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{{Short description|Indian writer (1909–1992)}}
{{other uses|Gokak (disambiguation)}}
{{other uses|Gokak (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Vinayaka Krishna Gokak
| name = V.K Gokak
| image = VinayakaKrishnaGokakImage.jpg
|native_name = Kannada:ವಿ.ಕೃ.ಗೋಕಾಕ್
| image =
| caption =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| pseudonym =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1909|08|09}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1909|08| 10}}
| birth_place = [[Savanur State|karnataka]] [[Princely state]], [[Deccan States Agency]], [[British India]] ([[Savanur]] in present-day [[Haveri district]] of [[Karnataka]])
| birth_place = [[Savanur State]], [[Princely state]], [[Deccan States Agency]], [[British India]] ([[Savanur]] in present-day [[Haveri district]] of [[Karnataka]])
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1992|4|28|1909|8|9}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1992|4|28|1909|8|9}}
| death_place = [[Bombay]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| death_place = [[Bengaluru]], [[Karnataka]], India
| occupation = Professor, writer
| occupation = Professor, writer
| nationality = Indian
| nationality = Indian
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}}
}}


'''Vinayaka Krishna Gokak''' (9 August 1909 – 28 April 1992) was a major writer in the [[Kannada language]] and a scholar of English and [[Kannada literature]]s. He was the fifth writer<ref>{{cite web
'''Vinayaka Krishna Gokak''' (9 August 1909 – 28 April 1992), abbreviated in Kannada as '''Vi. Kru. Gokak''', was an Indian writer in the [[Kannada language]] and a scholar of English and [[Kannada literature]]s. He was the fifth writer<ref>{{cite web
|title = Jnanpith Award
|title = Jnanpith Award
|url = http://ekavi.org/jnanpeeth.htm
|url = http://ekavi.org/jnanpeeth.htm
|publisher = Ekavi
|publisher = Ekavi
|accessdate = 31 October 2006
|access-date = 31 October 2006
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060427081930/http://www.ekavi.org/jnanpeeth.htm
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060427081930/http://www.ekavi.org/jnanpeeth.htm
|archive-date = 27 April 2006
|archive-date = 27 April 2006
Line 34: Line 34:
|df = dmy-all
|df = dmy-all
}}
}}
</ref> to be honoured with the [[Jnanpith Award]] in 1990 for [[Kannada language]], for his [[Epic poetry|epic]] ''Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi''. Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi deals with the [[Vedic period|Vedic age]] and is perhaps the longest epic narrative in any language in the 20th Century. In 1961, Gokak was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] from the Government of India for ''Dyava Prithvi''.
</ref> to be honoured with the [[Jnanpith Award]] in 1990 for [[Kannada language]], for his [[Epic poetry|epic]] ''Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi''. Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi deals with the [[Vedic period|Vedic age]] and is perhaps the longest epic narrative in any language in the 20th century. In 1961, Gokak was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] from the Government of India for ''Dyava Prithvi''.


