Gowramma (1912–1939), better known as Kodagina Gowramma, was an Indian writer who wrote in

Kannada 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 s ...

and lived in Kodagu. She was a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and supporter of the Indian Freedom Movement.

Life

Gowramma was born in 1912 to N.S Ramayya and Nanjamma in Madikeri and married to B. T. Gopal Krishna of Somwarpet taluk in Kodagu, then known as

Coorg Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

, a province in

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 ...

. She invited

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- ...

to her family house, during his campaign in Coorg, and donated all her gold ornaments towards the

Harijan Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a ...

(

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

) Welfare Fund. She drowned in a whirlpool, aged 27, on 13 April 1939.

Works

Gowramma wrote in Kannada under the name 'Kodagina Gowramma'. Her stories, such as "Aparaadhi Yaaru" (Who is the criminal), "Vaaniya Samasye", "Aahuthi" and "Manuvina Raani", were modern and progressive. Her story "Manuvina Rani" made her famous. A volume of her best known stories, ''Gowramma Kathegalu'', was issued from Madikeri. A volume of Gowramma's stories was published as ''Mareyalagada Kathegalu'' and prefaced by Kannada writer

Vaidehi Vaidehi may refer to: *Of, from or related to the ancient Indian kingdom of Videha **Vaidehi, another name for the goddess Sita **Queen Vaidehi, mother of king Ajatashatru * ''Vaidehi'' (2006 TV series), also known as ''Vaidehi – Ek Aur Agni Pa ...

. Gowramma's short stories have been translated by Deepa Bhasthi into English in 2023, published by

Yoda Press Yoda Press is a publishing house in India, with its headquarters located at Shahpur Jat, Siri Fort, New Delhi. History Yoda Press was awarded the Publisher of the Year Prize in 2016 at the Publishing Next Conference, held annually in Goa, India ...

as "Fate's game and other stories". Kannada critic and writer MS Asha Devi has said, "She was completely influenced by Gandhi and believed that it was possible for people to change society through love, sacrifice and non-violence. She was boldly experimental. She edited the first woman’s short story collection, called Rangavalli. ..As for her own stories, DR Bendre described them best when he called them khatu-madura, something which would translate to 'bittersweet' in English. She was one of our most important writers, but then, she never got the credit she deserved."

Influence

Decades later, her works inspired Triveni, a writer in Kannada. The writer Shanthi K Appanna has cited Gowramma as an inspiration. Poet

D. R. Bendre Dattātreya Rāmachandra Bēndre (31 January 1896 – 26 October 1981), popularly known as Da Rā Bēndre, is generally considered the greatest Kannada lyric poet of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the history of Kannada ...

composed a poem "Tangi Gouramma" about her and her death, published in 1958.

Legacy

Family members have created the Kodagina Gowramma Endowment Award to support writers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowramma, Kodagina Kannada-language writers Women writers from Karnataka 1912 births 1939 deaths 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers People from Kodagu district Indian feminist writers Deaths in British India Writers from British India Deaths by drowning in India