‭ orn in 1904 in Chikmagalur, Karnataka, Kuvempu’s birth name is Kuppali Venkatappa‬

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‭Puttappa. He is regarded as one of the greatest Kannada literary masters of the twentieth‬
‭century. He was a champion of social equality and extensively voiced against caste‬
‭discrimination, gender inequality, and superstitions, which he believed were taking society‬
‭down the wrong path.‬

‭The Early Days‬

‭ uvempu majored in Kannada at the Maharaja College of Mysore in 1929 and later joined as an‬
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‭academic lecturer at the same institution. Searching for a change, he took up the post of‬
‭assistant professor at Central College, Bangalore. However, after a few years, he returned to‬
‭Maharaja College and became its principal. Later in his career, he also achieved the rare feat of‬
‭becoming the first graduate from Mysore University to become its Vice-Chancellor. He married‬
‭in 1936, at the age of 32, and had four children.‬

‭ hough he entered the literary field with an English language collection of poetry called the‬
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‭Beginner’s Muse, he later wrote majorly in Kannada because of his belief that he must‬
‭contribute more to society through his native tongue rather than a foreign language. He was also‬
‭a vocal supporter of the idea that children in Karnataka should be taught in Kannada rather than‬
‭English. Such firm beliefs lead him to start the Institute of Kannada Studies at‬‭Mysore‬
‭University‬‭.‬

‭Kuvempu’s Fame and Recognition‬

I‭ n 1930, he published his first Kannada language poetry collection called ‘Kolalu.’ But what‬
‭made him famous was his version of the Ramayana titled ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam.’ The book‬
‭clinched him a Jnanpith award; the first ever given to a Kannada language author.‬

I‭ n Sri Ramayana Darshanam, he gave a new perspective on the central character of Lord Rama,‬
‭making him a mouthpiece of his Universalist ideology of equality and justice. The most striking‬
‭example of this characterization is during the trial of Sita when she returns to Ayodhya. While in‬
‭the original Hindu epic written by Valmiki, Sita alone went through the fire to prove her‬
‭innocence, in Kuvempu’s version, Lord Rama also joins her, thus giving a strong message of‬
‭gender equality. Most literary critics consider Kuvempu’s version of the Ramayana as a modern‬
‭revival of the Indian style of Mahakavya (Epic Poetry).‬

‭ o recognize his contribution to Kannada literature, the state government awarded him two‬
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‭awards – Rashtrakavi in 1958 and Karnataka Ratna in 1992. The title of Rashtrakavi also made‬
‭ im only the second Kannada poet after M Govinda Pai to be honoured with the recognition.‬
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‭Kuvempu passed away in 1994 at the age of 89.‬

‭Published Works of Kuvempu‬

‭ uvempu had an illustrious career during which he published numerous poems, plays, novels,‬
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‭essays, literary criticism etc. Some of his most famous works are given below.‬

‭‬
● ‭ olalu, a collection of poems – 1929‬
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‭●‬ ‭Kaanuru Heggadati, a novel – 1936‬
‭●‬ ‭Shoodra Tapaswi, a play – 1944‬
‭●‬ ‭Sri Ramayana Darshanam (in two volumes) – 1949 and 1957‬

I‭ n addition, he also wrote for a movie, ‘Kanooru Subbamma Heggaditi,’ which was directed by‬
‭Girish Karnad. Considering his influence in Karnataka, the state government opened a‬
‭university in his name, called the Kuvempu University, in 1987. Kuvempu continues to be‬
‭adored by millions of people in Karnataka, and some of his revolutionary ideas, particularly‬
‭those concerning social upliftment and equality, are still highly influential‬‭.‬

‭ he novel by Kuvempu consisted of 700 pages and dealt with over 150 characters. It took Karnad‬
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‭eight months to reduce it to a feature film screenplay which concentrated on four main characters:‬
‭Chandre Gowda, Seetha, Hoovayya, and Subbamma - Gowda's third wife. After the shooting began,‬
‭the women of Megaravalli are returning to their native dress. Even the names of their houses were‬
‭changed to the titles described in the novel. Director Karnad said that while the film did justice to the‬
‭Kuvempu novel, it was only an attempt to portray the complexities of the women characters in‬
‭Kuvempu's work through an attempt to show the three different aspects of womanhood in a feudal‬
‭set-up, and the novel itself could not be depicted in full.‬