==Academic life==
==Academic life==
Gokak was born in a [[Deshastha Brahmin]] family<ref>{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 95, Part 4|url=https://books.google.com/?id=4Wc6AQAAIAAJ|author=Pritish Nandy|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press|year=1974|page=31}}</ref> on 9 August 1909 to Sundarabai and Krishna Rao.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reed|first1=Stanley|authorlink1=Stanley Reed (British politician)|title=The Indian And Pakistan Year Book And Who's Who 1950|date=1950|publisher=[[The Times Group|Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd.]]|page=679|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.15206|accessdate=20 February 2018}}</ref> He was educated in Majid High School, [[Savanur]], and attended the [[Karnatak College Dharwar|Karnataka College Dharawada]] where he studied literature. He was later awarded [[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|first class honours]] by the [[University of Oxford]]. On his return from Oxford in 1938, he became the principal of [[Willingdon College, Sangli]]. He was principal of [[Rajaram College]], Kolhapur, Maharashtra from 1950 to 1952. Between 1983 and 1987, he served as the president of the [[Sahitya Akademi]]. He also served as the Director of [[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]], [[Shimla]], and the [[English and Foreign Languages University|Central Institute of English]], [[Hyderabad]]. He was an ardent devotee of the spiritual guru [[Sathya Sai Baba]] and served as the first Vice-Chancellor of [[Sri Sathya Sai University|Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning]], [[Puttaparthi]], between 1981 and 1985, after a stint with the [[Bangalore University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=V. K. Gokak dead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19920429&printsec=frontpage|newspaper=The Indian Express|accessdate=27 April 2017|page=10|date=29 April 1992}}</ref> His novel ''Samarasave Jeevana'' is considered one of the typical works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.
Gokak was born in a [[Deshastha Brahmin]] family<ref>{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 95, Part 4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wc6AQAAIAAJ|author=Pritish Nandy|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press|year=1974|page=31}}</ref> on 9 August 1909 to Sundarabai and Krishna Rao.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reed|first1=Stanley|author-link1=Stanley Reed (British politician)|title=The Indian And Pakistan Year Book And Who's Who 1950|date=1950|publisher=[[The Times Group|Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd.]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.15206/page/n713 679]|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.15206|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> He was educated in Majid High School, [[Savanur]], and attended the [[Karnatak College Dharwar|Karnataka College Dharawada]] where he studied literature. He was later awarded [[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|first class honours]] by the [[University of Oxford]]. On his return from Oxford in 1938, he became the principal of [[Willingdon College, Sangli]]. He was principal of [[Rajaram College]], Kolhapur, Maharashtra, from 1950 to 1952. Between 1983 and 1987, he served as the president of the [[Sahitya Akademi]]. He also served as the director of [[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]], [[Shimla]], and the [[English and Foreign Languages University|Central Institute of English]], [[Hyderabad]]. He was an ardent devotee of the spiritual guru [[Sathya Sai Baba]] and served as the first vice-chancellor of [[Sri Sathya Sai University|Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning]], [[Puttaparthi]], between 1981 and 1985, after a stint with the [[Bangalore University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=V. K. Gokak dead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19920429&printsec=frontpage|newspaper=The Indian Express|access-date=27 April 2017|page=10|date=29 April 1992}}</ref> His novel ''Samarasave Jeevana'' is considered one of the typical works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.


==Literary Career and Success==
==Literary career and success==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2024}}
⚫
Gokak was a prolific writer in both Kannada and English. He was deeply influenced by the Kannada poet D.R Bendre who mentored him during his early forays into Kannada literature. Bendre is reputed to have said that were Gokak to allow his talent to bloom in Kannada, there was a bright future in wait for Gokak and Kannada literature. His ''Kavyanama'' (Pen name) was "VINAYAKA"


His epic ''Bharatha Sindhurashmi'' is 35000 lines long.
⚫
Gokak was a prolific writer in both Kannada and English. He was deeply influenced by the Kannada poet D.R Bendre who mentored him during his early forays into Kannada literature. Bendre is reputed to have said that were Gokak to allow his talent to bloom in Kannada, there was a bright future in wait for Gokak and Kannada literature. His Kavyanama(Pen name) is "VINAYAKA"

His epic 'Bharatha Sindhurashmi', running into 35000 lines, is notably the longest epic written in this century, for which he received the Jnanpith Award and also honorary doctorates from Karnataka University and Pacific University, USA.


