Karnataka - Bidar   

Wedded to Kannada cause

Jayadevithai Ligade

BIDAR: There have been many people who though not hailing from the State have made rich contribution to the Kannada language. Among them is Jayadevithai Ligade. Hailing from Solapur in Maharashtra, she dedicated herself to the cause of Kannada.

She wanted Solapur to be merged with Karnataka, and when that did not happen, she decided to settle down in Basavakalyan taluk of Bidar district.

During her stay at Basavakalyan, she established the “Bhakti Bhavan.”

Born in Solapur in 1926, Jayadevithai had her early education in Marathi, though her mother tongue was Kannada. She learnt Kannada much later.

It was because of her devotion to the family deity Sri Siddarama and the respect she had for Basaveshwara that she decided to learn Kannada. After that, she wrote many works in Kannada and was in the forefront of Kannada movements.

Jayadevithai translated many works from Kannada to Marathi, and one among them is “Samvrudha Karnatakanchi Rupu Resha,” highlighting the richness of Kannada literature.

Her Kannada works include “Thaiya Padagalu,” “Savirada Padagalu,” “Taraka Tambhuri” and “Bandeva Kalyanake.”

“Sri Siddarameshwara Purana” won her a name in literary circles.

Jayadevithai was the president of the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Mandya. During her address, she highlighted the problems of Kannadigas in border areas and suggested steps to tackle them.

She also worked for the liberation of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region from the Nizam’s rule.

Considering her passion for Kannada, Karnatak University, Dharwad, conferred a doctorate on her.

Basavaraj Ballur, who teaches Kannada at Karnataka college here, told The Hindu that “Jayadevithai’s contribution to Kannada is worth remembering, particularly when the State is celebrating the golden jubilee of its formation.”

He said successive State governments had not been shown any interest to raise a memorial for Jayadevithai, who died in 1986, in recognition of her struggle for Kannada.

Dr. Ballur felt that Jayadevithai deserved more attention from the State.

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