Ramachandra Deva (Ramachandrayya Deva) (22 March 1948 – 11 September 2013) was an Indian writer. Deva was born in Kote Mundugaru village in

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 ...

, India, to Deva Raghavendrayya and Honnamma.

Education

Deva completed his schooling in Kalmadka, Balila, Panja and Puttur and received BA and MA degrees in English literature from the

University of Mysore The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission ...

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by Univer ...

awarded him a Ph.D for his comparative analysis of Shakespeare translations in English and Indian languages, with particular reference to

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 sp ...

versions of his plays. He worked as an English lecturer at Milagres College, Kalyanapura; Banumaiah College, Mysore; and National College, Bangalore. Deva served as librarian for the

United States Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

Office. He went on to work as assistant editor for the newspaper ''

Prajavani ''Prajavani'' (Kannada:''Voice of the People'') is a leading Kannada-language broadsheet daily newspaper published in Karnataka, India. Having a readership of over 2.01 million, it is one of the largest circulated newspapers in the state. His ...

'', worked as head of printers' Prakashana and worked as a successful farmer. He translated

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' and Macbeth to Kannada in the 1970s, which have received considerable praise and are popularly staged.

Works

Deva was an accomplished

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 ...

poet, writer and playwright. His works include , , (poetry), , (stories), Shakespeare (research work), , (collection of articles), and plays like , , and . He wrote scripts for a film by Indian director

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

and for a documentary on Bhutaradhane by

B.V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

.He was the chairman of Bodhi Trust which is a literary cultural organization that publishes books.His work “Mutthu Mattu Ithara Lekhanagalu” won the prestigious “Inandar Award”. He also held Kavyodyoga, an archive for Indian poetry in English translation and also the other Indian languages.

Death and legacy

Deva died on 11 September 2013 due to a heart ailment at the age of 67 in Bangalore. His plays and translations continue to be popular and staged regularly, paying homage to his talent.

References

1948 births 2013 deaths Kannada dramatists and playwrights Kannada-language writers Librarians at the Library of Congress Translators from English Translators of William Shakespeare Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian translators Dramatists and playwrights from Karnataka {{India-writer-stub