84-year-old scholar Amrith Someshwar was presented the Rashtrakavi Manjeshwara Govinda Pai award at his residence in Someshwar, near Mangaluru, on Saturday.
The award was given jointly by the Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Samshodhana Kendra and Manipal Academy of Higher Education.
Mr. Someshwar said it was a momentous occasion for him to receive the award instituted in the name of writer Govinda Pai, whom he revered. “I was among those who regularly visited his house. It was fascinating to interact with the writer who remained simple while making great strides in literature,” he said, and added that he too wanted to remain grounded while receiving the award.
Earlier, critic Prabhakar Joshi said Mr. Someshwar is among the best writers in the country and his versatility can be compared with writer Kota Shivaram Karanth.
Terming Mr. Someshwar’s Tulu Paddana Samputa as the treasure house of Tulu epics, Mr. Joshi said the writer was responsible in making Yakshagana modern by writing prasanga s (scripts) on epic stories in a way that appealed to the present audience.
