Chandrashekhara Kambara
Encyclopedia
Chandrashekhara Kambara (born January 2, 1937) is a prominent poet
, playwright
, folklorist
, film director
in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University
in Hampi
. He is known for his effective usage of North Karnataka
dialect of Kannada language in his plays and poems and is often compared with D.R. Bendre.
Dr. Kambara's plays mainly revolves around folk or mythology
interlinked with contemporary issues, inculcating modern lifestyle with his hard-hitting poems and has became a pioneer of such literature. His contribution as a playwright is significant not only to Kannada theatre but also to the Indian theatre in general as he achieved a blend of the folk and the modern theatrical forms.
He has been conferred with many prestigious awards including the Jnanpith Award
in 2011 for the year 2010, Sahitya Akademi Award
, the Padma Shri
by Government of India
, Kabir Samman, Kalidas Samman
and Pampa Award
. After his retirement, Kambara was nominated Member of Karnataka Legislative Council
, to which he made significant contributions through his interventions.
. He was the third son in the family, with brothers Parasappa and Yallappa who still reside in the small house belonging to the Kambara family in the village. From an early age he was interested in folk arts, local culture and ritual. His favorite Kannada writers include Kumara Vyasa
, Basavanna
, Kuvempu
& Gopalakrishna Adiga
and among English writers, it is W. B. Yeats, Shakespeare
and Lorca
.
Popularly known as Shivapur Kambar Masther in his native district, Kambara had his schooling in Gokak
and returned to Belagavi for higher education at Lingaraj College. Owing to poverty, he had to drop out
of school but Jagadguru Siddaram Swamiji of Savalagi
Matha
blessed Kambara and took care of all his primary and high school educational expenses which is the reason why Kambara honours the seer
in many of his writings. After his post-graduation, he did his PhD
thesis on Uttara Karnatakada Janapad Rangbhumi ("The Folk Theatre of North Karnataka") from Karnatak University
, Dharwad
.
, he taught in Bangalore University
for over two decades and was a Fulbright scholar
.
He served as the chairman of National School of Drama Society
, New Delhi
from 1996 to 2000 and as the president of Karnataka Nataka Academy from 1980 to 1983. He started using north Karnataka dialect
of Kannada in his poems and plays which is not very common in Kannada literature
.
Dr. Kambara is the founder vice-chancellor of the Kannada University
at Hampi
. His grand vision of Kannada literature and Karnataka culture is reflected in the way he showed commitment to build it. The architecture, the choice of the subjects that cover the diverse variety of culture and society of Karnataka, selection of place, faculty or academic activities, the scholars whom he drafted from different parts of the state and the Nadoja honorary award instead of the honorary doctorate
which he introduced, show Kambara's native vision which was evolved in his literary works for decades.
As the first vice-chancellor of the University, Kambara served two terms of three years each, during which he could shape it in a unique manner, compared to other traditional universities. All the constructions during his tenure as the vice-chancellor are on hillocks, with huge stone structures resembling the Vijayanagara period architecture. He also created a separate publication unit for publishing
the results of research and project works going on in Kannada University.
He is a strong supporter of imparting school education with Kannada language as the medium of instruction
. His justification for this stance is that only mother tongue
can provide an "experience
," which is an integral part of learning and learning through any other language only gives people "information
," which makes them less competent. This concurs with UNESCO
's recommendation that "providing education in a child's mother tongue is a critical issue."
of poems, 3 novels, 12 research works and several scholarly write-ups on folk theater, literature and education. Some of his popular plays include Aramane, Mahamayi, Singaravva and Harakeya Kuri. He was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Award
in 1991 for another popular play Sirisampige.
He was a pioneer in introducing Bailahongal's famous Sangya Balya (bayalata) and Jokumaraswamy, a traditional ritual of his native district, to the literary world which have seen thousands of performances, not only in Kannada, but several other Indian languages
as well. His most recent novel, Shikhar Soorya, is rated among the best Kannada novels.
Many of his works have been translated to English and several other Indian languages. The play Jokumaraswamy has been translated to English (Seagull Books, Calcutta in 1989), Marathi
(Abholi Prakashan, Solhapur in 2000), Hindi
(Vidya Prakashan Mandir, New Delhi in 1985), Telugu
(Mudrika Printers, Kurnool in 1993), Tamil
, Punjabi
and Malayalam among others. The Sahitya Akademi Award
-winning play Sirisampige has been translated to English (Seagull Books) and to Tamil, Hindi, Marathi and Rajasthani
by the Sahitya Akademi
, New Delhi. Kulothe Chingaramma, which was translated to Malayalam by C Raghavan, is one of his works that has become popular in Kerala.
