Vaidehi (Kannada writer)

Vaidehi
Born	Vasanti[1] February 12, 1945(1945-02-12). Kundapur, Udupi district, Karnataka
Pen name	Vaidehi
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	India
Notable award(s)	Sahitya Akademi Award 2009
Children	2 daughters (Pallavi and Nayana)

Janaki Srinivasa Murthy (Kannada: ಜಾನಕಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಮೂರ್ತಿ) (born Vasanti on February 12, 1945 - ), popularly known by her pen name as Vaidehi (Kannada: ವೈದೇಹಿ) is a well-known writer of modern Kannada language fiction. Vaidehi is one of the most successful woman writer in Kannada and winner of many prestigious national and state level literary awards.^[2] She has won the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories, Krauncha Pakshigalu in 2009.^[3]

Biography

Early life

Vaidehi was born on February 12, 1945 to A.V.L Hebbar and Mahalakshmi in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district, Karnataka. She belongs to Kota Brahmin community, a distinct Kannada community mainly found in Kundapur.^[4] She grown up in very large family. she lived in a large traditional Brahmin house with many children's, servants, guests and family friends. Her father, A.V.L.Hebbar, is a lawyer and her mother was a second wife of a Hebbar and focal point of the family. Vaidehi speaks a dialect of Kannada, called Kundapur Kannada^[4] and uses this dialect in her works.^[5] Vaidehi's birth name is Vasanti. the pen-name Vaidehi was given by a Kannada weekly magazine Sudha, she sent a story to Sudha magazine for publishing, but few days later she sent a letter to Sudha weekly magazine editor requesting not to publish the story, as it was a real life story; however, the editor went ahead and published the story by changing her name to Vaidehi, thereafter she become popular and known by name Vaidehi. She did her B.Com (Bachelors of Commerce) in Bhandarkar's college, Kundapur.

Married life

Vaidehi was married to K. L. Srinivasa Murthy at the age of 23. they have two daughters Nayana Kashyap (née Nayana Murthy) and Pallavi Rao (née Pallavi Murthy). after marriage Vaidehi changed her name to Janaki Srinivasa Murthy and went to Shimoga leaving her native place Kundapur. later they moved to Udupi and then to Manipal. Vaidehi currently lives in Manipal.

Vaidehi daughter Nayana Kashyap is a translator, Kannada writer and English teacher. Nayana has translated many of the Vaidehi's works into English, including five of Vaidehi’s stories. she has translated Vaidehi Kannada novel Jatre into English as A Temple-Fair. A Temple Fair was one of the novel included in Five Novellas by Women which was published by Oxford University Press. Nayana's first collection of poetry in Kannada is Mettila Haadi, she received Attimabbe Pratishtana Award and Kodagina Gowramma Award in 2005 by Kodagu Kannada Sahitya Parishat for her collection of poetry Mettila Haadi. she also tranlsated Pablo Neruda's memoirs as "Nenapu Tereda Kavimana" which has been published by Moulya Prakashana, Karkala. Nayana received M.A and M.Phil degrees and she works as English lecturer in Field Marshal K.M.Cariappa College, Madikeri. she now lives in Madikeri.

Works

Collection of Short Stories

• Mara Gida Balli (1979)
• Antharangada Putagalu (1984)
• Gola (1986)
• Samaja Shastrajneya Tippanige (1991)
• Ammacchi Yemba Nenapu (2000)
• Hagalu Geechida Nenta
• Krouncha Pakshigalu

Essays

• Mallinathana Dhyana (1996)

Novels

• Meju Mattu Badagi
• Jatre
• Asprushyru (1992)

Collection of Poems

• Bindu Bindige (1990)
• Parijatha (1999)

Children's Dramas

• Dham Dhoom Suntaragali
• Mookana Makkalu
• Gombe Macbeth
• Danadangura
• Nayimari Nataka
• Kotu Gumma
• Jhum Jham Aane Mathu Putta
• Surya Banda
• Ardhachandra Mitayi
• Hakki Haadu
• Somari Olya

Biography

• Kota Lakshminarayana Karanth - "Nenapinangaladalli Mussanjehothu"
• Sediyapu Krishna Bhatta - "Sediyapu Nenapugalu"
• B. V. Karanth - "Illiralare Allige Hogalare"(ಇಲ್ಲಿರಲಾರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಲಾರೆ)

Translations

• Bharathiya Mahileyara Swathanthra Horata (translated from Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya's "Indian women's freedom struggle")
• Belliya Sankolegalu (translated from Maithreyi Mukkhopadhyaya's "Silver Shakles")
• Surya Kinnariyau (translated from Swapna Dutta's "Sun Fairies")
• Sangeetha Samvada (translated from Bhaskar Chandravarkar's "Lecture on Music")

Awards

Vaidehi has won numerous awards for her writings in Kannada.

• Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 by Government of India for her collection of story stories Krouncha Pakshigalu
• Geetha Desai Datti Nidhi by Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha in 1985 for her collection of short stories Antharangada Putagalu and in 1992 for her collection of poems Bindu Bindige
• Vardhamana Udayonmukha Award in 1992 by Vardhamana Prashasti Peetha, Mudabidire for her collection of short stories Gola
• Katha Award by Katha Organisation, New Delhi in 1992 for her collection of short stories Hagalu Geechida Nenta and in 1997 for her collection of short stories Ammacchiyemba Nenapu
• Anupama Award in 1993 for her collection of short stories Samaja Shastrajneya Tippanige
• Karnataka State Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 by Government of Karnataka for her Five children's dramas
• Karnataka State Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998 by Government of Karnataka for her collection of essays Mallinathana Dhyana
• Sahtya Kama Award for her collections of short stories Ammachi Yemba Nenapu
• Sadodita Award in 2001 by Shashwathi Trust
• Sudha Weekly's Award for her novel Aprushyaru
• Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award by Government of Karnataka
• Attimabbe Award by Attimabbe Pratishtan

References

1. ^ http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=70046
2. ^ http://www.oup.co.in/search_detail.php?id=144737
3. ^ "2009 Sahitya Akademi Award list". Sahitya Akademi. http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/Sahitya%20Akademi%20Award2009.pdf. Retrieved 19 February 2010. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b} "Standing at the threshold". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 1 January 2010. http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/01/01/stories/2010010151050400.htm. 
5. ^ "A little-known ‘Kannada' dialect on the wane". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 20 May 2009. http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/20/stories/2009052059070300.htm. 

Persondata
Name	Vaidehi
Alternative names	Janaki
Short description	Kannada writer
Date of birth	February 12, 1945
Place of birth	Kundapur, Udupi district, Karnataka, India
Date of death
Place of death