Purohita Thirunarayanaiyengar Narasimhachar (17 March 1905 – 23 October 1998), commonly known as PuTiNa, was a playwright and poet in the Kannada language. Along with, Kuvempu and D. R. Bendre, he forms the well-known trio of Kannada Navodaya poets.[1] He was a Sahitya Akademi fellow and the winner of the Pampa Award, awarded by the Government of Karnataka in 1991.[2]
Life and career
Narasimhachar was born on 17 March 1905 into an orthodox Iyengar family in the town of Melkote in Mandya district of Karnataka.[3]
Apart from being a writer, PuTiNa also worked in the army of Mysore state and later in the legislature of the Government of Mysore state.[4] He died on 13 October 1998.[5]
Literary contributions
PuTiNa was one of the catalysts of the Navodaya style of Kannada literature. According to Lakshminarayana Bhat, "At a broader level, the growth of the Navodaya style of literature resembles the growth of the writings of PuTiNa".[6] In his first collection of poems Hanathe, he conveys profound insights into significant moments in life by using a simple language and style. Many of PuTiNa's writings detail the beauty and majesty of nature, bordering on the spiritual.[7] Two of his well-known writings are Ahalye, which subtly narrates the conflict between kama and dharma, and Gokula Nirgamana, which narrates the departure of Krishna from Gokula.[8] PuTiNa's essays reflect his dominant poetic personality.[9]
