Giraddi gets Sahitya Akademi prize posthumously

Kannada critic late Giraddi Govindaraj has posthumously been chosen for Central Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation 2018.

The Akademi announced Giraddi’s name for the prestigious award under the Kannada language category on Monday.

He had translated ‘Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata’, authored by Devadutt Pattanaik in English, into Kannada as ‘Jaya: Mahabharatha Sachitra Marukathana.’ Giraddi was chosen for the prestigious award by a three-member jury comprising K G Nagarajappa, K V Narayana and Basavaraj Naikar.

The Akademi also announced names of the awardees Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation 2018 for other 23 languages including Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Sanskrit.

The award carries a purse of Rs 50,000 and a copper plaque which will be presented to the winners at a special function date of which will be announced by the Sahitya Akademi later this year.Giraddi died of massive cardiac arrest on May 11 last year. He was 79.

Born in 1939 at Abbigeri in Ron taluk of the then Dharwad district (now in Gadag district), Giraddi did his MA in English, Kannada and PhD from Karnatak University, Dharwad.

He served as a professor at Karnatak College, Kalaburagi PG Centre of Karnatak University and Karnatak University, Dharwad.

He has penned several short stories, critical essays, profiles and edited several volumes.He is survived by wife Saroja, two sons and two
daughters.