Shatavadhani Ganesh

Last updated

Shatavadhani R. Ganesh
Dr. R Ganesh2.JPG
Shathavadhi R Ganesh
BornR. Ganesh
(1962-12-04) 4 December 1962 (age 62)
Kolar, Kolar district, Karnataka, India
Occupation Avadhana, author, extempore poet
NationalityIndian
Subject Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
Website
padyapaana.com

R. Ganesh (also known popularly as Shatavadhani Ganesh, born 4 December 1962 [1] ) is a practitioner of the art of avadhana, a polyglot, an author in Sanskrit and Kannada and an extempore poet in multiple languages. He has performed more than 1300 avadhanas, in Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu and Prakrit. [2] [3] He is known for extempore composition of poetry (āśukavita) during these performances, and even of chitrakavya. [1] He is the only Śatāvadhāni from Karnataka. [1] [4] [5] He once set a record by composing poetry for twenty-four hours continuously. [1] From 30 November 2012 to 2 December 2012, he performed the first ever Shatavadhana entirely in Kannada. [6] [7] [8] [9] On 16 February 2014, in Bangalore, he performed his 1000th avadhāna. [3] [10]

Contents

Childhood and education

Ganesh was born on 4 December 1962 to a Tamil brahmin family, in Kolar, Karnataka, to R. Shankar Narayan Aiyar and K. V. Alamelamma. [1] Ganesh picked up Tamil, Kannada and Telugu from his environment as a child. [11] Also in his childhood, he read Sanskrit and Kannada literature and was writing poetry at the age of sixteen. [11] He learned English at school, and he later learned several other languages like Prakrit, Pali, Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Greek, Latin and Italian. [11] He has a B.E. degree in mechanical engineering from UVCE, [12] an MSc (Engineering) degree in metallurgy from IISc, [12] [13] pursued research in materials science and metallurgy, [14] has an MA degree in Sanskrit, and a D. Litt in Kannada, [1] [13] which was awarded by Hampi University [11] for his thesis on the art of Avadhana in Kannada. [14]

Avadhana

Ganesh at Bangalore Astavadhana, at Kuvempu Bhasha Pradhikara, 14 February 2021 Ganesh shatavadhani 2.jpg
Ganesh at Bangalore Astavadhana, at Kuvempu Bhasha Pradhikara, 14 February 2021
Ganesh speaking in the felicitation program of S. L. Bhyrappa Dr.R Ganesh1.JPG
Ganesh speaking in the felicitation program of S. L. Bhyrappa

Ganesh is well known for his performances of avadhana , in which he composes extempore solutions in metrical verse to problems posed in parallel by the pṛcchakas on stage, satisfying the constraints imposed by them, while simultaneously dealing with interruptions designed to break his concentration. [9] [12] The performance tests poetic skill, creativity, memory, concentration, scholarship, and wit. [13] The main variants are the Aṣṭāvadhāna (eight pṛcchakas) and Śatāvadhāna (hundred pṛcchakas), both of which he performs. [12]

Although there are records of Bellave Narahari Sastry performing avadhana in Kannada during 1933–36 (having learnt it from Telugu's Pisupati Chidambara Shastri), there was no living tradition of avadhana in Kannada when Ganesh took it up; thus he is credited with reviving avadhana in Kannada. [12] [13] [15] In 1981, after seeing an avadhana performance for the first time, by Lepakshi Medavaram Mallikarjuna Sharma, he tried one himself in front of his friends. [12] He performed 13 astavadhana between 1981 and 1987. [12] In 1987, he gave a major astavadhana performance at Kolar in the centenary year of D. V. Gundappa, where thousands of people and several learned persons assembled. [12] His 100th and 200th astavadhanas were also performed at Kolar, his native place. [15] His astavadhanas became very popular and he gave hundreds of performances, some of which were viewed by people even in pouring rain. [12] He has performed avadhanas using eight languages, including Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu. [12] He is also credited with introducing chitrakavya into avadhana, previously considered impossible to do in an avadhana. [12] He has given more than 20 avadhana performances in American and European countries. [15]

