Masti Venkatesha Iyengar (6 June 1891 – 6 June 1986) was a well-known writer 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 ...

. He was the fourth among Kannada writers to be honored with the

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...

, the highest literary honor conferred in India. He was popularly referred to as ''Maasti Kannadada Aasti'' which means "Maasti, Kannada's Treasure". He is most renowned for his short stories. He wrote under the pen name ''Srinivasa''. He was honoured with the title ''Rajasevasakta'' by then

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore. In ...

Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar.

Early life and education

Maasti was born in 1891 at Hungenahalli in

Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...

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 ...

in a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

speaking Sri Vaishnavaite

Iyengar Iyengars (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced ) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Iyengars are divided i ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family. He spent his early childhood in Maasti village. He obtained a master's degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

(Arts) in 1914 from

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

. After joining the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

(Known as the Mysore Civil Service in the days of the Maharaja of Mysore), he held various positions of responsibility in different parts of Karnataka, rising to the rank of District Commissioner. After 26 years of service, he resigned in 1943, as a protest when he did not get the post equivalent to a Minister, which he felt that he deserved, and a junior was promoted ahead of him. He wrote some pieces in English and then switched to writing in the Kannada language. He often used the pen name ''Srinivasa''.

Works

He published his first work, ''Rangana Maduve'' in 1910. His last work was ''Maatugara Ramanna'', from 1985. ''Kelavu Sanna Kathegalu'' (Some Short Stories) was his first notable work in modern Kannada literature. Maasti also crafted a number poems on various philosophic, aesthetic and social themes. He composed and translated several important plays and was the editor of the monthly journal ''Jivana'' (Life) from 1944 to 1965. A prolific writer, he wrote more than 123 books in Kannada and 17 in English, over the course of seventy years. He won the

in 1983 for his novel '' Chikka Veera Rajendra.'' The story was about the last Rajah of Kodagu.

Demise

Masti Venkatesh Iyengar died on his 95th birthday in 1986.

Commemorations

Since 1993, an award in his name, the "Masti Venkatesha Iyengar Award" is presented to well-known writers from Karnataka. His house is located in Basavanagudi area in Bangalore. His house, located in Maasti village, Maluru Taluk (

Kolar District Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...

) has been converted into a library and maintained by the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...

. Masti Residential School was started in his memory in 2006–07, at a nearby location.

Bibliography

Epics * Shri Rama Pattabisheka (Coronation of Shri Ram)
Novels * Chikaveera Rajendra * Channabasava Nayaka * Subbana * Sheshamma
Stories and Anthologies * Kelavu Sanna Kathegalu (Some Short Stories) * 100 Short stories in a number of volumes * Ranga's Marriage * Venkatashami's Love Affair
Plays * Kakanakote * Manjule * Yashodhara * Purandaradaasa * Bhattara Magalu * Shanthaa
Autobiography * Bhaava (Three Volumes)
Other * Subbanna (1928) * Sheshamma (1976) * Shanta (1923) * Talikoti (1929) * Yashodhara (1933) * Kannadad Seve (1930) * Arun (1924) * Tavare (1930) * Sankranti (1969)

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyengar, Maasti Venkatesh Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Kannada-language writers People from Kolar 1891 births 1986 deaths Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada Kannada poets