His novel 'Samarasave Jeevana' was translated by his daughter Yashodhara Bhat into English under the title 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' and released to worldwide popularity.
His novel 'Samarasave Jeevana' was translated by his daughter Yashodhara Bhat into English under the title 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' and released to worldwide popularity.
Line 73: Line 73:
* ''Abyudaya''
* ''Abyudaya''
* ''Baaladeguladalli''
* ''Baaladeguladalli''
* ''Dyava Pruthvi'' (Kannada Saahithya Academy Award)
* ''Dyava Pruthvi'' (Kendra Saahithya Academy Award)
* ''Samudra Geethegalu''
* ''Samudra Geethegalu''
* ''English words''<ref>{{cite web |title=English Words (V. K. Gokak Poem) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ATKogKrzk |website=YouTube |publisher=YouTube |accessdate=15 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=English Words - Poem by V. K. Gokak |url=https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/english-words/ |website=poemhunter.com |publisher=poemhunter.com |accessdate=15 December 2018}}</ref>
* ''English words''<ref>{{cite web |title=English Words (V. K. Gokak Poem) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ATKogKrzk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/I9ATKogKrzk |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |access-date=15 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=English Words - Poem by V. K. Gokak |url=https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/english-words/ |website=poemhunter.com |date=10 July 2012 |access-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>


===Other===
===Other===
Line 85: Line 85:
* ''Gokak Kruthi Chintana''
* ''Gokak Kruthi Chintana''
*''Pravasa katanagalu''
*''Pravasa katanagalu''
*
*
*
*
*
*


==Honors and awards==
==Honors and awards==
* ''Presidentship of the 40th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1958''
* ''Presidentship of the 40th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1958''
* ''Honorary doctorates from the Karnatak University''
* ''Honorary doctorates from the Karnatak University''

*
* ''Honorary doctorates from the Pacific University of the USA''
* ''Honorary doctorates from the Pacific University of the USA''
* ''Central Sahitya Akademi award for his 'Dyava Prithivi' in 1961''
* ''Central Sahitya Akademi award for his 'Dyava Prithivi' in 1961''
Line 112: Line 106:
{{Jnanpith Award}}
{{Jnanpith Award}}
{{SahityaAkademiFellowship}}
{{SahityaAkademiFellowship}}
{{Karnataka topics}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Template:Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokak, V. K.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokak, V. K.}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1909 births]]
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[[Category:Kannada-language writers]]
[[Category:Kannada-language writers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Jnanpith Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Jnanpith Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education]]
[[Category:People from Haveri district]]
[[Category:People from Haveri district]]
[[Category:Kannada people]]
[[Category:Kannada people]]

Latest revision as of 21:03, 4 December 2024

For other uses, see Gokak (disambiguation).

V.K Gokak
Born(1909-08-10)10 August 1909
Savanur State, Princely state, Deccan States Agency, British India (Savanur in present-day Haveri district of Karnataka)
Died28 April 1992(1992-04-28) (aged 82)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
OccupationProfessor, writer
NationalityIndian
GenreFiction
Literary movementNavodaya
SpouseSharada Betadur
Children4
Signature

Vinayaka Krishna Gokak (9 August 1909 – 28 April 1992), abbreviated in Kannada as Vi. Kru. Gokak, was an Indian writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada literatures. He was the fifth writer[1] to be honoured with the Jnanpith Award in 1990 for Kannada language, for his epic Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi. Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi deals with the Vedic age and is perhaps the longest epic narrative in any language in the 20th century. In 1961, Gokak was awarded the Padma Shri from the Government of India for Dyava Prithvi.

Academic life

[edit]

Gokak was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family[2] on 9 August 1909 to Sundarabai and Krishna Rao.[3] He was educated in Majid High School, Savanur, and attended the Karnataka College Dharawada where he studied literature. He was later awarded first class honours by the University of Oxford. On his return from Oxford in 1938, he became the principal of Willingdon College, Sangli. He was principal of Rajaram College, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, from 1950 to 1952. Between 1983 and 1987, he served as the president of the Sahitya Akademi. He also served as the director of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and the Central Institute of English, Hyderabad. He was an ardent devotee of the spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba and served as the first vice-chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Puttaparthi, between 1981 and 1985, after a stint with the Bangalore University.[4] His novel Samarasave Jeevana is considered one of the typical works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.