He performed his first Shatavadhana at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore on 15 December 1991. [12] He did another one 15 days later, then one each again in 1992 and 1993, with his fifth, the first to be done entirely in Kannada, in 2012. [12] [16] [17]

In addition to his D. Litt thesis The Art of Avadhana in Kannada and the forthcoming Avadhana Sahasra, he has written books about the art of Avadhana to groom future avadhanis [12] including 'Shatavadhana Sharade, Shatavadhana Srividye and Sataavadhaana shaashvati. He has also started lectures on poetry composition, prosody and poetics on the website of "Padyapaana" organisation. [12]

Other work

He performed a shatavadhana in a single day in 1991[ citation needed ]. He also gives public lectures, [18] on dance ( nāṭya śāstra ), music, [19] [20] art, culture, literature, [21] poetics, etc. [5] In his kAvya-chitra shows, he performs with painter B.K.S.Varma, composing poems while the latter paints. [22] [23] He has also written lyrics and composed verses for dance performances. [12] [24] [25] He learned the performance art Yakshagana and conceived the idea of eka vyakthi yakshagana (single-person Yakshagana), of which several performances have been given by Mantapa Prabhakara Upadhyaya. [12] He has played the role of Horatio (dubbed Harshananda) in a Sanskrit production of Hamlet . [26] He has given multiple lectures on various topics in Gokhale Institute of Public affairs, most of which is published on YouTube.

Literary works

Works in Sanskrit

Ganesh is considered one of the Sanskrit authors to have "carved a niche for themselves in twentieth century", and is credited with introducing new genres into Sanskrit literature. [1] His works include:

Awards

Related Research Articles

Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which were originally composed in Sanskrit and later translated into many other Indian languages, and the Five Great Epics of Tamil literature and Sangam literature are some of the oldest surviving epic poems ever written.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kannada literature</span> Written forms of the Kannada language

Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, which is spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakshagana</span> Theatre form in India

Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during the period of the Bhakti movement. It is sometimes simply called "Aata" or āṭa. This theatre style is mainly found in coastal regions of Karnataka in various forms. Towards the south from Dakshina Kannada to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region, the form of Yakshagana is called Thenku thittu and towards the north from Udupi up to Uttara Kannada it is called Badaga thittu. Both of these forms are equally played all over the region. Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indic traditions.

Havyaka Brahmin, originally called Havika Brahmana, is a Hindu Brahmin community native to the districts of Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, coastal Karnataka and the Kasaragod district of Kerala. Havyakas fall under the Pancha-Dravida Brahmin category; they are the followers of Yajurveda. Some of them follow Rigveda and Samaveda Shakas also. They follow the Advaita philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya.

Avadhānaṃ is a genre of performance in India, where a performer answers challenging questions from several questioners in parallel. The most popular variety, called sāhitya (literary) avadhānam involves the performer composing poetry, thereby entertaining the audience and demonstrating the poetic skills of the performer. The art form was developed particularly by Telugu poets in medieval times. It involves the partial improvisation of poems using specific themes, metres, forms, or words. There is a tradition of mentoring in Avadhanam. The best avadhanis have contributed to the oeuvres of Telugu and Kannada poetry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysore literature in Kannada</span> Body of literature in India

Mysore literature in Kannada is a body of literature composed in the Kannada language in the historical Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India and written in the Kannada script. The writings date from the Kingdom of Mysore, which existed from around 1600 CE until the establishment of modern India in 1947. Many of the works of this literature written on religious themes are labeled Veerashaiva or Vaishnava in acknowledgment of the two faiths that gave form to the literature and fostered it until the advent of the modern era. Despite a gradual decline in the popularity of Jainism, authors devoted to the faith produced some works of merit. Secular themes dealing with a wide range of subjects were also written on. Kannada literature flourished for a short while in the court of the neighbouring kingdom of the Nayakas of Keladi whose territory was annexed by Mysore in 1763.

Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Keremane (R)(Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ ಇಡಗುಂಜಿ ಮಹಾಗಣಪತಿ ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ ಮಂಡಳಿ)or simply the Keremane Yakshagana Troupe or Idagunji Mela is a Yakshagana troupe based in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. It was started by Keremane Shivarama Hegde in 1934. He is an exponent of this art form and is the first Yakshagana artist to win the Rashtrapati Award, an award handed out by the President of India to people who excel in various fields. The troupe has survived three generations, with his children Shambu Hegde, Mahabala Hegde and Gajanana Hegde and his grand son Shivananda Hegde also being exponents of Yakshagana. Keremane Shivananda Hegde is the current director of the troupe and the institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. Venkatasubbiah</span> Kannada writer, grammarian, editor, lexicographer, and critic (1913–2021)

Ganjam Venkatasubbiah, also known as G. V., was a Kannada writer, grammarian, editor, lexicographer, and critic who compiled over eight dictionaries, authored four seminal works on dictionary science in Kannada, edited over sixty books, and published several papers. Recipient of the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award and the Pampa Award, Venkatasubbiah's contribution to the world of Kannada Lexicography is vast. His work Igo Kannada is a socio-linguistic dictionary which encompasses an eclectic mix of Kannada phrases, usages, idioms, and serves as a reference for linguists and sociologists alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijayanagara literature in Kannada</span> 14th–16th century body of literature composed in the Kannada language

Vijayanagara literature in Kannada is the body of literature composed in the Kannada language of South India during the ascendancy of the Vijayanagara Empire which lasted from the 14th through the 16th century. The Vijayanagara empire was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I. Although it lasted until 1664, its power declined after a major military defeat by the Shahi Sultanates in the battle of Talikota in 1565. The empire is named after its capital city Vijayanagara, whose ruins surround modern Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. M. Kalburgi</span> Indian writer, scholar

Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi was an Indian scholar of Vachana sahitya in the Kannada-language and an academic who served as the vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. A noted epigraphist of Kannada, he was awarded the National Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006 for Marga 4, a collection of his research articles.

Lingappa Basavaraju, commonly known as L. Basavaraju or LB, was an Indian scholar, writer, critic and researcher in Kannada. He was the author of over 56 works and his contribution to Kannada literature spread over 40 years.

Udyavara Madhava Acharya was an Indian orator, short story writer, poet, and theatre artist. He is credited with modernisation of the traditional theatre form of Yakshagana. Some of his noted works include Baagida Mara, Rangasthalada Kanavarikegalu, and Nenapadalu Shakunthale. He was a recipient of the Karnataka state Rajyotsava Award in 1999 and the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award in 1970.

Dr. H. R. Vishwasa is a Sanskrit scholar residing in Mangalore, India. He won a Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in 2010 for translating S. L. Bhyrappa's Kannada novel Aavarana into Sanskrit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandharinathacharya Galagali</span> Indian writer and scholar

Pandit Pandharinathacharya Galagali was a Sanskrit scholar, author, poet, journalist, and orator.
He has authored over 50 books in Kannada and Sanskrit, among which are Shri Shambhu Linga Vijaya Champu (Sanskrit), Raaga Viraga (Kannada), Bharata Swaatantrya Sangramasya Itihasaha (Sanskrit), and Mahabharatada Mahileyaru (Kannada). He was also the editor of five Kannada and Sanskrit newspapers for over four decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. R. Ramaswamy</span> Indian journalist and writer

