Dr Pundur Venkataraj Punichitthaya passes away

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 14, 2012: Dr Pundur Venkataraj Punichitthaya (76), Multi-linguistic scholar and Tulu litterateur died at his house ‘Gayathri Nilaya’ in Badiyadka on July 13, Friday, he was suffering from Parkinson disease for a long time.

Punichithaya was born on October 10, 1936 at Pundur in Badiyadka district is one of the greatest contributors to Tulu language and research. Brought up in a literary environment, he served as a teacher at Swamijis High School in Edaneer for 30 years.
The credit of tracing the palm leaf scripts titled ‘Sri Bhagavatho’ (a huge volume of Tulu poems), ‘Kaveri’ (Tulu poetry) and ‘Tulu Devi Mahatme’ (Tulu prose) and translating those scripts into Kannada goes to Punichithaya.

His works include ‘Shailushi’, ‘Subhashitha Lahari’, ‘Jokali’, ‘Nannajjanigondaneyithu’, ‘Mogaveera Samskruthi’, ‘Shankara Vijaya’ etc. He has also scripted lyrics for over 40 devotional song casettes and CDs.

He has rendered his guidance and service to Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, Tulu Dictionary Project Advisory Committee, Kasargod History Society, Kerala Kannada Text Book Framing Board, Kerala and DK Literacy Kannada Text Book Framing Board etc.

He was conferred with national award for the best teacher by the President of India, Kotegadde Sitharama Adiga Memorial Pashupatha Sahitya Prashasti, Tapasya Kalavedi award, Bollimbala ward among others.