Writer L Basavaraju dead

Writer L Basavaraju (93) died at a private hospital in the city on Sunday night. He had been admitted to the hospital following age-related illness recently.

Lingappa Basavaraju, a native of Idaguru in Kolar district, had made Mysore his home since he came to study here in 1943. He had served as a lecturer in Davangere and Yuvaraja College in Mysore before joining the Centre for Research in Kannada, University of Mysore.

Basavaraju received Kannada Sahitya Academy award in 1977, Rajyothsava award in 1994, Pampa award and Translation Academy award in 2000 and Kendra Sahitya Academy Basha Samman award, Basava Puraskar and Nadoja award in 2005. He was also president of the 75th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Chitradurga in 2008.

He is survived by wife B Vishalakshi and daughter Nalini, a communications officer with the UNO in Geneva. His son Prabhushankara had died 30 years ago.