Sondekoppa Ramachandrasastri Ramaswamy is an Indian writer, journalist, biographer, social activist and environmentalist. He has authored more than 50 books and thousand articles both in Kannada and English. He is recipient of the "Karnataka State Sahitya Akademi Award" (1992) for year's best work in social science. In 2015, he was honoured by Hampi University, Karnataka with the 'Nadoja' award. An avid campaigner for environmental issues and people's rights, he has led numerous movements both at state and national level for conservation of vast tracts of rich flora and fauna from ill-planned Government policies. His years as a writer and chronicler brought him under the influence of doyens of literature and public life such as D. V. Gundappa, V. Sitaramayya, Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma, Yadava Rao Joshi and P. Kodanda Rao. His writings essentially mirror the literary, cultural, nationalist and developmental problems that are contemporaneous to the present day scenario. S. R. Ramaswamy is currently the honorary Editor-in-Chief of Kannada monthly "Utthana" and "Rashrothana Sahitya" at Bangalore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. V. Venkatachala Sastry</span> Indian Kannada-language writer, grammarian (born 1933)

Togere Venkatasubbasastry Venkatachala Sastry, commonly known as T. V. Venkatachala Shastry, is a Kannada-language writer, grammarian, critic, editor and lexicographer. He has authored in excess of 100 books, translations and has edited collections of essays, biographical sketches and felicitation volumes. Recipient of the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award (honorary), Sastry is an authority on Kannada language grammar and its various facets ranging from the metre scale on which he has written extensively to the history of Kannada literature spanning two millennia.

Mahamahopadya Dr. Vidvan N. Ranganatha Sharma (1916–2014) was a Sanskrit and Kannada scholar, particularly known for his erudition in grammar (vyākaraṇa) of both Sanskrit and Kannada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Seetharamaiah</span> Kannada Poet, writer and professor

Venkataramaiah Seetharamaiah commonly known as Vee See, was a Kannada poet, writer, essayist, critic, editor and teacher who taught Kannada literature at University of Mysore between 1928 and 1955. He is a recipient of the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award (1973), Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and an Honorary Doctorate from University of Mysore in 1976. He presided over the 36th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at Kumta in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asavadi Prakasarao</span> Indian poet (1944–2022)

