Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu mother goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the western state of Maharashtra. She is the mother of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of the god Vishnu. She was given the name "Renuka" and acquired the status of a mother goddess before eventually being associated with the legend of Parashurama.
H.L. Nagegowda was a prominent Kannada folklorist and author. He received a number of awards in his lifetime, both for his writing and for his work in conserving and propagating folk traditions.
Devi Prasad Shetty is an Indian cardiac surgeon who is the chairman and founder of Narayana Health, a chain of 24 medical centers in India. He has performed more than 100,000 heart operations. In 2004 he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2012, the third highest civilian award by the Government of India for his contribution to the field of affordable healthcare.
H. R. Keshava Murthy was an Indian gamaka exponent and guru. He was honoured with Shantala Natya Sri Award by the Government of Karnataka in 1998 and Padma Shri in 2022 by the Government of India in the field of arts.
Chandrashekhara Basavanneppa Kambara is a prominent Indian poet, playwright, folklorist, film director in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi also president of the Sahitya Akademi, country's premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993). He is known for effective adaptation of the North Karnataka dialect of the Kannada language in his plays, and poems, in a similar style as in the works of D.R. Bendre.
Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar is an Indian Hindustani vocalist. He is best known for his rendition of devotional songs composed by Swami Haridas and Kanakadasa. Kumar belongs to the Kirana and Gwalior Gharana.
Tulsi Gowda is an Indian environmentalist from Honnali village. She has planted more than 30,000 saplings and looks after the nurseries of the Forest Department. Her work has been honoured by the Government of India and other organisations. In 2021, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award. She is known as the "Encyclopedia of the Forest" for her ability to recognise the mother tree of any species of tree.
R. Nagarathnamma (1926–2012) was an Indian theatre personality and the founder of Stree Nataka Mandali, an all-women theatre group based in Bengaluru. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, she was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Siddalingaiah, was an Indian poet, playwright, and Dalit activist, writing in the Kannada language. He is credited with starting the Dalit-Bandaya movement in Kannada and with starting the genre of Dalit writing. He is one of the founders of the Dalita Sangharsh Samiti along with B. Krishnappa.
Padma Shri recipient Harekala Hajabba is an Indian social activist and orange vendor living and working in the city of Mangaluru, Karnataka, India. He saved money from his business to build a school in his village. In 2020, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, for his initiative and achievement.
Girija Lokesh is an Indian theatre and film actress and occasional film producer who works in Kannada cinema. She is wife of actor Lokesh, and is the mother of actor and television presenter Srujan Lokesh and Pooja Lokesh. In recognition of her contribution towards Kannada cinema, she was honoured with Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka in 2013.
Dr. T. Jayalakshmi, known by her pen name as Dr. Jayalakshmi Seethapura, was one of the eminent folklorists of modern India who writes in Kannada language. She was a retired Folklore professor of Mysore University. Jayalakshmi has performed hundreds of state and national level cultural competitions as judge. Her books on folklore have well received by the readers of Karnataka.
Vidushi Shashikala Dani is an Indian Hindustani classical Jal Tarang artist. She is one among the few musicians and presently the only All India Radio-graded female exponent of the Jal Tarang. She is a multi-instrument artist with concert and teaching experience in Jal Tarang, Harmonium, Sitar, Violin, Dilruba and Tabla. She is also an All India Radio-graded vocalist in the Gamaka genre of Hindustani Light Music.
Vasundhara Doraswamy is the founder and director of Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre, Mysore (India). She is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and guru (teacher). She is also one of the disciples of the late Shri Pattabhi Jois in the discipline of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga and has developed her own subdomain in Vasundhara Style.
Daroji Eramma, popularly known as Burrakatha Eeramma was a folk singer and performer of the Burrakatha, a folk art form of epic storytelling from South India. She was awarded several awards including the Rajyotsava Prashasti in 1999.
Narthaki Nataraj is an Indian trans woman Bharatanatyam dancer. In 2019, she was awarded the Padma Shri, making her the first transgender woman to be awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award.
Ibrahim Sutar was an Indian social worker and poet known for folk-music performances across Karnataka and neighboring states which spread the message of Hindu–Muslim communal unity.
Bilalukoppa Krishnayya Sumitra, popularly known as B. K. Sumitra, is an Indian singer known for her work in Kannada films. She is also popular for her numerous devotional and folk songs.
Sukri Bommanagowda is a folk singer belonging to the Halakki Vokkaliga tribe in Ankola, Karnataka, India. She has received several awards, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, for her contributions to the arts, and her work in preserving traditional tribal music.
Picchalli Srinivas is an Indian singer, music director, theatre personality and activist, known for his works in Kannada. Apart from numerous folk songs, Srinivas has sung a few film songs. For his song "Dodda Gowdara" in the movie Amasa, he won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 2003-04. He also served as the President of Karnataka Janapada Akademi, the State's top institution for folk and performing arts.
