D. V. Gundappa - Early Life

Early Life

DVG was born in 1887 in Mulbagal/Mulabagilu taluk of Kolar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. DVG completed his primary school education in Kannada in 1898. He also attained basic education in English apart from learning Sanskrit on own interest. Later he continued his education in Mysore from the Maharaja high school. Even though DVG did not pass matriculation exam (10th Standard), he had discontinued formal education after matriculation, his essays were selected as chapters for Graduation text books and PhD thesis. He had knowledge in these areas:

  • Veda, Vedanta, BrahmaSutra, DharmaSutra
  • Sanskrit, Kannada, and other Indian languages.
  • Political situation of Karnataka
  • Ramayana and Mahabharata
  • Engineering (was assistant of Sir. M. Vishveshwaraiah, who engineered the K.R.S Dam, which was the largest Dam in Asia at that time)
  • Freedom fighters (Had been associated with Mahatma Gandhi and Lokamanya Tilak)
  • Western Literature (has translated several Shakespeare plays and other Greek plays to Kannada)
  • Islamic literature (Umarana osage, a translation of poems of Omar Khayyam in Kannada)

His Mankuthimmana Kagga makes the reader see himself through the poems, to interpret the thoughts of the poet in his own way. The philosophy hidden in these short 4 liners is suited for any section of the society regardless of their religion, status, qualification etc. Basically it is for the entire humanity, such is the vastness and depth of DVG’s most of the literary works. He was closely associated with the Gokale institute of Public Affairs, Bangalore. Sri Nittoor Srinivasa Rao, The then Chief Justice of Karnataka, Sri Masti Venkatesa Iyengar, Literary Genius, Prof.V.T.Srinivasan, The then Principal of Vijaya College, Bangalore were some of his close associates.

DVG died on 7 October 1975. Chief Minister and several minsters of the state of Karnataka came to pay their last respects at his residence in Nagasandra road (now called DVG Road) in Basavanagudi.

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