Palya Lankesh (8 March 1935 – 25 January 2000) was an Indian poet, fiction writer, playwright, translator, screenplay writer and journalist who wrote in
Kannada
Kannada () is a 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, and is additionally a ...
. He was also an award-winning film director.
Early life and career
Lankesh was born in the small village of Konagavalli in
Shimoga
Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...
, Karnataka. After graduating with an honours degree in English from Central College at
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, Lankesh completed his
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in English from
Maharaja's College, Mysore.
His 1976 film ''
Pallavi''—a cinematic narration, told from the female protagonist's point of view and based on his novel ''Biruku''—won the National Award for Best Direction (Swarna Kamal). Lankesh quit his job as an assistant professor in English at
Bangalore University in 1980 and started Lankesh Patrike, the first Kannada tabloid, which influenced Kannada culture and politics.
Lankesh's first work was the collection of short stories ''Kereya Neeranu Kerege Chelli'' (1963). His other works include the novels ''Biruku'' ("The Fissure"), ''Mussanjeya Kathaprasanga'' (A Story at Dusk), ''Akka'' (Sister); the plays ''T. Prasannana Grihastashrama'' ("The Householder-hood of T.Prasanna"), ''Sankranti'' ("Revolution"), Nanna Tangigondu Gandu Kodi ("A Groom for my Sister") and ''Gunamukha'' ("Convalescence"); the short story collections, ''Umapatiya Scholarship Yatre'' ("Umapati's Scholarship Trip"), ''Kallu Karaguva Samaya'' (When the Stone Melts; winner of the 1993 Sahitya Akademi Award), ''Paapada Hoogalu'', the translation of
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...
's ''
Les Fleurs du Mal'' and ''Dore Oedipus mattu Antigone'', translation of Sophocles' ''
Antigone'' and ''
Oedipus Rex
''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...
''.
Lankesh Patrike
Lankesh was the Editor of ''
Lankesh Patrike'' from 1980 until his death in 2000. A socialist and
Lohiaite, he was known for his secular, anti-caste and anti-
Hindutva
Hindutva (; ) is a Far-right politics, far-right political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Da ...
views. Before starting Lankesh Patrike, he and friends
Tejaswi and K.Ramadas had toured the length and breadth of Karnataka, mobilising people to vote for their new socialist party Karnataka Pragatiranga Vedike This trip, he recounted in one of his editorials, which took him to the remotest parts of Karnataka opened his eyes to the plight of the poor, the Dalits and the Muslims and made him realise his responsibility as a writer and an intellectual towards the society.
Lankesh Patrike was significant that It had no Advertisements. Outsourcing the printing to BS Mani of
Sanjevani Kannada Daily, his unique thought was His Weekly Magazine must cost as much One Idli, One Vade & One Coffee. Lankesh built a new crop of reporters, writers and freelancers, many of whom would go to set-up their own magazines.
After his death Lankesh Patrike was split into two, one edited by his daughter Gauri Lankesh and the other managed by his son Indrajit Lankesh. Lankesh's other daughter is the film director Kavita Lankesh.
''Lankesh Patrike'', as the first Kannada tabloid, had a huge impact on Karnataka politics and culture. It led to the setting up of other tabloids like ''
Hai Bangalore'' and ''Agni'' which concentrated more on crime and political scandals.
Death
Lankesh died of a heart attack on 25 January 2000, aged 64.
17 years later, his
daughter was murdered in front of her residence in south Bengaluru as she arrives home by three unidentified gunmen. Not yet found the reason.
Awards
* National Award for Best Direction for
Pallavi. (1976)
* Sahitya Akademi Award for ''Kallu Karaguva Samaya Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (1993).
* Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Honorary Award (1986).
* B.H. Shridhara Prashasti.
* Karnataka Rajya Nataka Akademi Prashasti.
* Aryabhata Sahitya Prashasti.
*
Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada for
Ellindalo Bandavaru - 1980
Bibliography
Only two of his books are available in English translation, ''When Stone Melts and Other Stories'' (translation of ''Kallu Karaguva Samaya'') and ''Sankranti''. His works have also been translated into
Tamil and
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
.
Collection of short stories
* ''Kereya Nirannu Kerege Chelli Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (1963).
* ''Nanalla Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (1970).
* ''Umapathiya Scholarship Yatre Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (1973).
* ''Kallu Karaguva Samaya Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (1990) (Sahitya Akademi Award for 1993).
* ''Ullanghane Mattu Ithara Kathegalu" (1996).''
* ''Manju Kavida Sanje Mattu Ithara Kathegalu'' (2001).
Novels
* ''Biruku'' (1967).
* ''Mussanjeya Katha Prasanga'' (1978).
* ''Akka'' (1991).
Plays
* ''T. Prasannana Gruhasthashrama'' (1962).
* ''Nanna Thangigondu Gandu Kodi'' (1963).
* ''ಪೊಲೀಸರಿದ್ದಾರೆ, Eccharike!'' (1964).
* ''Teregalu'' (1964).
* ''Kranti Banthu, Karanti'' (1965).
* ''Giliyu Panjaradolilla'' (1966).
* ''Siddhate'' (1970).
* ''Biruku'' (1973).
* ''Sankranti'' (1971).
* ''Gunamukha'' (1993).
Translated plays
* ''ದೊರೆ Oedipus'' (''
Oedipus Rex
''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...
'') (1971).
* ''Anthigone'' (1971).
Collection of poems
* ''Bichchu'' (1965).
* ''Talemaaru'' (1973).
* ''Akshara Hosa Kavya'' (Collected and Edited) (1970).
* ''Paapada Hoogalu'' (1974) (a translation of Charles Baudelaire's ''
Les Fleurs du Mal'').
* ''Chitra Samooha'' (1999)
ollection of Complete Poems
* "Avva"
other
Autobiography
* ''Hulimavina Mara'' (1997).
Critical and other essay collections
* ''Prasthutha'' (1970).
* ''Kandaddu Kanda Haage'' (1975).
* ''Teeke-Tippani'', volumes 1 and 2 (1997).
* ''Teeke-Tippani'', volume 3 (1998).
Posthumous publications
* ''Neelu Kavya'' (vols 1, 2, and 3) (2007, 2009, 2010).
* ''Sahiti Sahitya Vimarshe'' (2008).
* ''Mareyuva munna collected vol 1'' (2009).
* ''Mareyuva munna collected vol 2'' (2010).
* "Bittu Hoda Putagalu - 1".
* "Bittu Hoda Putagalu - 2".
* "Bittu Hoda Putagalu - 3".
Filmography
* ''
Pallavi'' (
National Film Award for Best Direction, 1976).
* ''Anuroopa'' (1978).
* ''
Khandavide Ko Maamsavide Ko'' (1979).
* ''
Ellindalo Bandavaru'' (1980).
References
External links
*
*
A Girl Called Stella short story translated by
B.C. Ramchandra Sharma.
A Door – a short story by LankeshP. Lankesh Bio in Kannada Kanaja.in
Neelu Kavya (in Kannada)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankesh, P.
1935 births
2000 deaths
Best Director National Film Award winners
Film directors from Karnataka
Indian socialists
Kannada people
Kannada-language writers
People from Shimoga district
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada
20th-century Indian short story writers
20th-century Indian novelists
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian translators
20th-century Indian essayists
Writers from Bengaluru
Dramatists and playwrights from Karnataka
Novelists from Karnataka
Poets from Karnataka