U. R. Ananthamurthy

thumbnail|U.R Ananthamurthy Interview on the occasion of Kannada Wikipedia's 9th Anniversary

Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy (21 December 1932 – 22 August 2014) was an Indian contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language. He was born in Thirtahalli Taluk and is considered one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. In 1994, he became the sixth Kannada writer to be honored with the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in India. In 1998, he received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India. He was the vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala during the late 1980s. He was one of the finalists of Man Booker International Prize for the year 2013. He remained a fervent critic of nationalistic political parties until his death from kidney failure and cardiac arrest on 22 August 2014.

Early life

thumb|left|U. R. Ananthamurthy at Manasa Gangotri, University of Mysore in the early 1970s before embarking to England. (seated on chairs: 9th from left)Ananthamurthy was born into Kannada-speaking Brahmin family in Melige, in Tirthahalli taluk in the Shimoga District. His education started in a traditional Sanskrit school in Doorvasapura and continued in Tirthahalli and Mysore. After receiving a Master of Arts degree from the University of Mysore, U. R. Ananthamurthy taught in the English department at University of Mysore (pictured) for a while before embarking to England for further studies on a Commonwealth Scholarship. He earned his doctorate from the University of Birmingham in 1966 for his dissertation thesis entitled "Politics and Fiction in the 1930s".

Career

thumb|right|upright|U R Ananthamurthy in an interview

Ananthamurthy started his career as a professor and instructor in 1970 in English department of University of Mysore. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala from 1987 to 1991. He served as the Chairman of National Book Trust India for the year 1992. In 1993 he was elected as the president of Sahitya Academy. He served as a visiting professor in many Indian and foreign universities including Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Tübingen, University of Iowa, Tufts University and Shivaji University. In 2012 he was appointed the first Chancellor of Central University of Karnataka. He was also a reason for the establishment of Humanities department of Manipal University. Later in 2012 he served as a visiting faculty at Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, Manipal University for four months.

Ananthamurthy has participated and delivered lectures in numerous seminars as writer and orator both in and outside the country. He was the member of the committee of Indian writers and visited countries like the Soviet Union, Hungary, France and West Germany in 1990. He visited Moscow in 1989 as board member for a Soviet newspaper. Ananthamurthy was the leader for the committee of writers who visited China in 1993.

Literary works

thumb|right|U R Ananthamurthy in his reading room

Ananthamurthy's works have been translated into several Indian and European languages and have been awarded with important literary prizes.

A Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Prime Minister of India H. D. Deve Gowda had made an offer for Murthy to contest for his party. However, after the Janata Dal (Secular) worked a power sharing agreement with the BJP, Murthy said:

Ananthamurthy also contested for the Rajya Sabha elections from state assembly in 2006.

The idea proposed by Ananthamurthy to rename ten cities in Karnataka including Bengaluru from their colonial forms to actual native forms was accepted by the Government of Karnataka and the cities were renamed on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of the formation of Karnataka.

Controversies

In June 2007, Ananthamurthy declared that he would not take part in literary functions in future in the wake of strong criticism for his reaction on S.L. Bhyrappa's controversial novel Aavarana that appeared in a section of the media.

In 2013, Murthy's statement that there is a reference in the Mahabharata to Brahmin's consuming beef drew flak from Hindu religious leaders. Vishwesha Teertha Swami of Pejawar Math commented that there was no reference to Brahmins consuming beef in the conversation between Bhishma and Yudhishtira or anywhere else in the Mahabharata and Murthy's statement came as a surprise to him.

A vocal critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)/Jan Sangh for over 50 years, Murthy said in 2013 that he would not live in the country ruled by BJP leader Narendra Modi. He later clarified that those remarks were made when he was "overcome by emotion" and said that he had no such plan, though he continued to oppose BJP. Murthy was given special police protection after he began receiving threatening phone calls. Later when Modi became the Prime Minister he was given a free ticket to Pakistan by a group of Modi supporters called "NaMo Brigade". After Murthy's death was announced on 22 August 2014, several BJP and Hindu Jagarana Vedike were booked for celebrating his death by bursting crackers at four places in Mangalore and one spot in Chikkamagaluru.

