T. N. Srikantaiah

T.N. Shrikantaiah
Born	(1906-11-26)26 November 1906 Teerthapura, Tumkur district, Karnataka
Died	Kolkata, West Bengal
Occupation	Poet, Writer, Professor
Nationality	India
Genre	Fiction
Literary movement	Navya

Aacharya Tirthapura Nanjundaiah Shrikantaiah (Kannada: ತೀರ್ಥಪುರ ನಂಜುಂಡಯ್ಯ ಶ್ರೀಕಂಠಯ್ಯ) (November 26, 1906 – September 7, 1966), also known as ThiNamShree, was a Kannada literary poet, linguist, and teacher.

Shrikantaiah was instrumental in preparing and publishing Kannada version of Constitution of India in 1952. He is also credited for suggesting the term Rashtrapathi, a Sanskrit equivalent for President of India. When there was a discussion on the equivalent term for the President of Indian republic, as a member of Indian constitution council, it was he who suggested Rashtrapathi, a word with a similar connotation to President. The term was accepted unanimously and is still the term in use.

Early life

T.N. Shrikantaiah was born on November 26, 1906 in Teerthapura in Tumkur district. His father's name was Nanjundiah and his mother's Bhageerathamma. His family were the descendants of the Kings of Hagalavadi. He received his B.A. in 1926 and an M.A. in English in 1929. He received an M.A. in the Kannada language from Mysore University later that year.

Works

His most famous work was a book titled Bharatiya Kavya Meemamse (Kannada: ಭಾರತೀಯ ಕಾವ್ಯ ಮೀಮಾಂಸೆ) about Indian poetics. This work was a thorough analysis of the relationship between 11th century Alankara poetry (Figure of speech) and India in prose and poetic forms. Thi Nam Sri's book delves into the tradition of Kavyalankara and related classical texts and asserts that Rasa-Dhvani principles are an integral part of this comparison of different streams of poetry.

He is credited for suggesting the term Rashtrapathi, a Sanskrit equivalent for President of India. When there was a discussion on the equivalent term for the President of Indian republic, as a member of Indian constitution council, it was he who suggested Rashtrapathi, a word with a similar connotation to President. The term was accepted unanimously and is still the term in use.

His poetry work of Olume (Kannada: ಒಲುಮೆ) is a collection of poems on love, first of its kind in Kannada language.

Later life

He worked in an array of government offices and educational institutions, including the Karnataka University and the University of Mysore. He retired from government service in 1952. He received a Rockefeller's scholarship in 1955 to pursue advanced studies of linguistics in the United States. He continued to work as a professor of Kannada until he died of a sudden heart attack in Kolkatta in 1966.

Bibliography

• Bharatiya Kavya Meemamse
• Rakshasana Mudrike
• Olume
• Nantaru
• Samalokana
• Pampa
• Kavya Sameekshe
• Samalokana

Remembrances

The Department of Kannada and the Ti Nam Sri Birth Centenary Committee initiated a yearlong celebration of Shrikantaiah's life in 2006 to commemorate his birth centenary. This was done in coordination with a number of educational institutions including the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysore, Deccan College in Pune, and the Central Sahitya Academy in Delhi.

South End Circle Jayanagar Bangalore has a statue of Ti. Nam. Sri has been unveiled and park has been named after him.

See also

• Kannada language
• Kannada literature
• Kannada poetry