Besides being a littérateur, Kambara has also been involved in film-making. He has directed a number of movies based on the plays written by him. Karimayi, Sangeeta and Kadu Kudure are some of his major films as a director. He has composed the music for all his movies and the title song of Kaadu Kudure won a National Film Award
. He has also adopted his play G.K. Maasthara Pranaya Prasanga for television. Kambara has produced several documentaries for both state and central governments.
Helatena Kela ("Listen, I will tell you") in the early 1960s, Kambara introduced some of the recurring themes
which he would often return to in his later works. Themes of tradition
and modernity, crises of feudalism
, native identities
, colonialism
, march of history, sex, loss of faith, the death of God
and several related themes explored later in his plays, novels and poetry had found metaphorical expression in the narrative poem. The eponymous, long narrative poem has the musicality and rhythm of the Lavani
form and uses rich earthy imagery.
Shivapura is an imaginary utopian village which continues to be a character, a metaphor
and the locale in most of his works. It forms the locus of his poems and tales. In his characterization, Lord Shiva
and Parvati
visit the place and bless the villagers. Even Rama
, when he was going to Sri Lanka
in search of Sita
, visits the village en route.
His Saavirada Neralu won the "Ashan Award" (Kerala) as the best collection of poems in 1982. He won the K.V. Shankare Gowda Award for Theatre in 1990. He is the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award, New Delhi, for playwrighting in the year 1983 and the Sahitya Akademi Award
, New Delhi, for the play Siri Sampige in 1991.
Dr. Kambara received the eighth Jnanpith Award
for the Kannada language, the highest literary honor conferred in India, in September 2011 for the year 2009. The prestigious award which was instituted in 1961, carries a cheque for 7.5 lakh, a citation and a bronze replica of goddess Vagdevi
. The Chief Minister of Karnataka, D. V. Sadananda Gowda
was among the many dignitaries who wished him on the occasion of receiving this award. At a felicitation ceremony held a week after winning the award, the Government of Karnataka
announced that it will reprint all works of Kambara, including his plays and make them available at all government school libraries. His works will also be translated to different languages. A drama festival featuring his plays will be staged to honour the laureate.
List of awards:
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, folklorist
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University
Kannada University
Kannada University, also called Hampi Kannada University or Hampi University, is a higher education university in Hampi, Karnataka, founded in the year 1991, with the aim to develop the Kannada language and to promote the literature, traditions, culture, and folklore of Karnataka.-Sections:The...
in Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
. He is known for his effective usage of North Karnataka
North Karnataka
North Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...
dialect of Kannada language in his plays and poems and is often compared with D.R. Bendre.
Dr. Kambara's plays mainly revolves around folk or mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
interlinked with contemporary issues, inculcating modern lifestyle with his hard-hitting poems and has became a pioneer of such literature. His contribution as a playwright is significant not only to Kannada theatre but also to the Indian theatre in general as he achieved a blend of the folk and the modern theatrical forms.
He has been conferred with many prestigious awards including the Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
in 2011 for the year 2010, Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
, the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
by Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, Kabir Samman, Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
and Pampa Award
Pampa Prashasti
The Pampa Prashasti or Pampa Awards is a literary award in Indian state of Karnataka, The award was established in 1987 by Government of Karnataka, it is the highest literary honor conferred by the Department of Kannada and Culture, Karnataka State Government...
. After his retirement, Kambara was nominated Member of Karnataka Legislative Council
Vidhan Parishad
The Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
, to which he made significant contributions through his interventions.
Early life
Chandrashekhara Kambara was born in Ghodageri village in Belagavi districtBelgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
. He was the third son in the family, with brothers Parasappa and Yallappa who still reside in the small house belonging to the Kambara family in the village. From an early age he was interested in folk arts, local culture and ritual. His favorite Kannada writers include Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa is the pen name of Gadhugina Veera Naranappa , a classical poet of Kannada. His pen name is a tribute to his magnum opus, a rendering of the Mahabharatha in Kannada. Kumara Vyasa literally means Little Vyasa or Son of Vyasa....
