Growing Up Karanth

About the Book

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ONE OF THE GREATEST KANNADA WRITERS.

Karanth, Kuvempu, Bendre—the trinity of modern Kannada literature; the pride of Kannadigas; … It was Shivarama Karanth who took the culture of Karnataka beyond the shores of India with his dance and music. After Rabindranath Tagore, no one had mastered as many art forms as Shivarama Karanth. —From the Foreword by Dr Chiranjiv Singh, former Indian ambassador to UNESCO

Kota Shivarama Karanth was the ultimate Renaissance Man. A giant of world literature, he produced dozens of novels, plays, children’s works, autobiographies, popular science books, translations and much else. In 1977, he was awarded the Bharatiya Jnanpith Award for the novel Mookajjiya Kanasugalu. But Karanth was more than a writer. He also dabbled in journalism and movie-making, ran a publishing house, and campaigned for environmental and political causes. He was instrumental in transforming the ancient dance-drama form of Yakshagana for a modern audience.

While a great deal has been written about the man and his genius, there is little material about the intimate details of his life. Through much of his creative career, for instance, Karanth was unflinchingly supported by his wife, Leela. The Karanths had four children. The eldest, Harsha, died in 1961. The other three, Malavika, Ullas and Kshama, come together to present this uniquely personal account of what it was like to be the children of a creative genius. Growing Up Karanth documents their 'rare privilege', while also detailing the world of Shivarama Karanth through their eyes.

Multilayered and nuanced, critical and affectionate, and filled with revelations that open up new facets of their father's life, Malavika, Ullas and Kshamla reveal Karanth and his times like no one else could have.

About the Author

Kota Ullas Karanth was originally trained as an engineer at the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal (1971), but pursued his passion for wildlife biology, obtaining a Master’s degree at the University of Florida, USA (1988), and a Doctorate from Mangalore University (1993) focusing on tiger ecology. Karanth is an Adjunct faculty member at the Universities of Florida and Minnesota in USA, as well as the National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bangalore. Karanth has published over 150 scientific articles, 8 books in English and 4 books in Kannada on wildlife issues.

Malavika Kapur is a Visiting Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. She earlier retired as head of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences I (NIMHANS). Kapur has published 20 books and over 100 articles and received the Fellowship of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists, Indian Association of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, British Psychological Society, and Lifetime Achievement award from the National Academy of Psychology.

Kshama Rau developed a passion for performing arts from her father and became an accomplished Odissi at the Kalashetra in Chennai and later received training under Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. She directs her dance school, Nrithya Shilpa, at Bengaluru. Kshama Rau is a member of the advisory committee of established by the Government of Karnataka to oversee the restoration of Shivarama Karanth’s Balavana, which is being developed as a lifestyle museum in his memory.