Shivaram Karanth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1902-10-10)10 October 1902 |
| Died | 9 December 1997(1997-12-09) (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Novelist, playwright, conservationist[1][2] |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Period | 1924–1997[3] |
| Genre | Fiction, popular science, literature for children, dance-drama |
| Literary movement | Navodaya |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4; includingUllas |
Kota Shivaram Karanth (10 October 1902 – 9 December 1997), also abbreviated asK. Shivaram Karanth, was an Indian author, who was a novelist in theKannada language,aplaywright and an ecologicalconservationist.Ramachandra Guha called him the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India, who has been one of the finest novelists-activists since independence".[4] He was the third writer[5] to be decorated with theJnanpith Award forKannada, the highest literary honor conferred in India.[6] His sonUllas, is an ecological conservationist.[3]
Shivaram Karanth was born on 10 October 1902,[7] in Kota nearKundapura in theUdupi district ofKarnataka to aKannada-speakingSmarthaBrahmin family.[citation needed] The fifth child of his parents Shesha Karantha and Lakshmamma, he completed his primary education inKundapura andBangalore.[citation needed]Shivaram Karanth was influenced byGandhi's principles and took part in theIndian Independence movement when he was in college. His participation in theNon-cooperation movement did not allow him to complete his college education which he quit in February 1922. He canvassed forkhadi andswadeshi in Karnataka led byIndian National Congress leaderKarnad Sadashiva Rao,[8] for five years till 1927.[7] By that time, Karanth had already started writing fiction novels and plays.[7]
Karanth began writing in 1924 and soon published his first book,Rashtrageetha Sudhakara, a collection of poems. His first novel wasVichitrakoota. Subsequent works likeNirbhagya Janma ("Unfortunate Birth") andSooleya Samsara ("Family of a Prostitute") mirrored the pathetic conditions of the poor. His magnum opusDevaddhootaru, a satire on contemporary India, was published in 1928.[3]
Karanth was an intellectual and environmentalist who made notable contribution to the art and culture ofKarnataka.[7] He is considered one of the most influential novelists in the Kannada language. His novelsMarali Mannige,Bettada Jeeva,Alida Mele,Mookajjiya Kanasugalu,Mai Managala Suliyalli,Ade OOru Ade Mara,Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli,Kudiyara Koosu,Svapnada Hole,Sarsammana Samadhi, andChomana Dudi are widely read and have received critical acclaim.[7] He wrote two books on Karnataka's ancient stage dance-dramaYakshagana (1957 and 1975).[citation needed]
He was involved in experiments involving 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.[9] At the age of 90, he wrote a book on birds (published during 2002 by Manohara Grantha Mala, Dharwad).[citation needed]
He wrote, apart from his forty-seven novels, thirty-one plays, four short story collections, six books of essays andsketches, thirteen books on art, two volumes of poems, nine encyclopedias, and over one hundred articles on various issues.[9] HisMookajjiya Kanasugalu novel won Jnanpith award.[citation needed]
Karanth married Leela Alva, a student in the school that Karanth taught dance and directed plays in. Leela belonged to theBunt 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 theirinter-caste marriage; Karanth belonged to an orthodoxBrahmin community, but had become anatheist after cutting hissacred thread at a young age. Leela, who had her early education inMarathi language, re-learnt Kannada after marriage and translated the Marathi novelPan Lakshat Kon Gheto into Kannada. As a dancer, she participated in Karanth's operas. The Karanths had four children together: sons, Harsha andUllas, 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 thePuttur, Karnataka town ofDakshina Kannada, a district in the South Karnataka region, before moving toSaligrama, a town 2 miles (3.2 km) 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.[8]
Karanth was admitted toKasturba Medical College inManipal on 2 December 1997 to be treated forviral fever. He suffered from a cardiacrespiratory arrest two days later and slipped into a coma. On 9 December, hiskidneys began to fail and he subsequently developed severeacidosis andsepsis, following which he was put ondialysis. Efforts to revive him failed and he died at 11:35 a.m. (IST) the following day, aged 95.[3][10] Thegovernment of Karnataka declared a two-daymourning in the State as a mark of respect.
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.[citation needed]
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.[11]
Novels
Science Books
Plays
Children's books
Autobiography
Travelogue
Biography
Art, Architecture and Other
Translations