, Basavanna
Basava
Basava was a philosopher and a social reformer. He is also called Vishwa Guru and Bhakti-Bhandari. His teachings and preachings which are universal, go beyond all boundaries of belief systems...
, 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...
& Gopalakrishna Adiga
Gopalakrishna Adiga
Mogeri Gopalakrishna Adiga was one of the majors figures in modern Kannada poetry. He is known as the "pioneer of New style" poetry.-Early life:...
and among English writers, it is W. B. Yeats, Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
.
Popularly known as Shivapur Kambar Masther in his native district, Kambara had his schooling in Gokak
Gokak
Gokak is a town and taluk headquarters in the Belgaum District of Karnataka state, India. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is approximately 1,50,000 and the common language in use is Kannada...
and returned to Belagavi for higher education at Lingaraj College. Owing to poverty, he had to drop out
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
of school but Jagadguru Siddaram Swamiji of Savalagi
Savalagi
Savalagi is a village in the northern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Jamkhandi taluk of Bagalkot district in Karnataka.-Demographics: India census, Savalagi had a population of 9623 with 4981 males and 4642 females....
Matha
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
blessed Kambara and took care of all his primary and high school educational expenses which is the reason why Kambara honours the seer
Seer
Seer or Seers or SEER may refer to:Predicting the future* A clairvoyant, prophet, oracle, or diviner* The Seer , a fictional character on the television series Charmed...
in many of his writings. After his post-graduation, he did his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
thesis on Uttara Karnatakada Janapad Rangbhumi ("The Folk Theatre of North Karnataka") from Karnatak University
Karnatak University
The Karnatak University established initially at Mumbai in 1949, the location was shifted to Dharwad in October, 1949 and Karnatak University had its official inauguration in March 1950. The campus spans 750 acres . Dr. D. C. Pavate was the vice-chancellor of the university from 1954 to 1967...
, 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...
.
Career
After a brief stint in teaching in the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, he taught in Bangalore University
Bangalore University
Bangalore University is a public university located in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. The university is one of the oldest in India, dating back to 1886...
for over two decades and was a Fulbright scholar
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
.
He served as the chairman of National School of Drama Society
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
from 1996 to 2000 and as the president of Karnataka Nataka Academy from 1980 to 1983. He started using north Karnataka dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of Kannada in his poems and plays which is not very common in Kannada literature
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....
.
Dr. Kambara is the founder vice-chancellor of the Kannada University
Kannada University
Kannada University, also called Hampi Kannada University or Hampi University, is a higher education university in Hampi, Karnataka, founded in the year 1991, with the aim to develop the Kannada language and to promote the literature, traditions, culture, and folklore of Karnataka.-Sections:The...
at Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
. His grand vision of Kannada literature and Karnataka culture is reflected in the way he showed commitment to build it. The architecture, the choice of the subjects that cover the diverse variety of culture and society of Karnataka, selection of place, faculty or academic activities, the scholars whom he drafted from different parts of the state and the Nadoja honorary award instead of the honorary doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
which he introduced, show Kambara's native vision which was evolved in his literary works for decades.
As the first vice-chancellor of the University, Kambara served two terms of three years each, during which he could shape it in a unique manner, compared to other traditional universities. All the constructions during his tenure as the vice-chancellor are on hillocks, with huge stone structures resembling the Vijayanagara period architecture. He also created a separate publication unit for publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
the results of research and project works going on in Kannada University.
He is a strong supporter of imparting school education with Kannada language as the medium of instruction
Medium of instruction
Medium of instruction is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. Where the first language of students is different from the official language, it may be used as the medium of instruction for part or all of schooling. Bilingual or...
. His justification for this stance is that only mother tongue
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
can provide an "experience
Experience
Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
," which is an integral part of learning and learning through any other language only gives people "information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
," which makes them less competent. This concurs with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's recommendation that "providing education in a child's mother tongue is a critical issue."
Works
Dr. Kambara has to his credit 22 plays, 8 anthologiesAnthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of poems, 3 novels, 12 research works and several scholarly write-ups on folk theater, literature and education. Some of his popular plays include Aramane, Mahamayi, Singaravva and Harakeya Kuri. He was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in 1991 for another popular play Sirisampige.
He was a pioneer in introducing Bailahongal's famous Sangya Balya (bayalata) and Jokumaraswamy, a traditional ritual of his native district, to the literary world which have seen thousands of performances, not only in Kannada, but several other Indian languages
Languages of India
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian languages...
as well. His most recent novel, Shikhar Soorya, is rated among the best Kannada novels.
