Noted Kannada poet, eminent academic and critic Prof N S Lakshminarayana Bhatta passed away on Saturday morning in Bengaluru due to age-related illness. He was 85.
Known as 'NSL' in literary circles and the music world, Lakshminarayana was born in Shivamogga in 1936. A former dean and Kannada professor at Bangalore University, his poems gave a new direction to 'sugama sangeeta' (Kannada light music).
Achieving a blend of tradition and modernity in his poems, he was one of the finest poets of modern Kannada literature (Navya tradition) with a fondness for children's literature. His poems, composed and sung by noted musicians like C Ashwath, Shivamogga Subbanna and Mysore Ananthaswamy, have become popular songs.
He also translated the famous 50 sonnets of William Shakespeare (Suneeta), 50 poems of Irish poet William Butler Yeats (Chinnada Hakki) and several other prominent English writers into Kannada. Lakshminarayana also served as a visiting faculty in several US universities.
His anthology of poems, including those popular as Kannada music albums, such as 'Nilanjana', 'Deepika', 'Bhava Sangama', 'Baro Vasantha', 'Madhuri', 'Mandara' have been widely talked about.
A recipient of Sahitya Academy and many other awards, Lakshminarayana's works include 'Mrichhakatika', 'Espeet Raja', 'Twelfth Night', 'Jagannatha Vijaya', 'Mudra Manjusha' and 'Comprehensive History of Kannada Literature' among others.
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