P. Lankesh

Patre Lankesh was Kannada dramatist, poet, novelist, critic, editor, actor, and delightful controversialist

Palyada Lankeshappa was dramatist, poet, journalist and novelist in Kannada language and immensely contributed to Kannada literature. He is probably the only writer who can be credited with bringing magical realism to Kannada literature and journalism, apart from innovative use of the language. He was also an award-winning filmmaker.

Early Life of Palyada Lankeshappa
He was born in the year 1935 in Shimoga district, and educated in Bengaluru and Mysore. Lankesh was a Lecturer in English at Bangalore University before settling down to journalism and launching the popular weekly, Lankeshpatrike. This eventually attained a circulation of over a lakh. Patre Lankesh was a noted filmmaker, who wrote, directed, and performed the role of the boss in Pallavi in 1976. Earlier, in 1970, Palyada Lankesh had acted as the wining and meat-eating Brahman in P. Rama Reddy`s Samskam i.e. Funeral Rites. This was a milestone in Kannada films.

Life in Theatre for Palyada Lankeshappa
Most of Patre Lankesh`s plays are conspicuous in Kannada theatre by their contemporary themes and modernist techniques. Seven early, short works published in 1971 contain strong socio-political satire, protest, and absurdity tendencies. Sankranti i.e. "Transformation" in 1972 was his historical masterpiece. Lankesh imaginatively interprets the social revolution affected by the mystic poet and religious reformer Basaveswara at Kalyana in twelfth-century Karnataka. Gunamukha i.e. `Recuperation` in 1993 dramatizes the life of Nadir Shah, known for his violence, military tactics, and imperialism, easily comparable to Caligula. The play shows how his own soldiers, fed up with his bloodthirstiness and cruelty, finally murdered him. Patre Lankesh is known for using the colloquial language of the Mysore region. Patre Lankesh` s plays are dialogue-oriented and marked by an absence of music and poetry. Although amateur groups perform them, they appeal mainly to intellectuals and critics argue that the common man fails to respond to his sophisticated dramatic vision. However, his translations of Sophocles`s Oedipus and Antigone in 1971 are very popular and often staged.

Palyada Lankesh died in the year 2000.

Bibliography of Palyada Lankeshappa
Kereya Nirannu Kerege Chelli(1963)
Nanalla(1970)
Umapathiya Scholarship Yatre(1973)
Ullangane(1996)
Biruku(1967)
Mussanjeya Katha Prasanga(1978)
Akka(1991)
Teregalu Haagu Ethara Aaru Sanna Naatakalagu(1964)
Sankrati(1971)
Gunamukha(1993)
Paapada Huvugalu(1974)
Dore Oedipus (1971)
Anthigone(1971)
Hulimavina Mara (1997)
Prasthutha
Kandaddu Kanda Haage
Teeke-Tippani-Volume 1(1997)
Teeke-Tippani-Volume 2(1998)

Filmography of Palyada Lankeshappa
Pallavi-Best Director (1977) Ellindalo Bandavaru(1980)

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