Kuvempu

Who was Kuvempu?

Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, widely known by the pen name Kuvempu or by the abbreviation K. V. Puttappa, was a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu.

He is the second - after M. Govinda Pai - among Kannada poets to be revered as Rashtrakavi, a national poet. His work Sri Ramayana Darshanam, the rewriting of the great ancient Indian epic Ramayana in modern Kannada, is regarded as revival of the era of Mahakavya in a contemporary form and charm. He is immortalised by some of his phrases, and in particular for his contribution to Universal Humanism or in his own words Vishwa maanavataa Vaada. He was conferred Padma Vibhushan by Government of India. He has penned the Karnataka State anthem Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate.