B. M. Srikantaiah
Encyclopedia
B M Srikanthaiah (1884–1946) was one of the most influential authors, writers and translators of Kannada literature
.
District Gubbi taluk. He studied at Srirangapatanam and Mysore, before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
from a Bangalore College and a Master of Arts
degree in Madras.
in Mysore as a Lecturer. After completing 25 years of service there he moved to Central College in Bangalore
, later Vidyaranya College under the K. E. Board in Dharwad
. He was also an honorary professor at the Kannada Department of the University of Mysore
when it was founded in 1927.
One of this most famous works is the translation of the hymn
Lead, Kindly Light
as Karunaalu Baa Belake.
Known as the Kannada Kanva for his guardianship of Kannada Literature, he was instrumental in encouraging and promoting Kannada and inspiring writers such as Kuvempu
and G. P. Rajarathnam to write in Kannada, at a time when English
was becoming the common medium.
He championed the cause of Kannada and encouraged a generation of writers to express in their mother-tongue.
His book of translations, English Geethegalu is one of the famous books.
English Geethegalu inspired several budding poets, thus laying the foundation of a new pattern of lyrical poetry in kannada. In his poems, Sri experimented with new forms of metre and diction. The three poems of his own composition in the collection of poems Honganasugalu (Golden Dreans, 1943) affords examples of his vision of life and his deep love for the motherland. These poems were composed three decades prior to their publication. His Shukrageete sums up his vision of life thus: "Truth alone shall triumph and not untruth, Knowledge, and not ignorance, is nectar. Bow to VishwabhArati - mother India of Universal Vision, and not to anything less"
Sri Gave impetus to the genre of poetic drama by writing three plays- Gadayuddha nataka (1925), Ashwathaman(1929), and Parasikaru(1935)- all Tragedies, on the Greek pattern.
For the first time, tragedy appeared on the kannada stage, Gadayuddha modelled on poet Ranna's epic of the same name.
He was awarded the 'RAja SEvAsakta' award by the Maharaja of Mysore and was the president of the Kannada Sahithya Sammelana in 1938 at Gulburga.
A circle in Bangalore where 100 feet road and CMH road meet, has been named after him: B M Sri Circle.
Literary Criticism
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
.
Early life and education
He was born in Sampige village, TumkurTumkur
Tumkur is one of the busiest industrial towns located in the state of Karnataka. Since 28 August 2010, Tumkur has been accorded the status of a Corporation city. It is situated at a distance of 70 kilometers north west of the city of Bangalore along National Highway 4...
District Gubbi taluk. He studied at Srirangapatanam and Mysore, before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from a Bangalore College and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in Madras.
Career
He joined Maharaja College of MysoreMaharaja College of Mysore
-History & Evolution:It was one of the constituent colleges of Madras University and transferred to Mysore University in 1916. It is one of the oldest colleges of South India. It is the first college for higher studies built by an Indian king at the time of British rule. Former President of India...
in Mysore as a Lecturer. After completing 25 years of service there he moved to Central College in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, later Vidyaranya College under the K. E. Board in Dharwad
Dharwad
Dharwad, also known as Dharwar, is a city and a DISTRICT PLACE in India's Karnataka state.Dharwad is the administrative seat of the Dharwad District. The municipality of Hubli-Dharwad covers an area of 200.23 km²...
. He was also an honorary professor at the Kannada Department of the University of Mysore
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...
when it was founded in 1927.
One of this most famous works is the translation of the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
Lead, Kindly Light
Lead, Kindly Light
Lead, Kindly Light is a hymn with words written in 1833 by John Henry Newman as a poem titled "the Pillar of Cloud". In some hymnals, one may find a fourth verse added by Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr...
as Karunaalu Baa Belake.
Known as the Kannada Kanva for his guardianship of Kannada Literature, he was instrumental in encouraging and promoting Kannada and inspiring writers such as Kuvempu
Kuvempu
Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa was a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu...
and G. P. Rajarathnam to write in Kannada, at a time when English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
was becoming the common medium.
He championed the cause of Kannada and encouraged a generation of writers to express in their mother-tongue.
His book of translations, English Geethegalu is one of the famous books.
English Geethegalu inspired several budding poets, thus laying the foundation of a new pattern of lyrical poetry in kannada. In his poems, Sri experimented with new forms of metre and diction. The three poems of his own composition in the collection of poems Honganasugalu (Golden Dreans, 1943) affords examples of his vision of life and his deep love for the motherland. These poems were composed three decades prior to their publication. His Shukrageete sums up his vision of life thus: "Truth alone shall triumph and not untruth, Knowledge, and not ignorance, is nectar. Bow to VishwabhArati - mother India of Universal Vision, and not to anything less"
Sri Gave impetus to the genre of poetic drama by writing three plays- Gadayuddha nataka (1925), Ashwathaman(1929), and Parasikaru(1935)- all Tragedies, on the Greek pattern.
For the first time, tragedy appeared on the kannada stage, Gadayuddha modelled on poet Ranna's epic of the same name.
He was awarded the 'RAja SEvAsakta' award by the Maharaja of Mysore and was the president of the Kannada Sahithya Sammelana in 1938 at Gulburga.
A circle in Bangalore where 100 feet road and CMH road meet, has been named after him: B M Sri Circle.
Translations
- English Geetagalu (English Songs, 1921).
Literary Criticism
- Kannadigarige olleya saahitya (Good literature for Kannada People)
- Kannada Kaipidi (History of Kannada Literature)
See also
- Kannada languageKannada languageKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
- Kannada literatureKannada literatureKannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
- Kannada poetryKannada poetryKannada poetry is poetry written in the Kannada language spoken in Karnataka. Karnataka is the land that gave birth to eight Jnanapeeth award winners, the highest honour bestowed for Indian literature...