Biography
Devanahalli Venkataramanaiah Gundappa (Padmabhushan Dr. D V Gundappa) (Kannada: ????????? ??????????? ???????, ??.??.???????), popularly known as DVG, was a prominent Kannada writer and a philosopher. He is renowned for Manku Thimmana Kagga, a collection of verses.
Early Life
DVG was born in the year 1887 in Mulbagal/Mulabagilu taluk of Kolar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. DVG completed his primary school education in Kannada in the year 1898. He also attained basic education in English apart from learning Sanskrit on own interest. Later he continued his education in Mysore from the Maharaja high school. Even though DVG did not pass matriculation exam (10th Standard), he had discontinued formal education after matriculation, his essays were selected as chapters for Graduation text books and PhD thesis. He had vast knowledge in these areas:
Veda, Vedanta, BrahmaSutra, DharmaSutra
Sanskrit, Kannada, and other Indian languages.
Political situation of Karnataka
Ramayana and Mahabharata
Engineering (was assistant of Sir. M. Vishveshwaraiah, who engineered the K.R.S Dam, which was the largest Dam in Asia at that time)
Freedom fighters (Had been associated with Mahatma Gandhi and Lokamanya Tilak)
Western Literature (has translated several Shakespeare plays and other Greek plays to Kannada)
Islamic literature (Umarana osage, a translation of poems of Omar Khayyam in Kannada)
His Mankuthimmana Kagga is considered a Nobel prize winning material, if it had been written in English. The greatness of this work is that?it makes the reader see himself through the poems, to interpret the thoughts of the poet in his own way. The philosophy hidden in these short 4 liners is suited for any section of the society regardless of their religion, status, qualification etc. Basically it is for the entire humanity, such is the vastness and depth of DVG?s most of the literary works. He was closely associated with the Gokale institute of Public Affairs, Bangalore. Sri Nittoor Srinivasa Rao, The then Chief Justice of Karnataka, Sri Masti Venkatesa Iyengar, Literary Genius, Prof.V.T.Srinivasan, The then Principal of Vijaya College, Bangalore were some of his close associates.
DVG died on 7 October 1975. Chief Minister and several minsters of the state of Karnataka came to pay their last respects at his residence in Nagasandra road (now called DVG Road) in Basavanagudi.
Mankuthimmana Kagga
Main article: Mankuthimmana Kagga
Dr. D. V. G in his later years also came up with second innings for Mankuthimmana Kagga known as Maralu Muniyana Kagga. Another famous work of Dr. D. V. Gundappa is Srimad BhagavadGeeta Tatparya [1] or Jeevana Dharma Yoga which has received Kendra Sahitya Academy award.
Awards and Honours
Dr. DVG was awarded Padmabhushan by the Government of India in 1974. The State of Karnataka under Chief Minister Sri Veerandra Patil honored him for his services to Kannada Literature in 1970 at Ravindra Kalkshetra, Bengaluru and awarded a purse of Rs 90,000. Dr DVG donated the entire award money to found the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) located in Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi, India. India Post issued a commemorative stamp of Dr. Gundappa in 1988.
In early 2002/03, a statue was erected to honor Dr DVG in Basavanagudi, Bugle Rock Park (behind Sri. Ganapathi Temple). Dr DVG's son late Dr BGL Swamy was a scholar and professor, taught Botany at University of Madras. Dr DVG's 2 daughters were accomplished social-elites. ..
