L. Gundappa

Articles in Kannada (a South Indian language) newspapers: :Article by Prof. G. Venkatasubbiah in "Kannada Prabha" 5 January 2004; and various authors in Prajavani 4 January 2004 and Vijaya Karnataka Sunday 11 January 2004. These articles were written in Kannada as part of centennial celebrations for L. Gundappa.

L. Gundappa M.A. (1903-1986) was professor of Kannada literature in Bangalore University and a pioneer in the Kannada literature revival, inspired by his mentor, B. M. Srikantaiah. He was an accomplished poet and writer who introduced Kannada readers to world literature by translating classics from ancient Kannada and Classic Tamil to modern Kannada. He translated short stories of Tolstoy from English, and won a gold medal for the translation of a poem by Matthew Arnold (titled Sohrab and Rustum) to Kannada. He worked on the first dictionary from English to Kannada. He wrote a definitive book on the art of translation called Kannadi Seyve (mirroring). He was honored by both the Kannada and Tamil people for his service to literature.

Gundappa was born on 8 January 1903 to Chennamma and Lingannayya, in the small south Indian village Matighatta. His early childhood education was in historical Belur, Karnataka where he assimilated a meticulous and in-depth education in Sanskrit and the Vedas. He had mastered Sanskrit by the time he completed his middle school education. Seeking a proper high school education, Gundappa moved to Chikmagalur. There, the young Gundappa got noticed for his original devotional poems in Sanskrit that he composed and presented at a welcoming ceremony for Abhinava Vidya Theertha Swami, the religious leader (pontiff) of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. The Swami declared that a small monthly stipend would be awarded to support Gundappa's college education.