Kuvempu Biography | Poet

Kuvempu was a Kannada poet, critic, playwright, thinker and novelist that was widely known as the best Kannada poet of the 20th century. His real name is actually Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, but his pen name was Kuvempu.

He was born on December 29, 1904 in Hirekodige village and died on November 11, 1994 in Mysore, Karnataka, India. Kuvempu’s literary movement was Navodaya and he is most recognized for winning the prestigious Jnanpith Award. He has also won notable awards such as the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Karnataka Ratna, among several others.

Kuvempu’s Educational Background

Kuvempu started his educational career by being home-schooled before joining the Anglo Vernacular school during his middle school years. He moved to Mysore to complete his high school career at Wesleyan High School. Some of his works that he later completed were inspired by literature that he studied in high school and throughout his educational career.

Kuvempu went to college at Maharaja College of Mysore with a major in Kannada. He graduated in 1929, but he didn’t have many significant accomplishments during his educational career. He later ended up writing several pieces about his education experience, both good and bad. Nevertheless, you always knew that Kuvempu was going to be honest in any piece that he wrote.

The Life and Family of Kuvempu

Kuvempu had a traditional family with a father and a mother, but his father died when Kuvempu was 12 years old. In 1937, he was forced to get married to Hemavathi because of the advice of the faculty at Ramakrishna Mission. This wasn’t an unusual arrangement, as his culture typically arranges marriages. He eventually had two sons and two daughters.

While Kuvempu didn’t have many academic awards throughout his educational career, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t smart. He began lecturing at the Maharajas College during the same year that he graduated from college in 1929. He then moved on to be an assistant professor for a few years before becoming a professor in Mysore in 1946.

From there, he only advanced up in the ranks in the academic teaching profession. He became the principal of Maharajas College in 1955 and was shortly thereafter selected as the Vice Chancellor of Mysore University, his alma mater. In fact, he was the first graduate from Mysore University to ever be nominated to that position at the school. However, his time spent as the Vice Chancellor wasn’t perfect. He had to face many challenges as he tried to make changes to the administration. Regardless of the challenges, though, he pushed through and made a significant impact on the college. He held that position until he eventually retired in 1960.

The Major Works from Kuvempu

Most of Kuvempu’s writings are a direct reflection of his beliefs. He was a no nonsense type of person and he made that evident when he wrote different pieces. His first of many poetry collections was introduced in 1930.

One of the major works from Kuvempu is Sri Ramayana Darshanam. This was actually somewhat of a re-write of another original piece, but brought from a different perspective. It was that very work that earned him the highly regarded Jnanpith Award. Kuvempu had a talented knack for getting his point across and allowing others to see his vision through his words, whether it was an original piece or a different perspective on existing works.

Kuvempu’s Significance

Kuvempu is a significant figure to society in many ways, from his dozens of poems, plays, essays and other works. However, it is one speech that he made that still resonates to modern society today.

Back in 1974, Kuvempu made a speech at the convocation ceremony at Bangalore University. That speech was later published in a book because of the message he portrayed. He discussed at length the developmental policies and even called for a re-assessment of them. It is a message that still is relevant to modern society.

Because of that speech, and also Kuvempu’s other accomplishments, he has a University named after him. The Government of Karnataka created Kuvempu University in 1987, just seven years before his death. The University is a constant reminder of the works of Kuvempu and the benefits to society that he made. His messages still resonate throughout the surrounding cities and country today and he is still highly regarded as one of the most influential poets and writers of his time.