Renowned writer Panchakshari Hiremath passes away

Koppal: Panchakshari Hiremath, a distinguished writer, critic, and freedom activist who was honoured with several awards, including the Kendra Sahitya Academy award and the Rajyotsava award, died in Dharwad on Friday at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.Born on Jan 6, 1933, in Bisarahalli, he actively participated in the independence movement during his student years. Beginning his literary journey at age ten, Panchakshari Hiremath published his first poetry collection in 1959. His contemporaries noted his distinctive writing style and refined expression in Kannada, Hindi, and Urdu.He joined the campaign against the Nizam for the integration of the Hyderabad state into India. His left leg bore a permanent scar from confrontations with the Rajakars. In 1993, he presided over the poets' session at the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Koppal.After settling in Dharwad, the multilingual writer produced over 100 literary works, comprising 19 poetry collections, 11 story compilations, various translations, critical essays, and diverse literary pieces.He introduced Kannada readers to numerous writers from Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, and Gujarati, including Krishnachandra, Sahir Ludhianvi, Kurtala Ain-Haider, Premchand, Muni Roopchandra, Amrita Pritam, and Kartarsimha Duggal. He attended the Global Poet Conference in Greece in 1985.The University of Arizona awarded him a DLit. He received various awards, including the Soviet Land Nehru Award. His life's work and achievements were studied extensively by various PhD and MPhil scholars across Karnataka universities.Panchakshari Hiremath's final rites were performed on Saturday evening at Bisaralli.