Poet, freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai no more

The poet’s 100th birthday was recently celebrated on June 8, 2015 at Badiyadkka.

Litterateur Kayyara Kinhanna Rai. File Photo.

Kannada poet and freedom fighter, 101-year-old Kayyara Kinhanna Rai died at his residence at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district of Kerala on August 9. He is survived by seven children.

According to family sources, he died between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m on Sunday. The poet’s 100th birthday was recently celebrated on June 8, 2015 at Badiyadkka.

According to Kallige Taranath Shetty, an advocate and close relative of the late poet, Mr. Rai had taken breakfast in the morning. He was in healthy condition till noon. He may have died due to heart attack, he told

The Hindu .

(Kayyara Kinyanna Rai lived in this house at Peradala village in Kasaragod of Kerala. - File photo: H.S.Manjunath)

Mr. Rai’s last rites may take place today, said Prasanna Rai, his Rai’s son.

He was in the forefront of the movement to merge the Kannada-speaking region north of the Chandragiri river with Karnataka to fulfil its linguistic and development aspirations after the 1957 States reorganisation. Mr. Rai founded Kasaragod Vileenekarana Kriya Samiti to fight for the cause.