Kuvempu: The greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century

India

oi-Prakash KL

New
Delhi,
Aug
08:
Popularly
known
by
pseudonym
‘Kuvempu’,
Kuppali
Venkatappa
Puttappa
was
the
first
among
the
Kannada
writers
to
be
awarded
with
the
prestigious
Jnanpith
Award
for
his
work
‘Sri
Ramayana
Darshanam’.

Born
on
29
December
1904,
Kuvempu
also
served
as
Vice
Chancellor
of
Mysore
University.

Kuvempu started his literary work in English and later switched to his native Kannada and wrote popular novels like ‘Kaanuru Heggadati’ and ‘Malegalalli Madumagalu’.

Kuvempu
studied
at
Mysuru
University
in
the
1920s,
taught
there
for
nearly
three
decades
and
served
as
its
vice-chancellor
from
1956
to
1960.
He
initiated
education
in
Kannada
as
the
language
medium.

Known
as
‘Rashtrakavi’
(national
poet)
and
for
penning
the
state
anthem
‘Jaya
Bharata
Jananiya
Tanujate’,
he
wrote
several
plays,
literary
criticisms,
essays,
collection
of
stories
and
poems.

Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Karnataka Ratna and Sahitya Akademi award have been bestowed on Kuvempu who professed ‘Vishwa Manava Sandesha’ (Message of Universal Man).

For
his
contributions
to
Kannada
Literature,
the
Government
of
Karnataka
decorated
him
with
the
honorific
Rashtrakavi
(“National
Poet”)
in
1964
and
Karnataka
Ratna
(“The
Gem
of
Karnataka”)
in
1992.
He
was
conferred
the
Padma
Vibhushan
by
the
Government
of
India
in
1988.
He
penned
the
Karnataka
State
Anthem
Jaya
Bharata
Jananiya
Tanujate.

Some
of
his
most
famous
works
are
given
below.

Kolalu,
a
collection
of
poems
–
1929

Kaanuru Heggadati, a novel – 1936

Shoodra Tapaswi, a play – 1944

Sri Ramayana Darshanam (in two volumes) – 1949 and 1957

Apart
from
the
aforementioned
works,
he
wrote
a
movie,
‘Kanooru
Subbamma
Heggaditi,’ which
was
directed
by
Girish
Karnad.

He
died
on
11
November
1994.

The childhood home of Kuvempu at Kuppali has been converted into a museum by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishtana (a trust dedicated to Kuvempu). This trust has undertaken immense developmental works in Kuppali to showcase Kuvempu and his works to the external world.