Anasuya Shankar (1 September 1928 – 29 July 1963), popularly known by her pen name as Triveni, was an Indian writer of modern fiction in

Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...

. Many of her novels have been made into feature films, most prominently, '' Belli Moda'' (1967)'' and Sharapanjara'' (1971) – both directed by

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Indian cinema's most influent ...

and featuring actress Kalpana. Her short-stories collection ''Samasyeya Magu'' won the Devaraja Bahadur Prize in 1950. Her novel ''Avala Mane'' earned the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award in 1960.

Life

Anasuya Shankar was born on 1 September 1928 in the Mandya in the erstwhile

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(in present-day Mandya district

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

), to B. M. Krishnaswamy and Thangamma. She was also called Bhagirathi. She had a younger sister Aryamba Pattabhi, who went on to become a writer as well. Other writers in her family were uncle B. M. Srikantaiah and cousin Vani. She graduated with a gold medal in her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from Maharani's Arts College in

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

. In 1947, she was awarded the Siddegowda gold medal for excellence on

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She married S. N. Shankar (1925–2012) in 1951, an English professor at Sarada Vilas College, Mysore. Anasuya adopted the pen name Triveni out of respect for

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

, whose ashes following his death, were immersed in the confluence of the three Indian rivers of

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

and the invisible Sarasvati, known as the Triveni Sangam. Anasuya died of

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain ...

on 29 July 1963, ten days after giving birth to Meera, from her third pregnancy after two miscarriages, at the Mission Hospital in Mysore.

Career

Triveni published her first novel ''Apasvara'' in 1952. After that, she published 20 novels and 3 short story collections. Her novels mainly contained stories based on the psychological issues faced by women, their emotions and frustrations. Her ''Tavareya Kola'' won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Literary works

Novels

* ''Apaswara'' (Disharmony, 1952) * Hoovu Hannu (Flower Fruit, 1953) * ''Sotu Geddavalu (''The ladhlu who Lost and won, 1953'')'' * ''Bekkina Kannu'' (Cat's Eye, 1954) * ''Modala Hejje'' (The First Step, 1956) * ''Keelu Gombe'' (The Puppet, 1955) * ''Belli Moda'' (Silver cloud) * ''Doorada Betta'' (Distant Hill, 1955) * ''Apajaya'' (Defeat, 1956) * ''Mucchida Bagilu'' (Closed Door, 1956) * ''Kankana'' (Sacred Bond, 1957) * ''Mukti'' (Bliss, 1957) * ''Baanu Belagitu (''The sky shines'')'' * ''Hrudaya Geethe'' (The song of the heart) * ''Avala Mane'' (Her house) * ''Tavareya Kola'' (Pond of lotus) * ''Vasantagaana'' * ''Kashi Yatre'' (Journey to Kashi) * ''Sharapanjara'' (Cage of Arrows, 1962) * ''Hannele Chiguridaga'' (When the old leaf turns green again, 1963) * ''Avala Magalu'' (Her daughter) * ''Doorada Betta'' (Distant Hill, 1955)

Collection of short stories

* ''Hendatiya Hesaru'' (Wife's name) * ''Eradu Manasu'' (Two Minds) * ''Samasyeya Magu'' (Child with problems)

Filmography based on her novels

* '' Chettathi'' (1965) Malayalam movie directed by

based on ''Hannele Chiguridaga''. * ''Poocha Kanni'' (1966) Malayalam movie directed by

based on ''Bekkina Kannu''. * '' Belli Moda'' (1967) * '' Hannele Chiguridaga'' (1968) * '' Sharapanjara'' (1971) * ''Kankana (''1975) film based on ''Kankana'' & ''Mukti'' * '' Hoovu Hannu'' (1993)

External links

Triveni

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Anasuya 1928 births 1963 deaths Writers from Mysore Kannada people Kannada-language writers Women writers from Karnataka Indian women novelists Indian women short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian women writers Novelists from Karnataka Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Kannada poets