Asavadi Prakasa Rao was an Indian poet, critic, translator and scholar, who is known for his poetry and prose works. He is noted for his significant contribution to Telugu and Sanskrit literature. In January 2021, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri in the Arts and Literature category. As Ashtavadhani, he has given 170 performances and has written and published 50 books across various genres. His most notable literary contribution is his performance of Avadhanam – a literary performance. He has received an honorary D Litt from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University and a Distinguished Teacher award from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S. Ranganath (2009), Modern Sanskrit Writings in Karnataka (PDF), New Delhi: Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, pp. iii, iv, viii, ix, 74–76
  2. ↑ Over 600 as of 2009, see Modern Sanskrit Writings in Karnataka. Over 965 as of 2012, see Kannadaprabha 29 November 2012
  3. 1 2 ಆರ್ ಗಣೇಶ್ ಅವರ ಸಾವಿರದ ಅಷ್ಟಾವಧಾನ ಲೈವ್, 13 February 2014
  4. 1 2 Vashishtha Narayan Jha (2003), Sanskrit Writings in Independent India, Sahitya Akademi, p. 31, ISBN   9788126018123
  5. 1 2 3 Rajesha Mundigesara (1 December 2012). "Sāvadhāna" (PDF). Kannada Prabha. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "Test of memory and verse, in Kannada", The Hindu, 30 November 2012
  7. ↑ Padyapaana presents Shathaavadhaani, archived from the original on 19 November 2012
  8. ↑ "Manadumbida Śatāvadhāna" (PDF). Kannada Prabha . 1 December 2012. p. 2.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. 1 2 "Shatavadhanada Chakravyuha Bhedisida Ganesh". Vijaya Vani . 1 December 2012. p. 6. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "ಕತ್ತಲಿಗಿಂತ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಹಿಂದೆ ಓಡುವುದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು: ಸಾವಿರದ ಅಷ್ಟಾವಧಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಂಡಿತರ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಸರಾಗವಾಗಿ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿದ ಅವಧಾನಿ ಡಾ. ಆರ್. ಗಣೇಶ್‌". Vijayavani. Bangalore. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Visiting Faculty: Dr. R. Ganesh, Karnataka Samskrit University, archived from the original on 24 February 2014
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rajesha Mundigesara (Interview with R.Ganesh) (29 November 2012). "Avadhanavannu Janare Ulisuttare" (PDF). Kannada Prabha . p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pratap Simha (1 December 2012). "Śatāvadhāni Emba Vidvat Śikhara, Oḍalalli Mātṛ Prītiya Sāgara" (PDF). Kannada Prabha. p. 8.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. 1 2 Sangeetha Menon (2006), Consciousness, experience, and ways of knowing: perspectives from science, philosophy & the arts, Bangalore: National Institute of Advances Studies, p. 288, ISBN   9788187663614
  15. 1 2 3 Pandit, Suryaprakash. "Shathavadhani R Ganesh". Cultural India Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  16. ↑ "Ganesh Śatāvadhānada Beragu" (PDF). Kannada Prabha . 3 December 2012. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Mūru Dinagaḷa Kāla Naḍeda Tuṃbugannaḍada Śatāvadhāna Bhānuvāra Samāropa". Vijaya Vani . 3 December 2012. p. 6. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2012. "Details". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  18. ↑ For instance, he has spoken on 'Kaalidasana Kavyasamskruti' (, ), on "Science and Spirituality" (), on "values" (), etc.
  19. ↑ "The anatomy of a raga", Deccan Herald , 6 August 2013
  20. ↑ "'ರಾಗಾನುರಾಗ'ದ ಸಂಭ್ರಮದಲಿ...", Prajavani , 8 August 2013
  21. ↑ "Bangalore Today". The Hindu. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  22. ↑ "Competitions, cultural programmes, mark Kala Utsav 2006", The Hindu , 19 December 2006, archived from the original on 6 January 2007
  23. ↑ "Briefly", The Hindu , Chitradurga, 4 June 2004, archived from the original on 2 July 2004
  24. ↑ Prabal Gupta (18 June 2010), "Brilliant aristry", The Hindu
  25. ↑ "Brilliant choreography", The Hindu , 8 October 2010, archived from the original on 25 January 2013
  26. ↑ D. A. Shankar (1999), Shakespeare in Indian languages, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, p. 74, ISBN   9788185952659
  27. ↑ R. Ganesh (1998), Human values in the Ramayana, Gandhi Centre of Science and Human Values of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
  28. 1 2 A Bibliography of Modern Sanskrit Writings (PDF), New Delhi: Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, 2012, archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2013, retrieved 24 November 2012
  29. ↑ Radha Vallabh Tripathi, ed. (2012), संस्कृतविद्वत्परिचायिका: Inventory of Sanskrit Scholars (PDF), New Delhi: Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, p. 288, ISBN   978-93-86111-85-2
  30. ↑ List of Awardees for Maharshi Badarayan Vyas Samman 2002–2009 (PDF), 21 October 2013, p. 1[ permanent dead link ]
  31. ↑ "Udupi: Sediyapu Award for 'Shatavadhani' R Ganesh". Daijiworld. Udupi. 16 May 2010.
  32. ↑ "Hegde, Sudha Murthy to be Conferred Honorary Doctorate", Outlook India, 1 March 2010, archived from the original on 31 January 2013
  33. ↑ "ಶತಾವಧಾನಿ ಗಣೇಶ್‌ಗೆ 'ಚಿತ್ಪ್ರಭಾನಂದ' ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಪ್ರದಾನ", Prajavani, Mysore, 19 July 2011[ permanent dead link ]
  34. ↑ "Erya Award Conferred on Scholar Dr R Ganesh", Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore, 3 January 2012
  35. ↑ "Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation 2021" (PDF). www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.