Awards

Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1972-74)
1984 : Rajyothsava Award
1994 : Jnanpith Award
1998 : Padma Bhushan
2008 : Nadoja Award by Kannada University
2011 : Shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize (Bharathipura)
2012 : D. Litt. Honoris Causa of the University of Calcutta
2012: Basheer Puraskaram
2013 : Nominated, Man Booker International Prize He had been suffering from kidney related disease for some years, and was undergoing dialysis treatment with diabetes and heart problem. He was admitted to Manipal Hospital on 13 August with an infection and fever, and underwent treatment on a multi-support system.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, paid his condolences in response to Ananathamurthy's death.

Bibliography

Below here is a selected list of his books.

Collection of stories

Endendoo Mugiyada Kathe/ಎಂದೆಂದೂ ಮುಗಿಯದ ಕಥೆ
Prashne/ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ
Mouni/ಮೌನಿ
Aakaasha Mattu Bekku/ಆಕಾಶ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಕ್ಕು
Sooryana Kudure/ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಕುದುರೆ
Pachhe Resort/ಪಚ್ಚೆ ರೆಸಾರ್ಟ್
Eppattara Dashakada Kathe/ಎಪ್ಪತ್ತರ ದಶಕದ ಕಥೆ
Eradu Dashakada Kategalu/ಎರಡು ದಶಕದ ಕಥೆಗಳು
Aidu Dashakada Kategalu/ಐದು ದಶಕದ ಕಥೆಗಳು
Aayda Kathegalu/ಆಯ್ದ ಕಥೆಗಳು
Samasta Kathegalu/ಸಮಸ್ತ ಕಥೆಗಳು

Novels

Samskara/ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರ
Bhharathipura/ಭಾರತೀಪುರ
Avasthe/ಅವಸ್ಥೆ
Bhava/ಭವ
Divya/ದಿವ್ಯ
Preeti Mrithyu Bhaya/ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಮೃತ್ಯು ಭಯ

Plays

Aavaahane/ಆವಾಹನೆ

Collection of poems

15 Padyagalu/15 ಪದ್ಯಗಳು
Mithuna/ಮಿಥುನ
Ajjana Hegala Sukkugalu/ಅಜ್ಜನ ಹೆಗಲ ಸುಕ್ಕುಗಳು
Illiyavaregina Kavithegalu/ಇಲ್ಲಿಯವರೆಗಿನ ಕವಿತೆಗಳು
Abhava/ಅಭಾವ
Samasta Kavya/ಸಮಸ್ತ ಕಾವ್ಯ

Literary criticism and essays

Prajne Mattu Parisara/ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿಸರ
Sannivesha/ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶ
Samakshama/ಸಮಕ್ಷಮ
Poorvapara/ಪೂರ್ವಾಪರ
Yugapallata/ಯುಗಪಲ್ಲಟ
Navyaloka/ನವ್ಯಾಲೋಕ
Bettale Pooje Yaake Koodadu?/ಬೆತ್ತಲೆ ಪೂಜೆ ಯಾಕೆ ಕೂಡದು?
Valmikiya Nevadalli/ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿಯ ನೆವದಲ್ಲಿ
Maatu Sotha Bharatha/ಮಾತು ಸೋತ ಭಾರತ
Sadya Mattu Shashvata/ಸದ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಶಾಶ್ವತ
Rujuvathu/ಋಜುವಾತು
Ruchikara Kahisathyagala Kaala/ರುಚಿಕರ ಕಹಿಸತ್ಯಗಳ ಕಾಲ
Kalamaana/ಕಾಲಮಾನ
Aacheeche/ಆಚೀಚೆ
Nanna Sahithyada Aidu Dashakagalu/ನನ್ನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಐದು ದಶಕಗಳು
Bhishmaprajne/ಭೀಷ್ಮ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ
Hindutva athava Hind Swaraj/ಹಿಂದುತ್ವ ಅಥವಾ ಹಿಂದ್ ಸ್ವರಾಜ್
Andininda Indinavarege/ಅಂದಿನಿಂದ ಇಂದಿನವರೆಗೆ
Aayda Barahagalu/ಆಯ್ದ ಬರಹಗಳು

Autobiography

Suragi/ಸುರಗಿ

Journalism

Editor – Rujuvaathu/ಋಜುವಾತು

Editor

Kannada Kavya Sangraha/ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಾವ್ಯ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ - 1973

Movies

Samskara - 1970
Ghatashraddha - 1978
Bara - 1982
Sookha - 1983 (Hindi Film)
Avasthe - 1987
Diksha - 1992 (Hindi Film)
Mouni - 2003
Prakruthi- 2013