Jayant Kaikini is one of the most popular writers in Kannada literature. He is a man of many diverse talents and has made a name for himself through his significantly different work. Apart from being a renowned poet and short story writer, he also serves as a scriptwriter for Kannada movies.
He is valued as one of the best writers among the younger generation in Kannada literature and has revolutionized the field by giving it a fresh new perspective.
His Early Life and Education
Kaikini was born in 1955 in Gokarna, in the Karwar district of Karnataka. He was born into a well educated family, and his father was a school teacher and mother, a social worker. It came as no surprise when he completed his education with a Masters degree in Biochemistry from the Karnataka University.
Writing was not his first calling and he began his career working as a production chemist in the city of Mumbai for about 23 years until he finally moved to Bangalore to pursue his dream by becoming the literary editor of a television program called Bhavana.
Jayanth Kaikini. Photographer Noopur28
His Career and Significant Achievements
As he dabbles in so many fields, it is inevitable for someone well versed in the language to encounter his name at some stage.
As for his literary achievements, he has already published a number of short stories, books of poetry, plays as well as a collection of various essays. He has been praised by his peers in the field who regard him as someone who is truly worthy of taking on the mantle of attracting more and more people towards Kannada literature.
Kaikini was presented with the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award for his collection of poetry when he was nineteen and he went on to win it three more times for his work with short stories later on. He has been honored with numerous awards such as the Dinakara Desai award for poetry, the B. H. Sridhar award, the Katha National award and the Rujuwathu Trust Fellowship.
He entered the world of the Kannada film industry by writing songs for the movie Chigurida Kanasu and has since written songs for a number of movies such as Gaalipateya, Milana, Geleya and many more. His songs reflect his literary background coupling both modern lyrics with a traditional sense of writing, rhyming and the incorporation of classical grammar.
His Current Status
Kaikini currently resides in Bangalore city in Karnataka, India where he continues to be a prominent figurehead in both the literary society as well as the film industry. Though he’s lived in the limelight for many years and hosted a number of television shows, Kaikini now prefers to concentrate on his work and attempts to balance his two worlds in the most efficient manner possible.
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