Personalities - Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre

Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre
Popularly know as Ambikatanayadatta 

Brief Information:

Born : 31st January, 1896
Place : Dharwad, Karnataka

Father's Name :
Mother's Name : Ambika

Wife Name : Laxmibai
Marriage Date : 1919
Children : Two sons Panduranga and Vamana and daughter Mangala

Died : 21st October, 1981
Age when died : 85 Years
Place : Mumbai, India

Early Life

• Born on into a Chitpavan Brahmin family at Dharwad in Karnataka
• Grand father was a Dasagranthi (Master of ten volumes of sacred lore) and scholar in Sanskrit classical literature
• Father was also a Sanskrit scholar
• Father died when Dattatreya was only 12 years old
• Adopted the pen-name of Ambikatanayadatta (literally means Datta, son of Ambika after his mother)
• Mother ran a Khanavali or eatery to feed the family
• Education
• Completed primary and high school education in Dharwad with uncle's help
• Completed matriculation in 1913
• Joined the Fergusson College, Pune for higher education.
• After obtaining degree returned to Dharwad and started teaching at Victoria high school
• Obtained Master of Arts degree in 1935

Career

• Started career as a teacher at Victoria high school in Dharwad
• Worked as a professor of Kannada in D.A.V. College Solapur (1944 – 1956)
• Was appointed an advisor for All India Radio's Dharwad station.in 1956
• Later life
• Formed the Geleyara Gumpu (Group of Friends) in 1922
• Geleyara Gumpu was mainly intended as a peer group for the study of culture and literature, this friends' circle drew poets, writers and intellectuals from different parts of Karnataka including Ananda Kanda, Sham. Ba. Joshi, Siddavanahalli Krishna Sharma, Enke, G.B.Joshi, Krishnakumar Kallur, V. K. Gokak and R. S. Mugali
• Started the cultural movement Nada-habba, a celebration of the land and its culture which is still prevalent in Karnataka in 1926
• Nada-habba is celebrated during the navaratri
• Was sentenced to imprisonment for writing Nara Bali (Human Sacrifice), which was then branded seditious in 1932 Bendre
• Was under house arrest in Mugad village
• Presided over the 27th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Shimoga in 1943
• Went on to become a fellow of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat
• The Government of Karnataka produced a documentary on his life in 1972
• Film director and playwright Girish Karnad made a Kannada documentary film, D. R. Bendre on his life and work in 1972. It was produced by The Government of Karnataka

Awards and honors

• President of the 27th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana of Shimoga in 1943
• Awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Mysore and Karnataka
• Sahitya Academy award - 1958
• Kelkar prize - 1965
• Padma Shri – 1968
• Fellowship of Sahitya Academy – 1968
• Honoured with the Central Sahitya Akademi 's award
• Jnanpith Award - 1974 (For the collection of poems Naaku Tanti)

        And many more

Poetry Collections

• Krishnakumari (1922)
• Gari (1932)
• Moorthi mattu Kamakastoori (1934)
• Sakheegeeta (1937)
• Uyyale (1938)
• Nadaleele (1940)
• Meghadoota (1943)
• Haadu Paadu (1946)
• Gangavatarana (1951)
• Krishnakumari mattu Haadu Paadu (1956)
• Sooryapana (1956)
• Hridayasamudra (1956)
• Muktakantha (1956)
• Chaityalaya (1957)
• Jeevalahari (1957)
• Aralu Maralu (1957)
• Namana (1958)
• Sanchaya (1959)
• Uttarayana (1960)
• Mugilamallige (1961)
• Yaksha Yakshi (1962)
• Naku Tanti (1964)
• Maryade (1966)
• Shrimata (1968)
• Baa Hattara (1969)
• Idu Nabhovani (1970)
• Vinaya (1972)
• Matte Shravana Bantu (1973)
• Olave Namma Badaku (1977)
• Chaturokti (1978)
• Paraki (1982)
• Kavyavaikhari (1982)
• Balabodhe (1983)
• Ta Lekkaniki Ta Dauti (1983)
• Chaitanyada Puje (1983)
• Pratibimbagalu (1987)
• Shravana Pratibhe (1987)
• Kuniyonu Baa (1990)

Plays

• Tirukara Pidugu (1930)
• Uddhara (1930)
• Nageya Hoge (1931)
• Hucchatagalu (1935)
• Hosa Samsara mattu Itara Ekankagalu (1950)
• Ambikatanayadatta Nataka Samputa (1982)

Essay 

• Nirabharanasundari (1940)

Criticism

• Sahitya mattu Vimarshe (1937)
• Sahityasamshodhana (1940)
• Vicharamanjari (1945)
• Kavi Lakshmishana Jaimini Bharatakke Munnudi (1954)
• Maharashtra Sahitya (1959)
• Kannada Sahityadalli Nalku Nayakaratnagalu (1968)
• Matella Jyotu (1972)
• Sahityada Viratsvaroopa (1974)
• Kumaravyasa (1979)
• Matadharma mattu Adhunika Manava (1979)

Edited works

• Nannadu Ee kannada Nadu (1928)
• Hakki Haruthide (1930)
• Chandrahasa (1948)
• Hosagannada Kavyashree (1957)
• Kanakadasa Chaturshatamanotsava Samsmarana - Samputa (1965)

Works in Other Languages and Translations

• A Theory of Immortality (1977)
• Santa Mahantancha Poorna Shambhu Vitthal (1963)
• Samvad (1965)
• Vittala Sampradaya (1984)
• Hosagannada Kavyashree (1957)
• Shantala (1972)
• Upanishadrahasya by R.D. Ranade (1923)
• Bharatiya Navajanma "The Indian Renaissance" by Sri Aurobindo (1936)
• Sri Aravindara Yoga Ashrama mattu Tatvopadesha (1947)
• Kabira Vachanavali (1968)
• Bhagnamoorthi Tr. of Anil's Marathi poem (1972)
• Guru Govindasingh Tr. of Harbans Singh's book
• Noorondu Kavanagalu Tr. of Tagore's poems ed. by Humayun Kabir

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

Thanks for http://kannadakavi.com/ for the rare photos of Da.Ra.Bendre

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._R._Bendre

http://kannadakavi.com/