T. V. Venkatachala Sastry

He was the first to offer an elaborate discussion on Devachandra's Rajavalikathe and Kempunarayana's Mudra Manjusha, and his PhD attracted considerable attention in literary circles. He has authored close to seven works on Grammar, six on Prosody, two on Aesthetics, six different dictionaries on various subjects, 24 studies on Literary Criticism and Research studies, eleven biographies, twenty two edited volumes and prose works, four translations and four bibliographies. In addition to these, he has penned four plays and four collections of essays. Various articles were collectively brought out in ten volumes under the title of Śāstrīya: Samputagalu 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 which was published in 1999. As an editor Sastry has led such projects as History of Kannada Literature (Mysore University), Revision and Reprint of Epigraphia Carnatica, Kannada Dictionary Project of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Anthology of Ancient Literature, Revision and Prose Translation of Kumaravyasa Bharata by Kannada Gamaka Parishat and publication of Complete Jaina Literature by Kannada University, Hampi. Significant among the scholars who came to him were Prof Laurie Honke (Finland), Prof Showman (Canada), Prof Karl Johanssen (U.S.A), Prof Sefan Anacker (Switzerland) and the Indologist Prof Sheldon Pollock (U.S.A).

Sastry's vast contribution to Kannada Literature has been acknowledged with several awards and accolades. He is also recipient of the "Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award" (Honorary) for 1997. He presided over the Dharmasthala Literary Festival in 2002. Some of the prominent awards are listed here.

His book Mulukanadu Brahmanaru is a sociological study of the Mulukanadu community since the early 17th century, outlining their origin, migration and embrace of western education. It records in detail their history with over 50 family trees and assumes importance in the field of caste studies. Sastry was a Kannada professor at the University of Mysore and additionally held the post of Director at "Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe" before retiring in 1994.

Under the guidance of his former teacher and mentor D. L. Narasimhachar and H. M. Nayak, Sastry pursued his doctoral work on A Comparative Study of Kannada Neminathapuranas and earned his PhD by 1972. Two years later, he was made a Reader in the Kannada department and remained there until 1984 when he was elevated to the post of Professor. He continued as Professor for the next decade until his retirement in 1994. For the last few years of his tenure, he was given additional responsibilities as Director of Institute of Kannada Studies (1991 - 1993) and as Dean of Arts (1992 - 1993). Post-retirement, Sastry was visiting Professor in 1997 at Kannada University, Hampi.

Sastry began his career as a lecturer at Kanakapura rural college in 1955. He moved to St. Joseph's College, Bangalore in 1957 and continued as a lecturer there until 1959. Subsequently, he was appointed as lecturer at Osmania University in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in 1959 where he worked hard to lend shape to the nascent Kannada department. In addition to his teaching duties at the university, he also taught at several Women's and Arts Colleges. He involved himself in the affairs of the "Telugu Sahitya Akademi" and during these years put together his "Mahakavyalakshana". He translated Sophocles' "Trakiya Pengal" during his tenure at Osmania University. Later he translated "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus into Kannada. His dictionary titled "Sreevatsa Nighantu" took form while at Osmania University. After being transferred from women's college to the university's Post Graduate department, T. V. Venkatachala Sastry involved himself teaching topics like "Kannada Chandassu", Kannada Grammar and "Suktisudarnava". It was during these years that he set out to do doctoral research and this brought him closer to his former teacher and mentor D. L. Narasimhachar. In fact, D. L. Narasimhachar suggested a doctoral work on "Kannada Neminathapurana Tulanathmaka", which T. V. V. Sastry took up in earnest. In February 1968, University of Mysore's "Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe" embarked on organising a symposium to celebrate eighth centennial of Basavanna and requested T. V. V. Sastry at Osmania University to pen a paper on "Vachana Sahitya". Sastry took up the project, returning a 60-page document that caught the attention of Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe director and his former teacher D. Javaregowda, who with H. M. Nayak persuaded him to relocate to University of Mysore in 1968 to occupy the post of Lecturer.

Sastry had his primary schooling at Kanakapura near Bangalore. He finished his Intermediate course in 1947–48 and from 1948 until 1954, he pursued undergraduate and post-graduate degrees at University of Mysore, where he enrolled initially in Yuvaraja College and came under the influence of Kannada professors N. Anantarangachar and U. K. Subbarayachar. In 1950, he joined the B. A. (Honours) course in Kannada at Maharaja College. Among his teaching faculty were renowned scholars like K. V. Puttappa (Kuvempu) who taught "Pampa Bharata" and "Literary Criticism", D. L. Narasimhachar (History of Literature), S. Srikanta Sastri (Cultural History of Karnataka)(see group photograph), K. V. Raghavachar (Kannada classic – "Basavarajadevara Ragale"), N. Anantarangachar (Kannada Grammar – "Shabdamanidarpana"), T. S. Shamarao (Vachanas of Basavanna) and Parameshwar Bhatt (Bharatesha Vaibhava). He worked on Pampa, Ranna, Harihara, Nemichandra, Raghavanka and Kumaravyasa utilizing ancient texts both from Mysore University library and the Oriental Research Institute, Mysore. He completed his Master of Arts (Kannada) degree from Maharaja College, Mysore in 1953–54 under the guidance of D. L. Narasimhachar.

T. V. Venkatachala Sastry was born on 26 August 1933 at Harohalli village in Kanakapura taluk of Bangalore district to Brahmin parents Venkatasubba Sastry and Subbamma. The family belonged to the Smartha (Advaita) sect who are followers of Adi Shankaracharya and of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. They belong to the Vaidiki Mulukanadu caste of Telugu-speaking Brahmins settled in the Kannada-speaking Mysore kingdom. Sastry's father had received a traditional education in the religious texts and puranas. He had been impressed with the practical work of the Ramakrishna Math in serving the common people. Sastry's mother was a home-maker and a deeply conservative lady.