Siddalingaiah (1954 in Magadi, Bangalore – 11 June 2021), was an Indian poet, playwright, and Dalit activist, writing in the Kannada language. He is credited with starting the Dalit-Bandaya movement in Kannada and with starting the genre of Dalit writing. He is one of the founders of the Dalita Sangharsh Samiti along with B. Krishnappa.


Siddalingaiah
Siddalingaiah at Tathvapada singers gathering in Mandya in 2012
Siddalingaiah at Tathvapada singers gathering in Mandya in 2012
BornSiddalingaiah
(1954-02-03)3 February 1954
Manchinabele, Mysore State (present–day Karnataka), India
Died11 June 2021(2021-06-11) (aged 67)
Bangalore, India
Occupation
  • Poet
  • Dramatist
  • Professor
  • Legislator
  • Activist
EducationM. A. and Ph.D in Kannada
Alma materBangalore University
Period1954–2021
GenreDalit-Bandaya Movement
Literary movementDalit-Bandaya movement
Notable worksHolemadigara Haadu, Saviraaru Nadigalu and Meravanige
Notable awardsPadma Shri (Posthumous)

In 1988, at the age of 34, he became a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, serving till 2001 and, in 2006, chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, a post with Cabinet rank that he held until 2008.[citation needed]

He has been head of the Department of Kannada at Bangalore University and a member of the University Syndicate of Kannada University, Hampi. He is acknowledged as a symbol of the Dalit movement and a leading public intellectual and Kannada poet.[1]

Death

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Siddalingaiah died on 11 June 2021, in Bangalore, due to a COVID-19 illness.[2]

Works

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Poetry

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  • Saaviraaru Nadigalu (Thousands of Rivers, 1979)
  • Kappu Kaadina Haadu (The Song of the Black Forest, 1982)
  • Aayda Kavithegalu (Selected Poems, 1997)
  • Meravanige (Procession, 2000)
  • Nanna Janagalu mattu Itara Kavitegalu (My People and Other Poems, 2005)
  • Kudiva Neeliya Kadalu (2017)
  • Ooru Saagaravagi (2018)

Autobiography

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  • Ooru Keri-1 : Atmakathana (1997)
  • Ooru Keri-2 : Atmakathana (2006)
  • Ooru Keri-3 : Atmakathana (2014)
  • A Word With You, World : The Autobiography of a Poet (Navayana, 2013) Translated by S.R. Ramakrishna ISBN 978-81-89059-55-2 OCLC 854755733 (Excerpt)

Plays

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  • Panchama
  • Nelasama
  • Ekalavya

Criticism and essays

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  • Hakkkinota
  • Gramadevathegalu
  • Avataragalu
  • Jana Samsakruthi
  • Aa Mukha Ee Mukha

Accolades

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Satyanarayana and Tharu (2013). From those Stubs Steel Nibs are Sprouting: New Dalit Writing from South India Vol II. New Delhi: Harper Collins India. pp. 151–155. ISBN 978-93-5029-376-8.
  2. ^ "Kannada poet Dr. Siddalingaiah died due to Covid". News 18. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  3. ^ "ಕವಿ ಸಿದ್ದಲಿಂಗಯ್ಯಗೆ ಪಂಪ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ". Prajavani.com. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ "ಬಂಡಾಯ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಮೂಲ ಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತ ಅಲ್ಲ" [Nrupatunga Award for Poet Siddalingaiah] (in Kannada). 8 September 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Siddalingaiah to chair 81st Kannada lit fest". Deccan Herald. 20 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Late CDS Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad among Padma awardees | Full list here". India Today. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.