V. K. Gokak
Encyclopedia
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak (1909–1992) was a major writer in Kannada language
and a scholar of English
and Kannada literature
s. He was fifth among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award
(1990) for Kannada language
for his epic
Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi. Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi that deals with the vedic age
is perhaps the longest epic written in any language in the 20th Century.
In 1961, Gokak was awarded the Padmashree from the Government of India for Dyava Prithvi.
. Gokak with a first at Oxford
in a colonial India, was a charismatic Indian professor of English. After returning from Oxford, he in the year 1938 became the principal of Willingdon college, Sangli
. Through the years, Gokak had the privilege of heading colleges, universites and elite institutes in India. He served as the first Vice Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Puttaparthi
, Anantapur District
between 1981 - 1985. His novel Samarasave Jeevana is considered one of the representative works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
and a scholar of English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and Kannada literature
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
s. He was fifth among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
(1990) for Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
for his epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi. Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi that deals with the vedic age
Vedic period
The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...
is perhaps the longest epic written in any language in the 20th Century.
In 1961, Gokak was awarded the Padmashree from the Government of India for Dyava Prithvi.
Academic life
Vinayak Gokak was a student of literature at Karnatak College DharwarKarnatak College Dharwar
Karnatak College of Arts and Science, Dharwar is one of the leading institutions in Karnataka, India offering B.A., B. Com. and B.Sc. degrees. KCD is the oldest college affiliated to Karnataka University, Dharwar. Originally it belonged to University of Mumbai. G.S. Paramasivaiah was a student of...
. Gokak with a first at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in a colonial India, was a charismatic Indian professor of English. After returning from Oxford, he in the year 1938 became the principal of Willingdon college, Sangli
Willingdon college, Sangli
The Willingdon College, Sangli was started on the morning of June 22, 1919 in the Sangli City. During this period, Centers of higher education and colleges were rare...
. Through the years, Gokak had the privilege of heading colleges, universites and elite institutes in India. He served as the first Vice Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
, Anantapur District
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
between 1981 - 1985. His novel Samarasave Jeevana is considered one of the representative works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.
Poetry Collections
- Urnanaabha
- Abyudaya
- Baaladeguladalli
- Dhyava Pruthvi (Kannada Saahithya Academy Award)
- Samudra Geethegal
Translations
- Voices of the Himalaya: arun. 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'Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist and academic, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He remerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his nationalist poetry written in the days before Indian independence...