A. R. Krishnashastry

Ambale Ramakrishna Krishnashastry (1890–1968) (Kannada: ಅಂಬಳೆ ರಾಮಕೃಷ್ಣ ಕೃಷ್ಣಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ) was a prominent writer, researcher and translator in the Kannada language. Krishnashastry has remained popular four decades after his death through his work Vachana Bharata, and his narration of Mahabharata in the Kannada language.

A.R. Krishnashastry
BornAmbale Ramakrishna Krishnashastry
12,February,1890
Ambale, Chikkamagaluru district (Erstwhile Mysore district), Karnataka
Died1 February 1968
Bangalore, Karnataka
OccupationWriter, Professor, Journalist
NationalityIndia
GenreFiction, Mythology
Literary movementNavodaya

Early life

Krishnashastry was born on 12 February 1890, in Ambale, Chikkamagalur district ( Karnataka, India) into a Smarta Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family. His parents were Ramakrishna Shastry, Distinguished grammarian and principal of Sanskrit school in Mysore and Shankaramma a home maker. Krishnashastry lost his mother Shankaramma to plague when he was ten. His father, Ramakrishna Shastry raised all the children. Due to poverty, Krishnashastry was compelled to study Kannada and Sanskrit for his Bachelor of Arts degree (1914) though he wanted to pursue a career as a scientist. His career started as a clerk in the Athara Kacheri ("Secretariat") in Mysore. He worked as a tutor and a researcher at Oriental Library (later renamed the Oriental Research Institute) at Mysore before enrolling for his Master of Arts degree at the Madras University. Finally he became Professor of Kannada and served as a professor and researcher at the Mysore University(group photo) until his retirement. Krishnashastry married at the age of sixteen to Venkatalakshamma who was only ten at that time.

Prof A.R. Krishnashastry was called as "Kannada Senani" by famous Kannada writer and folklorist Haa. Maa. Naayak( H. M. Nayak). He was the first one to start a Karnataka Sangha at Central College, Bengaluru. Later these Sanghas spread throughout Karnataka.

Some of his famous disciples were Kuvempu, T. N. Srikantaiah (Thi Nam shree), M. V. Seetharamiah and G. P. Rajarathnam amongst others.

Literary works

Prof KrishnaShastry was a polyglot. Apart from Kannada (mother tongue), Sanskrit and English, he was also proficient in Pali, Bengali (self taught), Hindi, and German. He had a good working knowledge of English and German and this helped him to work and translate some of the great works from those languages to Kannada. Krishnashastry brought out many of nuances of great Sanskrit plays of Kālidāsa, Bhavabhuti and Bhasa during his translations to Kannada. Krishnashastry's biography of Bankim Chandra Chattarjee, a noted Bengali novelist earned him a Central Sahitya Academy award.[1] Krishnashastri wrote numerous other short stories and novels including Vachana bharata, Nirmalabharati and Kathaamruta. Vachanabharata and Nirmalabharati are an abridged versions of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Kathaamruta is a collection of stories from Kathasaritsagara, huge anthology of hundreds of fables, parables and other stories in Sanskrit. Kathaamruta has a well written introduction to Indian and western cultural traditions. In 1918, Krishnashastry started Prabuddha Karnataka, a Kannada language newspaper and worked as its editor.

Awards and honors

Writings

Novels

Biographies

Short story collections

Plays
  • Samskruta Nataka
  • Harischandrakavya Sangraha

Other
  • Alankara ( kannada handbook on Alankara shastra - 1927, Mysore university) - Alaṅkāra-śāstra
  • Bhasa Kavi ( A critique on Sanskrit playwright Bhasa - Central college Karnataka Sangha - 1922)
  • Sarvajnana Kavi
  • Bhashanagalu Mattu Lekhanagalu ( Speeches and Writings )
  • Nagamahashaya (Author: Sarat Chandra Chakravarty) translated from Bengali to Kannada - 1937

See also

References
  1. "Sahitya Akademi Awards". The Indian Express. 1 April 1962. p. 10.
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