Karvalo is a novel written by Poornachandra Tejaswi, [1] a Kannada writer whose works include novels, short stories, non-fiction and poetry. [2]
Tejaswi won the "most creative novel of the year" for Karvalo in 1980 from the Sahitya Akademi. [3] [4]
In Karvalo, the protagonist is a well-educated farmer, who is also the narrator of the same story. In spite of his great interest in rural lifestyle, his unsuccessful agricultural work makes him consider ending his life as a farmer to move to the city. [5] During this time he meets Karvalo, a middle aged scientist in search of a rare lizard. [1] Their first few meetings were made to discuss the agricultural difficulties. A character named Mandanna, a local cowboy who is considered as a good-for-nothing fellow by the villagers and his friends, is very close to Karvalo. Karvalo tells the protagonist that Mandanna is his student in a way. [6]
The farmer wonders why Mandanna and Karvalo become close and what the scientist finds so special in the local cowboy. As the story progresses, the farmer understands that the scientist finds that Mandanna possesses special skills of a Naturalist, such as observational skills to identify creatures. Karvalo often goes into the deep Jungle with Mandanna and this gets the small town talking about their relationship. [7]
One day Karvalo reveals that the endangered flying Lizard Mandanna had seen, Draco dussumieri is an agamid "flying" lizard capable of gliding from tree to tree found in the Western Ghats and a relative of Draco blanfordii of China (SW Yunnan), E Thailand, W Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. [8] Karvalo is interested in finding the lizard, previously thought to have been extinct.[ citation needed ]
The journey of these characters, the protagonist, Mandanna, a camera man and cook along with Karvalo to find the elusive lizard is the story of this novel. [9] The series of discussions and revelations during the expedition gives a philosophical touch to the story, particularly the search for the truth of life. [1]
Calotes is a genus of lizards in the draconine clade of the family Agamidae. The genus contains 29 species. Some species are known as forest lizards, others as "bloodsuckers" due to their red heads, and yet others as garden lizards. The genus name Calotes has been derived from the Greek word Καλότης (Kalótës), meaning ‘beauty’, referring to the beautiful pattern of this genus.
Ceratophora is a genus of agamid lizards found in Sri Lanka. The male has a horn on its snout.
Draco is a genus of agamid lizards that are also known as flying lizards, flying dragons or gliding lizards. These lizards are capable of gliding flight via membranes that may be extended to create wings (patagia), formed by an enlarged set of ribs. They are arboreal insectivores.
Gonocephalus is a genus of agamid lizards endemic to southeast Asia.
Pseudocalotes is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Southeast Asia.
Calotes emma, commonly known as the forest garden lizard or Emma Gray's forest lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. There are two recognized subspecies.
Draco blanfordii, commonly known as Blanford's flying dragon, Blanford’s flying lizard, or Blanford's gliding lizard, is a species of "flying" lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Asia, and is capable of gliding from tree to tree.
Draco dussumieri, also known commonly as the Indian flying lizard, the southern flying lizard, and the Western Ghats flying lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found principally in the Western Ghats and some other hill forests of Southern India. It is almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where it climbs trees to forage for insects and glides to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which is supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck is also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue as support. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. The male has a more colourful patagium than the female, and it prominently extends its yellow dewlap forward in display. Although living almost its entire life in trees, the female descends to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the westernmost distribution within the genus Draco, the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia.
Draco maculatus, commonly known as the spotted flying dragon or spotted gliding lizard, is a species of agamid flying lizard endemic to Southeast Asia. It is capable of gliding from tree to tree.
Draco norvillii, also known as Norvill's flying lizard, is species of agamid flying lizard endemic to India. This species is capable of gliding from tree to tree, and has been recorded gliding up to 50 metres (160 ft). It feeds on insects and other small invertebrates.
Laudakia dayana, commonly known as the Haridwar agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to extreme northern India.
Agasthyagama beddomii, commonly known as the Indian kangaroo lizard, is a diurnal, terrestrial, insectivorous agamid lizard, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.
Phrynocephalus theobaldi is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Asia.
Crossobamon orientalis, commonly called the Sind gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
Kuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Indian writer and novelist in Kannada. He also worked as a photographer, publisher, painter, naturalist, and environmentalist. He made a great impression in the Navya ("new") period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the Bandaaya Saahitya genre of protest literature with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu. He is the son of noted Kannada poet Kuvempu.
Modern Kannada literature refers to the body of literature written in the Kannada language, a language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka. The Kannada script is the writing system used in Kannada literature. In the last forty years, eight modern Kannada authors have been awarded the Jnanpith award, a prestigious private literary award in India. In addition, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the second-highest award for literature granted by the Government of India, has been conferred upon Kannada writers fifty times.
The common butterfly lizard, or simply the butterfly lizard, is a widespread species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to Asia.
Draco spilonotus, the Sulawesi lined gliding lizard, is a lizard endemic to Sulawesi. The species is known from various localities in forested areas of Sulawesi.
Bronchocela smaragdina, also commonly known as Günther's bloodsucker, is a Southeast Asian species of agamid lizard.
Diploderma is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. Species of Diploderma are native to Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Japan. Most of the species are found in China, including many endemics.