Personalities - Shivaram Karanth

Kota Shivaram Karanth
Popularly know as Shivaram Karanth 

 
Brief Information:

Born : 10th October, 1902
Place : Kota, Saligrama, Udupi district, Karnataka

Father's Name : Shesha Karantha
Mother's Name : Lakshmamma

Wife Name : Leela Karanth
Marriage Date : 1932
Children : Ullas Karanth (son)

Died : 9th December,1997
Age when died : 95 Years
Place : Manipal, Udupi district, Karnataka

Early Life  

• Shivaram Karanth was the younger brother of politician K. R. Karanth who served as minister in the Madras Presidency in the 1940s.

Education

• Completed primary education in Kundapura and Mangalore
• Was influenced by Gandhi's principles and took part in Indian Independence movement in college
• Left degree half way to participate in the Non-cooperation movement

Career

• Worked for khadi and swadeshi for five years, till about 1927. By that time Karanth had already started writing fiction-detective novels, to begin with — as well as plays

Works

• Was an intellectual and environmentalist who tremendously contributed to art and culture of Karnataka
• Considered one of the greatest novelist in Kannada
• Some of the novels like Marali Mannige, Bettada Jeeva, Alida Mele, Mookajjiya Kanasugalu and Chomana Dudi are widely read and continue to be discussed even today
• Other novels like Mai Managala Suliyalli, Ade OOru Ade Mara, Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli, Kudiyara Koosu, Svapnada Hole, Sarsammana Samadhi are also very good novels and of all the novels, Marali Mannige is considered the best
• Wrote 47 novels in all and is said to have tried to write at least one novel per year
• Contribution to revival of Yakshagana will forever be remembered
• Yakshagana-Bayalata (1957) in Kannada, and Yakshagana(1975) are two books on Yakshagana
• The first person to do some serious research in Yakshagana, collecting old Prasangas, searching the roots of yakshagana, its musical heritage etc
• Tried to revive this medieval semi-folk art and made some experiments in Yakshagana using Ballet and other modern form of dances
• Took Yakshagana troops to European countries, a unique effort in those days
• Made experiments in printing during 1930 - 40s and printed his own novels, but incurred serious financial losses
• Interestingly, earlier novels have cover pages of art work made by himself and this fact, that the novelist drawing the cover page of his own books may be a unique record in modern literature
• At the age of 95, wrote a book on birds (published during 2002 by Manohara Grantha Mala, Dharwad) and this may also be a world record of some sorts (for having written a book at that ripe age)
• Was a prolific writer. Apart from the 47 novels, also wrote 31 plays, 4 short stories, 6 books of essays and sketches, 13 books on art, including a history of world art in Kannada and a work on Chalukyan sculpture and architecture, a standard treatise on the Yakshagana (with which dramatic form, his name is identified), a 3 volume book of knowledge for children, a 4 volume encyclopedia on science for grown ups, 240 children's books, 6 books on travel, 2 books on birds, 3 Travelogues, an autobiography
• The list is incomplete. Dr. Karanth has 417 books to his credit, which fact may be a unique record for any noted important writer in India and this fact is a less publicized one

Conservation work

• Rescued 2 tiger cubs from starvation when their mother was killed by poachers
• Experimentally built the first children's toy-train in Asia which was later copied in Cubbon Park, Bangalore
• Ullas Karanth (son) continues his work in the field of environmentalism with an internationally acclaimed body of research into the ecology, biology and future of the tiger in India

Politics

• Plunged into Politics once but was defeated in the Parliament election from Canara Constituency

Honours

• Has credit of around 87 books written by renowned authors on him
• The only person in Asia on whom so many books have been written
• Bhargava of the Coast
• Mobile Encyclopaedia
• As President of the thirty seventh Karnataka Literary conference held at Mysore in 1955
• Honorary doctorates of Mysore and Karnataka universities 

Awards

• Padma Bhushan - Returned his Padma Bhushan honor in protest against the Emergency, imposed by Indira Gandhi.
• Sahitya Academy award - 1958
• Pampa Award
• Tulsi Samman
• Swedish Academy award
• Jnanpith Award - 1978
• An institution, "Center of Advanced Studies", was established in his name at Mangalore University in 1990.

        And many more

Books written 

• Mookajjiya Kanasugalu - dreams of a silent granny (Jnanpith award winning novel)
• Marali Mannige - back to the soil
• "Chomana Dudi" - drum of choma
• "Apoorva Paschima" - Incomparable West - A Travelogue
• "Abuvinda Baramakke" - A Travelogue
• "Arasikaralla" - A Travelogue
• "Mai Managala Suliyalli" - in the whirlpool of body and soul
• "Bettada Jeeva" - life on the hills
• "Sarasammana Samadhi" - grave of sarasamma
• "Dharmayana Samsara" - family of Dharmayana
• "Alida Mele" - after death
• "Kudiyara Kusu" - infant of kudiya
• "jnana" - ( Knowledge )
• "mailikallinodane matukate" - Talks with the milestone ( small stories)
• "adbhuta jagattu" - wonderful world ( science)
• "vijnana prapancha" - The World Of Science ( science)
• "Kaladarshana" - Book on Art with hundreds of photo/pictures.
• Yaksagana, English transln., Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (1997)
• Yakshagana Bayalata Pub by Mysore University
• Bharatheya chitrakale
• "Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu", autobiography, English translation: "Ten Faces of a Crazy Mind", by H Y Sharada Prasad), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 1993,
• "Chiguridha Kanasu"
• "Mugida Yudda" - Completed war
• "Moojanma"
• "Dharmarayana samsara"
• "Kevala Manushyaru"
• "Illeyamba"
• "Iddaru chinthe"
• "Navu kattida swarga"
• "Nashta diggajagalu"
• "Kanniddu kurudaru"
• "Gedda doddasthike"
• "Kannadiyalli kandatha"
• "Antida aparanji"
• "Halliya hattu samastharu"
• "Sameekshe"
• "Moga Padeda Mana"
• "Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli"
• "Sameekshe"
• "Nambidavara Naka Naraka"
• "Kambaniya Kuyilu"

Movies

• Chomana Dudi
• Chigurida Kanasu
• Maleya Makkalu (from Kudiyara Koosu Novel)

If anyone finds any mistake or any more information can be added or any of the photos to be removed please mail to kasthoorikannada@gmail.com. Please note that the above article is collection of many sources