Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Jan 6: Prof Amrit Someshwar (89), a distinguished litterateur in Kannada and Tulu languages, scholar, researcher, and Yakshagana Prasanga writer, passed away on Saturday, January 6, at 9:15 am.
A resident of Someshwara, Prof Amrit Someshwar completed his post-graduation in Kannada language and served as a Kannada lecturer for 35 years before retiring. He authored numerous books in both Kannada and Tulu and conducted extensive research on Yakshagana.
Born on September 27, 1935, in Adya near Kotekar of Mangaluru Taluk to Chiriyanda and Amuni couple, Amrit, though having Malayalam as his mother tongue, wrote prolifically in Tulu and Kannada languages.
Amrit Someshwar pursued his primary education at Stella Mary Convent in Kotekar, secondary education in Anandashrama, and graduated from St Aloysius College in Mangaluru. He earned his arts degree from Madras University, followed by an MA from Karnataka University in Dharwad. He began his career as a lecturer at St Aloysius College and later served as HOD of the Kannada department at Vivekananda College in Puttur, retiring in 1993. Post-retirement, he worked as a visiting lecturer at the Yakshagana Information Centre at Mangalore University.
Known for his contribution to Yakshagana, Amrit Someshwar innovatively shaped Prasangas. From his high school years, he displayed a passion for literature, writing poems, stories, and even a Yakshagana Prasanga. His repertoire includes over 30 books, such as 'Amara Shilpi Veera Kalkuda,' 'Ghora Maraka,' 'Sahasra Kavacha Moksha,' 'Kayakalpa,' and 'Yakshagana Kriti Samputa,' a valued work on Yakshagana research.
Amrit Someshwar, a versatile writer, contributed to various genres, including novels, poems, dramas, and critical writings, in both Tulu and Kannada. His awards include the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award, Janapada and Yakshagana Academy award, Kendra Vidya Department award, K S Haridasa Bhatta award, Aryabhata award, Parthisubba award of Akashvani, Tulu Academy award, Kukkila award, Nudisiri award, and the Karnataka Rajyotsava award. In 2016, he received the Kendra Sahitya Academy Bhasha Samman award.
Amrit Someshwar's legacy extends beyond literature, as he also led Yakshagana teams to Bahrain and Dubai, spreading the art overseas.
The mortal remains of the departed Prof Amrit Someshwar will be kept for public viewing at his residence Olume at Someshwar Shivashaktinagar after 5 pm. The final rites will be held at around 11 am on Sunday, January 7 at Madoor crematorium, as per family sources.