada, and Yakshagana(1975) are two of his
masterpieces on Yakshagana. Dr. Karanth has received international acclaim for
his study on this rare folk art. Yakshagana is a folk art from Dakshina Kannada.
His work includes
42 novels,
31 plays,
Four short stories,
Six books of essays and sketches,
thirteen books on art, including a history of world art and an
authoritative work on Chalukyan sculpture and architecture,
A standard treatise on the Yakshagana, with which dramatic form, his
name is identified,
A three volume book of knowledge for children,
A four volume encyclopedia on science for grown ups,
240 children's books
Six books on travel,
In addition compilation of his random articles and speeches numbering a
couple of thousand are being published. So far eight of these anthologies have
been published. (Courtesy: Discover India)
Such is extent of Dr. Karanth's contribution to Indian literature. Dr. Karanth
is very well known for writing on a variety of topics such as social castism,
social conflicts, and social rigidity. His novels are powerful in nature and
represent revolt and rebillion. Dr. Karanth's novels are well known for their
uniqueness and genuiness. His most acclaimed work, which is well known, is
Chommana dudi, which Dr. Karanth took only 5 days to write.
Dr. Karanth did not go to any special school to learn the techniques of writing.
It came very naturally to him. He did not have any set formula for any of his
book nor did he even write on the same topic. He wrote on several issues
plaguing today's society. Dr. Karanth can be best described as a revolutionary
writer. He addressed many issues in his book, which were rampant in Dakshina
Kannada. He wrote about the common man, who struggled, for his rights. He wrote
about the woman who wanted to be treated equally like a man. He wrote about you
and me and the society that we live in. Choma, Mookajji, and Nagaveni are some
of characters in Dr. Karanth's books who are still linger in our minds long
after we read the book.
Dr. Karanth has received many accolades for his literary contributions. He has
been bestowed with the highest honor any Indian can achieve - Padmabushan. He
has also received awards and fellowships from the Sahitya Akademi, as well as
the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has also won the Jnanapeet award and also the
Tulsi Samman. Dr. Karanth has also received honorary doctorates from many
universities in India. Inspite of all this, Dr. Karanth chose to live a modest
and a simple life in Kota, a small village in South Canara.
Karnataka has given birth to many glorious personalities who we are proud of.
Dr. Kota Shivram Karanth is definitely one of them. People like Dr. Karanth has
given Karnataka an identity and has also placed it on the map. Kota Shivram
Karanth has become a household name in South Canara and also all over in India.
His books have been made into movies, which reaches out to different people from
different states all over the country.
-LKS
|