Many of his works have been translated to English and several other Indian languages. The play Jokumaraswamy has been translated to English (Seagull Books, Calcutta in 1989), Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
(Abholi Prakashan, Solhapur in 2000), Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
(Vidya Prakashan Mandir, New Delhi in 1985), Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
(Mudrika Printers, Kurnool in 1993), Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and Malayalam among others. The Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
-winning play Sirisampige has been translated to English (Seagull Books) and to Tamil, Hindi, Marathi and Rajasthani
Rajasthani
Rajasthani is an adjective formed from the proper-noun Rajasthan.It can refer to:* Rajasthani people* Rajasthani language* Rajasthani architecture* Rajasthani art* Rajasthani cuisine* Rajasthani music* Rajasthani Painting...
by the Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, New Delhi. Kulothe Chingaramma, which was translated to Malayalam by C Raghavan, is one of his works that has become popular in Kerala.
Besides being a littérateur, Kambara has also been involved in film-making. He has directed a number of movies based on the plays written by him. Karimayi, Sangeeta and Kadu Kudure are some of his major films as a director. He has composed the music for all his movies and the title song of Kaadu Kudure won a National Film Award
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
. He has also adopted his play G.K. Maasthara Pranaya Prasanga for television. Kambara has produced several documentaries for both state and central governments.
Themes
In his lengthy narrative poemNarrative poetry
Narrative poetry is poetry that has a plot. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be simple or complex. It is usually nondramatic, with objective regular scheme and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays.Some narrative...
Helatena Kela ("Listen, I will tell you") in the early 1960s, Kambara introduced some of the recurring themes
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
which he would often return to in his later works. Themes of tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
and modernity, crises of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
, native identities
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, march of history, sex, loss of faith, the death of God
God is dead
"God is dead" is a widely-quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science , in sections 108 , 125 , and for a third time in section 343...
and several related themes explored later in his plays, novels and poetry had found metaphorical expression in the narrative poem. The eponymous, long narrative poem has the musicality and rhythm of the Lavani
Lavani
Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of Dholak, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and...
form and uses rich earthy imagery.
Shivapura is an imaginary utopian village which continues to be a character, a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
and the locale in most of his works. It forms the locus of his poems and tales. In his characterization, Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
visit the place and bless the villagers. Even Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, when he was going to Sri Lanka
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
in search of Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, visits the village en route.
Awards and honors
Five of his books have been awarded by the Karnataka Sahitya Academy. His well known play Jokumaraswamy has won the "Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya Award" of Natya Sangh as the "Best Play of the Year" in India in the year 1975. Another popular play Jaisidanayaka won the Vardhamaana Prasasti as the "Best Book of the Year" - 1975 in Karnataka.His Saavirada Neralu won the "Ashan Award" (Kerala) as the best collection of poems in 1982. He won the K.V. Shankare Gowda Award for Theatre in 1990. He is the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
Award, New Delhi, for playwrighting in the year 1983 and the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
, New Delhi, for the play Siri Sampige in 1991.
Dr. Kambara received the eighth Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
for the Kannada language, the highest literary honor conferred in India, in September 2011 for the year 2009. The prestigious award which was instituted in 1961, carries a cheque for 7.5 lakh, a citation and a bronze replica of goddess Vagdevi
Saraswati
In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....
. The Chief Minister of Karnataka, D. V. Sadananda Gowda
D. V. Sadananda Gowda
Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda is the Chief Minister of the state of Karnataka, India. He was representing the Udupi Chikmagalur constituency in Karnataka in the 15th Lok Sabha. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on 4 August 2011 after being selected as legislative party...
was among the many dignitaries who wished him on the occasion of receiving this award. At a felicitation ceremony held a week after winning the award, the Government of Karnataka
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...
announced that it will reprint all works of Kambara, including his plays and make them available at all government school libraries. His works will also be translated to different languages. A drama festival featuring his plays will be staged to honour the laureate.
