Shantinath Desai

Shantinath Desai/ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ
Born	(1929-07-22)22 July 1929 Haliyal, Karnataka, India
Died	26 March 1998(1998-03-26) (aged 69)
Occupation	Writer, professor
Language	Kannada
Nationality	Indian
Literary movement	Navya
Notable awards	Sahitya Akademi Award 2000

Shantinath Desai/ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ (1929–1998) was one of the leading modern authors of the Navya (modernist) movement in Kannada. He became active shortly after India achieved independence from the United Kingdom.^[1][2][3][4]

In most of his novels, short stories, and essays, Desai explores the challenges of a changing society and its drift from traditional values. His first novel, Mukti (1961), narrates the protagonist's quest for an independent identity, liberation from the influence of a friend and his infatuation with the friend's sister. The second novel, Vikshepa (1971), tells the story of a village youth from northern Karnataka, who attempts to flee from his traditional environment by studying English in Bombay and later relocating to England. He was one of the best known writers in the genre of short stories in Kannada literature, which includes other prominent writers like U. R. Anantha Murthy, Yashwant Chittal, P. Lankesh, Ramachandra Sharma, Rajalakshmi Rao, and K. Sadashiva.

His novel Om Namo (Obeisance) won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Desai's important works include Mukti (Liberation) and Beeja (The Seed).

Shantinath Desai was also a professor of English at Shivaji University in Kolhapur, and later became the first vice chancellor of the then newly founded Kuvempu University in Shimoga.^[5] He has written seven novels and eight short story collections of which Rakshasa (1977) received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. His novels and stories have been frequently translated into various regional languages. He also published a book of critical works in English.

KANNADA WORKS

Short Stories/ಕಥಾಸಂಕಲನ

• Manjugadde/ಮಂಜುಗಡ್ಡೆ (1959)
• Kshitija/ಕ್ಷಿತಿಜ (1966)
• Dande/ದಂಡೆ (1971)
• Aayda Kategalu/ಆಯ್ದ ಕತೆಗಳು (1977)
• Rakshasa/ರಾಕ್ಷಸ (1977)
• Parivartane/ಪರಿವರ್ತನೆ (1984)
• Kurmavatara/ಕೂರ್ಮಾವತಾರ (1988)
• Samagra Kategalu/ಸಮಗ್ರ ಕತೆಗಳು (2001)
• Aayda Kathegalu/ಆಯ್ದ ಕತೆಗಳು (2007)

Novels/ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳು

• Mukti/ಮುಕ್ತಿ (1961) [Translated into all the 14 Indian languages by NBT]
• Vikshepa/ವಿಕ್ಷೇಪ (1971)
• Srishti/ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ (1979)
• Sambandha/ಸಂಬಂಧ (1982)
• Beeja/ಬೀಜ (1983)
• Antarala/ಅಂತರಾಳ (1993)
• Om Namo/ಓಂ ಣಮೇೂ which won the Sahitya Akademi Award posthumously in 2000. [Translated into all the 14 Indian languages by Sahitya Akademi]

Criticism/ವಿಮರ್ಶೆ

• Sahitya mattu Bhashe/ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾಷೆ (1980)
• Kannada Kadambari Nadedu Banda Reeti/ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ನಡೆದು ಬಂದ ರೀತಿ (1989)
• Navya Sahitya Darshana/ನವ್ಯ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ದರ್ಶನ (1989)
• M. N. Roy/ಎಂ.ಎನ್.ರಾಯ್ (1994)

Edited/ಸಂಪಾದಿತ

• Gangadhar Chittalara Kavyasrishti/ಗಂಗಾಧರ ಚಿತ್ತಾಲರ ಕಾವ್ಯಸೃಷ್ಟಿ (1987)

Translations/ಅನುವಾದಗಳು

Marathi to Kannada

• Mee/ಮೀ by Harinarayan Aapte
• Rathachakra/ರಥಚಕ್ರ by S. N. Pendse

Hindi to Kannada

• Premchand/ಪ್ರೇಮಚಂದ

Kannada to English

• Avasthe by U. R. Anathamurthy
• Kranti Banto Kranti by P. Lankesh

ENGLISH WORKS

• Experimentation with Language in Indian Writing in English [Fiction] (1974)
• Babhani Bhattacharya (1974)
• Santha Ramrao (1975)
• Indian Poetry Today [Kannada Poetry] (1976)

About Him/His Literature

• Shantinath Desai Vachike - Ed: Ramachandra Deva /ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ ವಾಚಿಕೆ - ಸಂ: ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ದೇವ (2011)
• Shantinath Desai - G. S. Amur/ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ - ಜಿ.ಎಸ್.ಆಮೂರ [English/Kannada] (2000)
• Shantinath Desai - Preeti Shubhachandra/ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ - ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಶುಭಚಂದ್ರ (2005)
• Shantinath Desai Avara Sahitya - Ed: Giraddi Govindraj/ಶಾಂತಿನಾಥ ದೇಸಾಯಿ - ಸಂ: ಗಿರಡ್ಡಿ ಗೇೂವಿಂದರಾಜ
• Muktachanda - Special Issue on Him by "Sanchaya" Literary Magazine/ಮುಕ್ತಛಂದ - ದೇಸಾಯಿಯವರ ಕುರಿತು "ಸಂಚಯ" ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಿಕ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯ ವಿಶೇಷ ಸಂಚಿಕೆ

Shantinath Desai is chiefly remembered for his works such as Mukti, Om Namo, Srishti and Beeja (Novels) and short stories like Kshitija, Naanan Tirthayatre, Ganda Satta Mele, Manjugadde, Dande, Parivartane, Kurmavatara, Rakshasa, Nadiya Neeru, Hero, Bharamya Hogi Nikhilanagiddu, Digbhrame and other works.His readers and admirers feel that he deserved more honours and recognition than he actually received.He got Sahitya Akademi Award posthumously for his novel Om Namo in 2000. Anyhow he is considered as one of the important writers in Modern Kannada Literature.

Awards

1. Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for his short story collection "Rakshasa" (1978) ^[6]
2. Sahitya Akademi Award for "Om Namo" (2000)^[7]
3. The Ideal Teacher award by the Government of Maharashtra
4. Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement (1984)
5. Sudha Magazine Award for his novel "Sambandha" (1982)

References