Prof Amrutha Someshwara passes away at 88

Well-known Kannada, Tulu writer and folklorist Prof Amrutha Someshwara (88) passed away following age-related illness at his residence on the city’s outskirts on Saturday morning.

He is survived by his wife and two sons. His last rites will be performed on Sunday, family sources said.

Born in 1935, Prof Someshwara worked extensively for the development of the Tulu language and literature and carried out extensive research works on Yakshagana, Tulu folk and Bhootharadhane. Though Malayalam was his mother tongue, he was well-versed in both Kannada and Tulu. 

Prof Someshwara completed high school at Anandashrama and obtained a degree from St Aloysius College. He was a student of Sediyapu Krishna Bhat. After completing his MA, he began teaching at St Aloysius College in 1958. Later, he joined St Philomena and Vivekananda Colleges in Puttur and retired as the head of the Kannada Department from the latter in 1993. He was a visiting professor in the Kannada Department of Mangalore University. His works were also a topic of many research (PhD) studies.

Prof Someshwara’s three published volumes — on Tulu paddanas, Tulu plays and Yakshagana prasangas --- are considered his greatest contributions to literature. He also published a Malayalam-Kannada dictionary and even translated the Finnish national (oral) epic ‘Kalevala’ into Tulu.

Some of his Tulu’s plays include ‘Tambila’, ‘Rangeetha’, ‘Gondolu’, ‘Ullaloda Veera Rani Abbakka Devi,’ ‘Kodimara’. ‘Amarashilpi Veerakalkuda,’ ‘Kayakalpa,’ ‘Puthooramuthu,’ ‘Tripura Mathana,’ ‘Chakravarthi Dasharatha,’ ‘Aruna Sarathya,’ ‘Rishyashrigya,’ ‘Mithra bheda’ and ‘Sridevi Bhagavathi’ are some of his Yakshagana prasangas. His short story ‘Elegili’ was published in 1957. Later, he wrote ‘Kempu Menapu,’ ‘Vanamale,’ ‘Bhramana’ and ‘Uppu Gaali.’

Prof Someshwara wrote the novel ‘Theerada Tere’. ‘Sri G P Rajarathnam Avara Kavithegalu,’ ‘Nandalikeya Nandadeepa,’ ‘Arivina Harikararu’ and others. His dance ballets include ‘Sapta mathrikeyaru,’ ‘Bali Chakravarthi,’ ‘Nisarga Vijaya,’ ‘Bharatha Gatha’ and ‘Tuluvala Baliyendra’ were among his works on criticism. 

Prof Someshwara was the recipient of several awards including Parthi Subba Award, Bhasha Samman of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi, Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Award, Talluru Kanaka Annayya Shetty Award, Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Award, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and Kannada Sahithya Parishat Centenary Award.

Mangalore University had conferred an honorary dDoctorate on him recognising his contributions to Tulu language and literature. 

In a post on X, District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “Prof Someshwara was a guide and motivator for literary research enthusiasts. The death of a folklore expert is a great loss to the state.”Zilla Kannada Sahithya Parishat president Dr M P Srinath said, “Sad demise of Prof Someshwara is a great loss to literary, folk, Yakshagana research world.”