Kota Shivaram Karanth (10 October 1902 – 9 December 1997), also abbreviated as K. Shivaram Karanth, was an Indian

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

, who was a novelist 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 ...

, playwright and an ecological conservationist. Ramachandra Guha called him the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India, who has been one of the finest novelists-activists since independence". He was the third writer to be decorated with the Jnanpith Award for

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 ...

, the highest literary honor conferred in India. His son Ullas is an ecological conservationist.

Early life

Shivaram Karanth was born on 10 October 1902, in Kota near Kundapura in the Udupi district of

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 a

-speaking family. The fifth child of his parents Shesha Karantha and Lakshmamma, he completed his primary education in

Kundapura Kundapur, also called Kundapura, is a coastal town situated in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. This town was known as Coondapoor while it was part of the erstwhile South Canara district (1862–1947) of the Madras Pres ...

and

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...

. Shivaram Karanth was influenced by Gandhi's principles and took part in

Indian Independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

when he was in college. His participation in the

Non-cooperation movement The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

did not allow him to complete his college education which he quit in February 1922. He canvassed for

khadi Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...

and swadeshi in Karnataka led by

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

leader

Karnad Sadashiva Rao Karnad Sadashiva Rao was an Indian freedom fighter from what is now Karnataka, India. Rao was born to a wealthy south Indian family in 1881. He studied at Presidency College in Madras and also studied law in Mumbai. Rao became involved in ...

, for five years till 1927. By that time, Karanth had already started writing fiction novels and plays.

Career

Karanth began writing in 1924 and soon published his first book, ''Rashtrageetha Sudhakara'', a collection of poems. His first novel was ''Vichitrakoota''. Subsequent works like ''Nirbhagya Janma'' ("Unfortunate Birth") and ''Sooleya Samsara'' ("Family of a Prostitute") mirrored the pathetic conditions of the poor. His magnum opus ''Devaddhootaru'', a satire on contemporary India, was published in 1928. Karanth was an intellectual and environmentalist who made notable contribution to the art and culture of

. He is considered one of the most influential novelists in the Kannada language. His novels ''Marali Mannige'', ''Bettada Jeeva'', ''Alida Mele'', ''Mookajjiya Kanasugalu'', ''Mai Managala Suliyalli'', ''Ade OOru Ade Mara'', ''Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli'', ''Kudiyara Koosu'', ''Svapnada Hole'', ''Sarsammana Samadhi'', and ''Chomana Dudi'' are widely read and have received critical acclaim. He wrote two books on Karnataka's ancient stage dance-drama ''

Yakshagana Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...

'' (1957 and 1975). He was involved in experiments in the technique of printing for some years in the 1930s and 1940s and printed his own novels, but incurred financial losses. He was also a painter and was deeply concerned with the issue of nuclear energy and its impact on the environment.A walk through the life of Karanth – KARNATAKA
The Hindu (26 February 2013). Retrieved on 2018-11-15. At the age of 90, he wrote a book on birds (published during 2002 by Manohara Grantha Mala, Dharwad). He wrote, apart from his forty-seven novels, thirty-one plays, four short story collections, six books of essays and sketches, thirteen books on art, two volumes of poems, nine encyclopedias, and over one hundred articles on various issues. His ''Mookajjiya Kanasugalu'' novel won Jnanpith award.

Personal life

Karanth married Leela Alva, a student in the school that Karanth taught dance and directed plays in. Leela belonged to the Bunt community and was the daughter of a businessman, K. D. Alva. They married on 6 May 1936. The couple subsequently attracted ridicule from people in the region over their

inter-caste marriage Intercaste marriage (ICM), also known as marrying out of caste, is a form of exogamous nuptial union that involve two individuals belonging to different castes. Intercaste marriages are particularly perceived as socially unacceptable and taboo in mo ...

; Karanth belonged to an orthodox

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

community. Leela, who had her early education in

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state of Goa. It is one of t ...

, re-learnt Kannada after marriage and translated the Marathi novel ''

Pan Lakshat Kon Gheto ''Pan Lakshat Kon Gheto'' ( mr, पण लक्षात कोण घेतो?, English: ''But Who Cares...'') is an 1890 Marathi-language novel by Hari Narayan Apte. Written in autobiographical style, the novel tells the story of Yamuna, a y ...

'' into Kannada. As a dancer, she participated in Karanth's operas. The Karanths had four children together: sons, Harsha and Ullas, a conservationist; and daughters, Malavika and Kshama. His mother's influence on Karanth was described by Ullas as: "It was our mother who shaped Karanth's life... She was the backbone of all his endeavours. She was also quite well-read, and she dedicated all of her talents to her husband. She took care of all household responsibilities." The family lived in the Puttur town of Dakshina Kannada, a district in the South Karnataka region, before moving to

Saligrama A shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला, Śāligrāma-śilā), also rendered as shaligram, is a particular variety of stone collected from riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in N ...

, a town from Karanth's birthplace Kota, in 1974. A few years prior to this, their eldest son Harsha died leaving Leela suffer from "depression and hallucinations". Leela died in September 1986. It was also the year that Karanth's final novel was published. Karanth was admitted to Kasturba Medical College in

Manipal Manipal is a suburb and university town within Udupi, in coastal Karnataka, India. Manipal is located five kilometres away from the centre of Udupi City, in Udupi District, Karnataka (state) in south western India. It is administered by the Udup ...

on 2 December 1997 to be treated for viral fever. He suffered from a cardiac respiratory arrest two days later and slipped into a coma. On 8 December, his kidneys began to failand subsequently developed severe acidosis and

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

, following which he was put on dialysis. Efforts to revive him failed and he died at 11:35 a.m. ( IST) the following day, aged 95. The

government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

declared a two-day

mourning Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...

in the State as a mark of respect.

