It was an emotional day as scholar Amrith Someshwar received the Bhasha Samman of the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, at a hospital where he is undergoing treatment, here on Thursday.
Chandrashekhara Kambar, Jnanpith recepient and vice-president of the Akademi, presented the award to the 82-year-old writer at the K.S. Hegde Medical Academy Hospital in Deralakatte.
The Akademi chose him for the award for the year 2016 considering his outstanding contribution to Tulu. This is the second Bhasha Samman for Tulu literature. Mandara Keshava Bhat and Kedambadi Jattappa Rai shared the first one more than a decade ago. The award carried a purse of ₹1 lakh cash, an engraved copper plaque and a citation.
The selection was made based on recommendations of jury scholars K. Chinnappa Gowda, former Vice-Chancellor, Karnataka Folklore University; Chandrakala Nandavara, writer; and Janaki Brahmavara, former president, Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy.
Compiling his works
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kambar said there was a need to compile the works of Mr. Someshwara as volumes and publish them. He said some of the translated works of Mr. Someshwara from Tulu to Kannada and vice-versa were worth mentioning.
Mr. Gowda said three volumes on Mr. Someshwara’s works on Yakshagana, drama and paddana (sung narratives) have been published, and they are a “great contribution to literature”.
Sitting on a wheelchair and speaking after receiving the award, Mr. Someshwara said he intends to contribute more to Tulu and Kannada. He thanked one and all for the award. N. Vinay Hegde, Chancellor, Nitte University, M. Shantharam Shetty, its Pro-Chancellor, and S. Ramananda Shetty, its Vice-Chancellor, were among those present.
Mr. Chinnappa Gowda told The Hindu that Mr. Someshwara’s Tulu Paddana Samputa was a treasure trove of Tulu epics. He has used Tulu folklore as a source to reconstruct lives and world view of the Tuluvas in Tulunadu. The writer has also adopted stories of these folk epics of medieval period in writing Yakshagana prasangas and Tulu plays.
Mr. Someshwar has been a major force in the making of modern Yakshagana. He was able to write many prasangas (scripts) of contemporary relevance but rooted in tradition, he said.
