Anasuya Shankar (1 September 1928 – 29 July 1963), popularly known by her pen name as Triveni, was an Indian writer of modern fiction in

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native ...

. Her novels have been made into feature films, most prominently, ''

Belli Moda ''Belli Moda'' () is a 1967 Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal. It was based on the novel of same name by Triveni. Kanagal remade the movie in Malayalam in 1967 as ''Swapnabhoomi'' and in Telugu in 1968 as ''Palamanasulu''. Thi ...

'' (1967)'' and

Sharapanjara ''Sharapanjara'' ( en, Cage of Arrows) is a 1971 Indian Kannada language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on a novel by Triveni of the same name, and starring Kalpana and Gangadhar in lead roles. This film is considered one of the bes ...

'' (1971) – both directed by

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

and featuring actress Kalpana. Her small stories collection ''Samasyeya Magu'' won the Devaraja Bahadur Prize in 1950. Her novel ''Avala Mane'' earned the

Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award is an annual literary award given to literary works in Kannada by the Karnataka Sahitya Academy. Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award is given to individual books published in various genres like poetry, novel, short f ...

in 1960.

Life

Anasuya Shankar was born on 1 September 1928 in the

Chamarajapuram Chamarajapuram is one of the earliest settlements and localities in Mysore, Karnataka, India, located in the centre of Mysore city. Initially an agraharam inhabited by the Mysore nobility, parts of it were later allotted other local dwellers as ...

suburb of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(in present-day

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

), to B. M. Krishnaswamy and Thangamma. She was also called Bhagirathi. She had a younger sister

Aryamba Pattabhi Aryamba Pattabhi (born 12 March 1936) is an Indian novelist and writer in Kannada language. She is the younger sister of Triveni, a popular Kannada novelist and the niece of B. M. Srikantaiah, a famous Kannada poet, writer and translator. Her ...

, who went on to become a writer as well. Other writers in her family were uncle

B. M. Srikantaiah Belluru Mylaraiah Srikantaiah (3 January 1884 – 5 January 1946), was an Indian author, writer and translator of Kannada literature. Prominent Students * V. Seetharamaiah * K. V. Puttappa Works * ''Gadayuddha Natakam'' (ಗದಾಯುದ ...

and cousin

Vani Vani ( ka, ვანი) is a town in Imereti region of a western Georgia, at the Sulori river (a tributary of the Rioni river), 41 km southwest from the regional capital Kutaisi. The town with the population of 3,744 (2014) is an administr ...

. She graduated with a gold medal in her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from Maharani's Arts College in

. In 1947, she was awarded the Siddegowda gold medal for excellence on

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. She married S. N. Shankar (1925–2012) in 1951, an English professor at Sarada Vilas College, Mysore. Anasuya adopted the pen name Triveni out of respect for

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, whose ashes following his death, were immersed in the confluence of the three Indian rivers of

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

and the invisible

Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...

, known as the

Triveni Sangam In Hindu tradition, Triveni Sangam is the confluence (Sanskrit: ''sangama'') of three rivers that is also a sacred place, with a bath here said to flush away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. Triveni Sangam in Allaha ...

. Anasuya died of

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...

on 29 July 1963, ten days after giving birth to Meera, from her third pregnancy after two

miscarriages Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical ...

, at the Mission Hospital in Mysore.

Career

Triveni published her first novel ''Apasvara'' in 1953. After that, she published 20 novels and 3 short story collections. Her novels mainly contained stories based on the psychological issues faced by women, their emotions and frustrations. Her ''Tavareya Kola'' won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Literary works

Novels

* ''Apaswara'' (Disharmony, 1952) * ''Sotu Geddavalu'' * ''Bekkina Kannu'' (Cat's Eye, 1954) * ''Modala Hejje'' (The First Step, 1956) * ''Keelu Gombe'' (The Puppet, 1955) * ''Apajaya'' (Defeat, 1956) * ''Kankana'' (Sacred Bond, 1957) * ''Mucchida Bagilu'' (Closed Door, 1956) * ''Baanu Belagitu'' * ''Mukti'' (Bliss, 1952) * ''Hrudaya Gita'' * ''Avala Mane'' * ''Tavareya Kola'' * ''Vasantagaana'' * ''Kashi Yatre'' * ''Sharapanjara'' (Cage of Arrows, 1962) * ''Hannele Chiguridaga'' (When the Old Leaf Turns Green Again, 1963) * ''Avala Magalu'' * ''Belli Moda'' * ''Doorada Betta'' (Distant Hill, 1955)

Collection of short stories

* ''Hendatiya Hesaru'' * ''Yeradu Manasu'' * ''Samasyeya Magu''

Filmography based on her novels

* '' Chettathi'' - 1965 Malayalam movie directed by

was partially based on the novel ''Hannele Chiguridaga''. * ''Poocha Kanni'' - 1966 Malayalam movie directed by

was based on the novel ''Bekkina Kannu''. * ''

'' (1967) * '' Hannele Chiguridaga'' (1968) * ''

'' (1971) * ''Kankana'' (1975) * '' Mukti'' (1977) * '' Hoovu Hannu'' (1993)

External links

Triveni

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Anasuya 1928 births 1963 deaths Writers from Mysore Kannada people Kannada-language writers Women writers from Karnataka Indian women novelists Indian women short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian women writers Novelists from Karnataka Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers