Bengaluru, 3 April

Writer PV Narayana, who has been leading the Kannada movements for over 50 years, died here on Thursday due to age-related ailments. He was 82 years old.

Narayana was born in 1942 in Akkirampura village in Tumakuru district. A scholar, Narayana held two Masters in Arts, Kannada and English. He studied in Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mysuru and Dharwad.

As a translator, Narayana brought to Kannada over 22 works from English and Telugu.

He taught Kannada at Vijaya College in Bengaluru for over 30 years and was active in almost all Kannada movements in the last half-a-century, starting from Gokak Movement in the early 1980s. He played a key role in the fight for Kannada getting the Classical Language tag.

Narayana also served as the dean of Kannada Classical Language Study Centre at Udayabhanu Kala Sangha.

Taking to X, both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have expressed their grief over his death.

"I am saddened by the demise of senior writer and researcher Dr P V Narayana. (Death of) Narayana, who was at the forefront of literary cultivation as well as the struggle for Kannada, is an irreparable loss to the Saraswat world," wrote the Chief Minister.

"Dr PV Narayana, a senior Kannada writer, a pioneer in the struggle for Kannada, and the honorary president of the BM Shree Foundation, passed away today," wrote Shivakumar.

Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi too condoled his death.