JOIN USRenowned Kannada poet G S Shivarudrappa, the last of the Rashtrakavi triumvirate till date, passed away at his home ‘Chaitra’ in Banashankari, here on Monday. He was 87 and was ill for a couple of years.
K Marulasiddappa, renown-ed Kannada critic and Shivarudrappa's son-in-law, told Deccan Herald that the poet was admitted to a private hospital three months back but wanted to return home.
“The doctors also said that there was nothing much they could do,” said Marulasiddappa.
“We brought him home two months ago. He received nutritional support through a feeding pipe. He passed away at 12:10 pm,” he added.
Shivarudrappa was a distinguished poet and critic. He was also a protege of Kuvempu, another Rashtrakavi. Shivarudrappa’s doctoral studies on ‘literary aesthetics’ was under the guidance of Kuvempu.
As a poet, he did not confine himself to any of the literary movements of his time; GSS, instead, was seen as a bridge between generations of Kannada poets.
His contribution in building the Kannada Adhyayana Kendra at Bangalore University was pioneering.
He was awarded the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for his work ‘Kavyartha Chintana’ in 1984 and Pampa Award in 1998. He was the president of 61st Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Davanagere in 1991.
When Karnataka celebrated its golden jubilee, the government conferred the title `Rashtrakavi' on GSS on November 1, 2006. He was only the third to be conferred the title after Manjeshwara Govinda Pai and his ‘guru’ Kuvempu.
Shivarudrappa is survived by two wives, Rudrani and Padmavathi, and three children - Jayanthi, Dr Shivaprasad, who is in the UK, and Prof Jayadeva. Family sources said the funeral will be performed on Thursday at Kalagrama, Jnanabharathi Campus, Bangalore University, as his son is expected to arrive from the UK on Wednesday.
Funeral Instructions
Family sources said Shivarudrappa has left written instructions for his funeral, which he had penned a couple of years ago and authorised his younger son Jayadeva to execute.
Prof Jayadeva told media that his father wished that no religious rituals be conducted at his funeral.
“He said he belonged to entire Karnataka and not to any one caste or community. He also wished that he be cremated and not buried. Jnanabharathi campus was so dear to him that he wished to be cremated there. He wanted his ashes to be immersed in the river Cauvery. The family will fulfill his wishes,” Prof Jayadeva said.