List of awards:
- Jnanpith AwardJnanpith AwardThe Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
- Recipient for the year 2010 - Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 2001 - Sahitya Academy award in 1991
- Sangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in 1983 - Tagore Literature Award
- National Film AwardNational Film AwardsThe National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
for the title song of film Kaadu Kudure - Kalidas SammanKalidas sammanThe Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
- Kabir Samman in 2002
- Pampa Award in 2003
- Nadoja Award from Kannada UniversityKannada UniversityKannada University, also called Hampi Kannada University or Hampi University, is a higher education university in Hampi, Karnataka, founded in the year 1991, with the aim to develop the Kannada language and to promote the literature, traditions, culture, and folklore of Karnataka.-Sections:The...
in 2004
Poetry
- Mugulau – 1958
- Helatena Kela – 1964
- Takararinavaru – 1971 (State Academy of Literature Award)
- Saacvirada Neralu – 1979 (Ashan Award in 1982, KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
) - Aayda Kavanagalu – 1980
- Belli Meenu – 1989
- Akkakku Haadugale – 1993
- Ee Varegina Helatena Kela – 1993
- Chakori (EpicEpic poetryAn epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
) – 1996 (Translated into English by Penguin Publication, India in 1999) - Rocks of Hampi — (Collection of poems translated into English by Nagabhushana Swamy. Published by Sahitya Academy, New Delhi 2004)
Plays
- Bembattida Kannu – 1961
- Narcissus – 1969
- Rishyashringa (Filmed) – 1970
- Jokumaraswamy – 1972
- Chalesha — 1973 (Translated to Hindi by Dakshina Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha, Madras in 1973)
- Sangya Balya Anabeko Naadolaga – 1975
- Kittiya Kathe – 1974
- Jasisidanayaka – 1975 (Translated to Hindi by Saraswathi Vihar, New Delhi in 1984 and English. State Academy of Literature Award and "Vardhamana Prashasti" as the Best Book of the Year in Kannada)
- Alibaba – 1980 (Translated and published in Indian Literature, Sahitya Academy)
- Kaadu Kudure – 1979 (Filmed and received National AwardNational Film AwardsThe National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
) - Naayi Kathe – 1980 (Filmed as Sangeeta and received 5 Karnataka State Film AwardsKarnataka State Film AwardsKarnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films...
) - Kharokhara – 1977
- Mathanthara – 1978
- Harakeya Kuri – 1983 (Filmed and received National AwardNational Film AwardsThe National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
, translated into Hindi by Gyan Bharathi, New Delhi in 1989) - Kambara Avara Natakagalu – 1984
- Sambashiva Prahasana – 1987 (Translated into Hindi, English by Seagull Books, Calcutta in 1991 and Tamil)
- Siri Sampige (Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
, New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1991) - Huliya Neralu (Filmed) – 1980
- Boleshankara – 1991
- Pushpa Rani – 1990
- Tirukana Kanasu – 1989
- Mahamayi – 1999 (Translated into English by NSD, New Delhi in 2000 and Hindi)
- Nela Sampige – 2004 (Collection of plays published by Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara, Government of Karnataka)
- Jakkana – 2008
- Shivaratri – 2011
Novels and Stories
- Anna Tangi – 1956
- Karimaayi – 1975 (Filmed)
- G.K.Maastarara Pranaya Prasanga – 1986 (Filmed for DoordarshanDoorDarshanDoordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
, translated to Hindi by Vidya Prakashan Mandir, New Delhi) - Singarevva Mattu Aramane – 1982 (State Academy of Literature Award, translated to English by Katha, New Delhi in 2002, Hindi by Radhakrishna Prakashan, New Delhi in 1984 and to Malayalam by DC Books, Kottayam in 1999 as Kulothe Chingaramma)
- Shikhara Soorya — 2007 (Published by Akshara Prakashana and second edition by Ankita Prakashana)
Research and critical perceptions
- Uttara Karnataka Janapada Rangabhumi – 1965
- Sangya Balya – 1966
- Bannisi Hadavva Nana Balaga – 1968
- Bayalaatagalu – 1973
- Matado Lingave – 1973
- Namma Janapada – 1980
- Bandire Nanna Jaeyolage – 1981
- Kannada Folkore Dictionary (2 volumes) – 1985
- Bedara Huduga Mattu Gilli – 1989 (State Academy of Literature Award)
- Lakshapathi Rahana Kathe – 1986
- Kasigondu Seru – 1989
- Nelada Mareya Nidhana – 1993
- Brihaddesiya Chintana – 2001
- An Anthology of Modern India Plays for the National School of Drama – 2000
- Desheeya Chintana – 2004 (Collection of articles on culture and literature. Published by Ankita Pustaka)
- Marave Marmarave – 2007
- Idu Desi – 2010