Literary career and success

[edit]

Gokak was a prolific writer in both Kannada and English. He was deeply influenced by the Kannada poet D.R Bendre who mentored him during his early forays into Kannada literature. Bendre is reputed to have said that were Gokak to allow his talent to bloom in Kannada, there was a bright future in wait for Gokak and Kannada literature. His Kavyanama (Pen name) was "VINAYAKA"

His epic Bharatha Sindhurashmi is 35000 lines long.

His novel 'Samarasave Jeevana' was translated by his daughter Yashodhara Bhat into English under the title 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' and released to worldwide popularity.

In the 1980s, Karnataka was in the midst of an agitation which demanded the replacement of Sanskrit with Kannada as the medium of instruction in schools. V.K Gokak also headed the 'Gokak Committee' which recommended declaring Kannada as the first language in schools in the state.

Gokak's writing reflected his interest in religion, philosophy, education and cultures. His education abroad prompted him to write two sets of travelogues.

The Navodaya movement was at its peak and Gokak stayed true to his spirit- his poems showed nuances of Victorian poetry, oral traditions in Kannada storytelling and epics in Sanskrit and Kannada.

V.K Gokak wrote many collections of poetry under the pen name Vinayaka. These collections include 'Samudra Geethegalu', 'Baaladeguladalli', 'Abhyudaya', 'Dhyava Prithvi' and 'Urnabha'.

Gokak's anthology of poetry by Indian poets titled The Golden Treasury of Indo Anglican poetry was a treatise on poets like Sri Aurobindo, Sarojini Naidu and Toru Dutta, Nissim Ezekiel and Kamala Das.

In the late 1960s he was deeply influenced by Sri Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi and over the years, Gokak became the medium for translating the guru's words into English and spreading it to the world. His book 'The Advent of Sathya Sai' explains the meaning of Sathya Sai Baba's miracles, his work with the poor and his impact on the educational system.

The state of Karnataka hosts a series of literary events to mark Gokak's birth centenary on 9 August of every year.

Writings

[edit]

Epics

[edit]
  • Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi.

Novels

[edit]
  • Samarasave Jeevana – Ijjodu Mattu Erilita (vol 1)
  • Samarasave Jeevana – Samudrayana Mattu Nirvahana (vol 2)

Poetry collections

[edit]
  • Urnanabha
  • Abyudaya
  • Baaladeguladalli
  • Dyava Pruthvi (Kendra Saahithya Academy Award)
  • Samudra Geethegalu
  • English words[5][6]

Other

[edit]
  • Sahitya Vimarsheya Kelavu Tatvagalu
  • Nanna Jeevana Drishti
  • Jeevana Paatagalu
  • Kala Siddhantha
  • India & World Culture
  • Gokak Kruthi Chintana
  • Pravasa katanagalu

Honors and awards

[edit]
  • Presidentship of the 40th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1958
  • Honorary doctorates from the Karnatak University
  • Honorary doctorates from the Pacific University of the USA
  • Central Sahitya Akademi award for his 'Dyava Prithivi' in 1961
  • Jnanpith award-for his Bharatha sindhu rashmi, in 1990

Translations

[edit]
  • Voices of the Himalaya: translated by the authors, Kamala Ratnam, V.K. Gokak and others. (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1966. vi, 70 p. Poems by celebrated poet Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Jnanpith Award". Ekavi. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
  2. ^ Pritish Nandy (1974). The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 95, Part 4. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. p. 31.
  3. ^ Reed, Stanley (1950). The Indian And Pakistan Year Book And Who's Who 1950. Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. p. 679. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. ^ "V. K. Gokak dead". The Indian Express. 29 April 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  5. ^ "English Words (V. K. Gokak Poem)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  6. ^ "English Words - Poem by V. K. Gokak". poemhunter.com. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
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