Popularity

Many of Karanth's novels have been translated into other Indian languages. Marali Mannige got translated to English by Padma Ramachandra Sharma, has been conferred the State Sahitya Akademi award.

Memorial

Shivarama Karantha Balavana

Shivarama Karantha Balavana is notable for its fame under the name of the Jnanapeeta awardee Dr. K. Shivarama Karantha, who lived in Puttur. In his memory his home now houses a museum, a park, and a recreation center.

Literary and national honors

* Jnanapith Award – 1978 * Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (1985) * Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1973) *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

(He returned his

honour in protest against the

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

imposed in India) * Sahitya Academy award – 1959 * Karnataka state Sahitya Akademi Award * Rajyotsava Prashasti – 1986 * Sangeet Natak Award *

Pampa Award The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine Provinces of Argentina, provinces of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, La Pampa Province, La Pampa, ...

* Swedish Academy award * Tulsi Samman (1990) * Dadabhai Nauroji Award (1990) * Honorary Doctorate from Mysore University, Meerut University, Karnatak University and others.

Film awards

National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...

– (Posthumously) * National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention Writer – Bettada Jeeva – K. Shivaram Karanth – 2011

Writings

Novels * '' Mookajjiya Kanasugalu'' ("Dreams of Mookajji Granny") ( Jnanpith award winning novel) * '' Marali Mannige'' ("Back to the Soil") * '' Chomana Dudi'' ("Drum of Choma") * '' Mai Managala Suliyalli'' ("In the Whirlpool of Body and Soul") * '' Bettada Jeeva'' ("Life in the Hills") * '' Sarasammana Samadhi'' ("Grave of Sarasamma") * '' Dharmarayana Samsara'' ("Family of Dharmaraya") * '' Alida Mele'' ("After Death") * '' Kudiyara Kusu'' ("Infant of Kudiya") * '' Mailikallinodane Matukate'' ("Conversation with the Milestone") * '' Chiguridha Kanasu'' * '' Mugida Yudda'' ("Completed War") * ''Moojanma'' * ''Dharmarayana Samsara'' * ''Kevala Manushyaru'' * ''Illeyamba'' * ''Iddaru Chinthe'' * ''Navu Kattida Swarga'' * ''Nashta Diggajagalu'' * ''Kanniddu Kanaru'' * ''Gedda Doddasthike'' * ''Kannadiyalli Kandatha'' * ''Antida Aparanji'' * ''Halliya Hattu Samastharu'' * ''Sameekshe'' * ''Moga Padeda Mana'' * ''Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli'' * ''Nambidavara Naka Naraka'' * ''Oudaryada Urulalli'' * ''Onti Dani'' * ''Odahuttidavaru'' * ''Swapnada Hole'' * ''Jaruva Dariyalli'' * ''Ukkida Nore'' * ''Balveye Belaku'' * ''Ala Nirala'' * ''Gondaranya'' * ''Ade Uru Ade Mara'' * ''Innonde Dari'' * ''Jagadoddara Na'' * ''Bathada Thore'' Science Books * ''Nature, Science and Environment'' * ''Vijnana prapancha'' ("The World of Science") * ''Adbhuta jagattu'' ("Wonderful World") * ''Prani Prapancha'' * ''Prani Prapanchada Vismayagalu'' * ''Pakshigala Adbhuta Loka'' Plays * ''Yaksagana'' – English translation, Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (1997) * ''Yakshagana Bayalata'' Children's books * ''Dum Dum Dolu'' * ''Oduva Ata'' * ''Vishala Sagaragalu'' * ''Balaprapancha – Makkalavishwakosha'' – Vol 1,2,3 * ''Mailikallinodane Matukathegalu'' * ''Mariyappana Sahasagalu'' * ''Nachiketa – Ack'' * ''Ibbara Gaja Panditaru'' * ''Oduva Ata – Sirigannada Pathamale'' * ''Mathina Sethuve'' * ''Jatayu Hanumanta'' * ''Huliraya'' Autobiography * ''Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu'' (English translation: "Ten Faces of a Crazy Mind", by H Y Sharada Prasad) * ''Smriti Pataladinda'' (Vol 1–3) Travelogue * ''Abuvinda Baramakke'' * ''Arasikaralla'' * ''Apoorva Paschima'' ("Incomparable West") * ''Paataalakke Payana'' ("Travel to the nether world") Biography * ''Panje Mangesharayaru : Kannada Nadu Mattu Kannadigara Parampare'' * ''Sri Ramakrishnara Jeevana Charithre'' Art, Architecture and Other * ''Kaladarshana'' * ''Bharatheya Chitrakale'' * ''Jnana'' ("Knowledge") * ''Sirigannada Artha Kosha'' * ''Kala Prapancha'' * ''Yaksharangakkagi Pravasa'' * ''Arivina Ananda'' * ''Life The Only Light – A Guide To Saner Living'' * ''Chalukya Shilpakale''

Kannada and Cinema

* '' Chomana Dudi'' * '' Chigurida Kanasu'' * ''Maleya Makkalu'' (from Kudiyara Koosu Novel) * '' Bettada Jeeva'' * '' 8 September (Tulu)'' * '' Mookajjiya Kanasugalu (Kannada)''