The late Niranjana was an influential writer, activist and journalist in Kannada who led the progressive writers’ movement in Karnataka. However, his works, including iconic ones such as Chirasmarane and Mrityunjaya, are not easily accessible today. That is now set to change.
More than 55 works by Niranjana (1924–1992), which includes 25 novels apart from short stories, plays, political writings, newspaper columns and letters, will be re-licensed and released in Wikimedia Commons. This means that all the works will be made accessible over a period of time at kn.wikisource.org, released under Creative Commons licence, and available for free use with attribution.
“This is perhaps the single largest individual Indian writer’s collection to be made available in Wikicommons,” said U.B. Pavanaja, Programme Manager (Indian languages), Access to Knowledge Program, The Centre for Internet & Society.
Over 1,000 pages from Mysore university’s Vishwakosha (encyclopaedia) was already available at Kannada Wikisource, he added.
Born Kulkund Shivarao and better known by his pen name, Niranjana plunged into the freedom struggle when he was still in school in present-day Dakshina Kannada district.
He was in his twenties when his first novel, Vimochane (Wait for the Moon in English) was published and he went on to write fictional and non-fictional works for over five decades. Chirasmarane , his most critically acclaimed work, revolves around the historic Kayyur revolt of the 1940s in Kasaragod district where peasants rose against local landlords.
Niranjana worked as a journalist in various newspapers and later wrote regular columns. He edited Vishwa Katha Kosha, a 25-volume work which made stories from around the world available in Kannada.
An event is being organised by the Kannada Wikipedia community at the Indian Institute of World Culture on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to mark Nirajana’s works being released under Creative Commons licence. The programme will focus on not only the writer’s works, but also issues surrounding copyright laws.
