The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to write to the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, to Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu posthumously, state minister HK Patil said. He added that the cabinet has resolved to write to the Centre recommending the Bharat Ratna for Kavi Kuvempu.
The government also decided to confer the Karnataka Ratna, the state's highest civilian honour, posthumously on iconic Kannada film stars Vishnuvardhan and B Saroja Devi.
"The cabinet today decided that the Karnataka Ratna be awarded to Vishnuvardhan and Saroja Devi," Patil told reporters. He added that a special cabinet meeting will be held on September 16 to discuss the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project, which requires the acquisition of 75,000 acres of land.
About Kavi Kuvempu
Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu, born Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa on December 29, 1904, in Hirekodige village of present-day Chikkamagaluru district, grew up in Kuppali in the Malnad region, whose natural beauty shaped much of his literary imagination.
He completed his education in Kannada and English literature at the University of Mysore and later joined the institution as a lecturer in 1929. His academic journey culminated in his appointment as vice-chancellor of Mysore University in 1956, where he played a transformative role in higher education in Karnataka.
Kuvempu’s most celebrated work, Sri Ramayana Darshanam, a modern retelling of the Ramayana, was published in 1949.
It earned him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 and the Jnanpith Award in 1967, making him the first Kannada writer to receive the honour. He was also conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1958. Recognised for his advocacy of humanism and equality, the Karnataka government bestowed on him the title of Rashtra Kavi (national poet) in 1964.
He passed away on November 11, 1994, but his legacy endures through his poetry, plays, essays and vision of "Vishwamanava" (universal humanism).
With inputs from PTI
