P. T. Narasimhachar

Purohita Thirunarayana 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. He is a Sahitya Akademi fellow and the a winner of the Pampa Award, awarded by the Government of Karnataka in 1991.

PuTiNa was born on 17 March 1905 into an orthodox Iyengar family in the town of Melkote in Mandya district of Karnataka. His father was Tirunarayana Iyengar and mother was Srirangamma. The study of Sanskrit was an important part of his education, as was English, being the primary language of instruction at the time. He was also exposed to several including French and Tamil. This versatility enabled PuTiNa to expand his intellectual horizons, such as studying western literature.

PuTiNa's intellect curiosity was aroused in his study at Maharaja's College, Mysore, where he came under the influence by his English professor TiNamSri, who recognized his talent for poetry; the former President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, who was then a professor at the college; and the well known philosophy professor, M. Hiriyanna. However, despite his proficiency in many languages, PuTiNa was most interested in the local language of Kannada.

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. He served as a member of the Mysore University committee looking at revising the English-Kannada dictionary. He died on 23 October 1998.

PuTiNa was one of the catalysts of the Navodaya style of Kannada literature. According to Prof. Lakshminarayana Bhat, "At a broader level, the growth of the Navodaya style of literature resembles the growth of the writings of PuTiNa". In his first collection of poems Hanathe, he conveyes 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. Some of his well known writings include Ahalye which subtly narrates the conflict between kama and dharma, and Gokula Nirgamana which narrates the departure of Krishna from Gokula. PuTiNa's essays reflect his dominant poetic personality. While some of his essays portray everyday situations, others are more reflective and moralistic in nature.

PuTiNa's many awards and recognitions include:

• Central Sahithya Academy Award for Hamsa-Damayanthi and Gitarupakas
• Honorary Doctor of Literature from Mysore University
• President of 53rd Kannada Sahithya Sammelana, 1981, Chikkamagaluru
• Granthaloka award for Sriharicharite, 1989
• Pampa Award, 1991
• Padma Shri from the Government of India, 1991

• "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.