Shivarama Karanth - Awards | Birth Place | kannada poet

Table of Contents

• Early Life
• Literary Contributions
• Shivarama Karanth and the Jnanapeeta Award
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Dr Shivarama Karanth was an outstanding novelist, playwright, environmentalist, Yakshagana reformer, poet, and artist. It was Shivarama Karanth who broke the tradition of Kannada writers' reticence about their private selves and dishonest reiterations of their public personas. He was usually perceived as a wise teacher of the community, transcending the contradictions that ordinary human beings face.

His contributions in the fields of art, literature, the environment, and social services have been the guiding principles for society.

Let's explore the remarkable journey of Shivarama Karanth!

Shivarama Karanth Karnataka’s Eminent Kannada Litterateur and Artist  (1902 - 1997)

Early Life of Shivarama Karanth

Kota Shivarama Karanth was also known as K. Shivarama Karanth. He was a man of astounding creativity. 

Kota Shivarama Karanth was born to a Kannada-speaking Smartha Brahmin family and was the fifth child of his parents, Lakshmamma and Shesha Karanth. He received his primary education in Kundapura and Bangalore. Gandhi's principles have influenced him since his childhood. Due to his interest in the Indian independence movement, he could not complete his college education. He quit his education in the year 1922 and canvassed for khadi and swadeshi in Karnataka for five years. In 1936, he married Leela Alva.

K. Shivarama Karanth lived primarily in his native village of Kota, near Kundapura in the Udupi district of Karnataka. The village is well-known for being the hometown of Kota Shivarama Karanth, the Kannada Jnanapeeta Prasasti winner. 

Today, this Balavana is part of a preserved cultural space, park, and recreation centre in Puttur, Karnataka, which functions as a museum and cultural recreation centre while preserving the life and work of the renowned scholar and author, K. Shivarama Karanth.

During more than 40 years at his residence in "Balavana" in Puttur, Shivarama Karanth produced numerous literary masterpieces, engaged in various Yakshagana projects, and oversaw an experimental school. In this location, he lived and wrote passionately, developing and bringing to life characters such as:

• Choma in Chomana Dudi
• Gopalaya in Bettada Jeeva
• Mookajji is a character from his novel Mookajjiya Kanasugalu. This novel won the Jnanapeeta Prashasti / Jnanpith Award in the year 1977. 

Decades later, both Bettada Jeeva and Chomana Dudi gained national recognition as prize-winning films.

Shivarama Karanth's Literary Contributions

Shivarama Karanth's novels have been characterised by a naturalistic and powerful portrayal of social issues, including casteism, societal rigidity, and the struggles of the common man. His novels have transformed a whole generation of Karnataka's youth and their homes.

Shivarama Karanth, a Renaissance man, boldly returned the award in protest against the Emergency.

He was the third recipient of the Jananpeeth Award for a Kannada writer. Some of his famous 

Novels:

In the 1920s, Shivarama Karanth penned his first novel, Vichitrakoota, a detective novel. This novel marked the beginning of his career as a novelist. 

Shivarama Karanth wrote a vast number of novels; some of his notable novels include

Mookajjiya Kanasugalu, Alida Mele, Bettada Jeeva, Chomana Dudi, Marali Mannige, Mai Managala Suliyalli are some of his novels. All his works were considered among the most influential and received widespread praise from critics. Mookajjiya Kanasugalu is a key work recognised by the Jnanpith Award. 

Plays and Short Stories:

Shivarama Karanth authored many plays, demonstrating originality, and also wrote collections of short stories. Some of his notable plays include Yaksagana and Yakshagana Bayalata

Children's Literature:

Shivarama Karanth had a passion for children's literature. He wrote hundreds of books for children and even ran an experimental school. Some of these books include Huliraya, Oduva Ata, Dum Dum Dolu, Arivina Ananda, Vishala Sagaragalu, Mailikallinodane Matukathegalu, Balaprapancha-Makkalavishwakosha—Vols. 1, 2, and 3, and more.

Essays and Sketches:

Along with writing novels, short stories, and children's literature, Shivarama Karanth also produced numerous books of essays and sketches. 

On Art and Science:

Shivarama Karanth's diverse intellectual interests are evident in his numerous art books, a Kannada dictionary, and popular science publications. Shivarama Karanth significantly modernised the ancient dance-drama form of Yakshagana, making it accessible to contemporary audiences.

 Kota Shivarama Karanth contributed to Kannada literature by

Also Read: Kuvempu: Karnataka’s Iconic Poet and Jnanpith Award Winner

Shivarama Karanth and the Jnanapeeta Award

Dr Shivarama Karanth is the Jnanpith Award-winning artist, dramatist, sculptor, and author of several novels and textbooks. He was a versatile intellectual who dominated the better part of the twentieth century. Karanth was a leader in the Kannada cultural scene. Unlike most other Kannada writers, Karanth never held a salaried job in his life. 

Since independence, Kota Shivarama Karanth has been among the finest novelist-activists, Kannada writers, social activists, environmentalists, Yakshagana artists, filmmakers, and thinkers. According to the sources, Ramachandra Guha, an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual, called Shivarama Karanth the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India"

Quick Overview:

• Chomana Dudi is a classic novel, written in the 1930s. This book narrates the life of Choma, a widowed man from the lowest caste in the village who works as a bonded labourer.
• Mookajjiya Kanasugalu, a Kannada epic novel which was published in 1968, was also very well acclaimed, for which Shivarama Karanth received the prestigious Jnanapeeth award in 1977
• Shivarama Karanth published Marali Mannige, a novel in the Dakshina Kannada dialect, in 1941. This book narrates a story of three generations spanning the period from 1850 to 1940
• Shivarama Karanth also received other significant awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Pampa Award, and the Padma Bhushan, which he returned in protest of the Emergency in India.

Shivarama Karanth Awards and Recognition: 

*Source

In addition to these awards, Shivarama Karanth also received the Sangeet Natak Award, the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award, the Swedish Academy Award, and honorary doctorates from Mysore University, Meerut University, Karnatak University, and others.

Shivarama Karanth also received the Padma Bhushan award in 1968, which he returned as a protest against the Emergency.

Considering the many facets of Karanth's genius, he was considered a second Rabindranath Tagore. There was greatness about both.

• Tagore was the quintessential poet
• Karanth demonstrated the best of prose values
• However, both were alike in the importance they attached to truth and reason

India Post released a commemorative postage stamp for Kannada polymath K. Shivarama Karanth on October 15, 2003, as part of his birth centenary celebrations. 

A commemorative postal item has been released to pay tribute to the life of Kota Shivarama Karanth:

• Honour his literary and cultural contributions
• Preserving cultural traditions, and the making of Karanth's achievements and
• Spread awareness of his diverse contributions to Indian culture and intellectual life.

Source: https://ignca.gov.in/shivarama-karanth-a-tribute/ 

Conclusion

Shivarama Karanth's legacy inspires generations of writers, poets, and thinkers. He was considered a legend during his lifetime. He made a mark as a novelist even in the 1930s of this century with his novels Mookajjiya Kanasugalu, Marali Mannige, and Chomana Dudi.

Throughout his life, Shivarama Karanth showed incredible creativity. His pioneering work for the Yakshagana and his contribution to the conservation movement will immortalise him.

Stay tuned with JAIN PU College to learn more about Karnataka's famous literary authors and poets and the Jananpeeth award for the Kannada language.