Javare Gowda facts for kids

Devegowda Javaregowda (born July 6, 1915 – died May 30, 2016) was an Indian author who wrote in the Kannada language. People often called him De Ja Gou or just Javaregowda. He learned a lot from famous authors like T.N. Srikantaiah and Kuvempu.

Devegowda Javaregowda wrote many books over several decades. He wrote more than 34 biographies in Kannada. He also wrote books especially for children. He worked hard to help the Kannada language become more popular. For his work in literature and education, he received important awards like the Pampa Prashasti (1998), Padma Shri (2001), and the Karnataka Ratna (2008). He lived to be over 100 years old, becoming a centenarian in 2015. He passed away in 2016.

Early Life and Learning

Gowda was born on July 6, 1915. His village was called Chakkere in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka state. His family was not rich, and he had three brothers and sisters. Because his parents could not afford to send all their children to school, only his oldest brother went. Young Gowda used to look after goats.

But Gowda really wanted to learn. He would let the goats wander and secretly listen to teachers from outside a school window. One day, his goats went into a rich farmer's field and ate the crops. His father was very upset and hit him. The school principal saw this and helped Gowda. The principal let him join the third grade and even gave him a uniform and books. This was a big turning point for him.

Education and Career Journey

Gowda later moved to Bangalore for his college studies. He earned his first degree, a BA, in Mysore. He wanted to study History, but he chose Kannada instead. This was because he found out that the famous author Kuvempu would be teaching Kannada. Gowda had admired Kuvempu's writings for a long time before he became his student.

After finishing his BA in 1941, he continued his studies. He earned a master's degree (MA) in Kannada. It was hard to find a job as a college lecturer back then. So, he took a job as a clerk in the government office in Bangalore. While working, he also studied law. But he didn't become a lawyer. Instead, he got a job as a Kannada lecturer at Central College, Bangalore. After three years, he moved to teach at Maharaja's College, Mysore. Here, he worked with Kuvempu again. He later said that Kuvempu helped him grow a lot in his studies and as a person.

Leading Mysore University

Gowda became the Vice Chancellor of Mysore University. This is like being the main leader of the university. He held this important position from 1969 to 1975. During his time as Vice Chancellor, he started many new master's degree courses. These included Home Sciences, Criminology, Law, and Journalism.

He was known for speaking his mind. He would often criticize government policies if he thought they were wrong. When he was chosen for a second term, the governor asked him to be a bit milder when he criticized the government. He also wanted to start a special institute for advanced studies, but it didn't happen because the government didn't provide enough money.

Promoting Kannada Language

Gowda worked very hard to promote the Kannada language. Thanks to his efforts, many encyclopedias were published in Kannada. Kannada was also used in important government exams.

He wrote more than 34 biographies in Kannada. These books told the life stories of important people. Some of them were Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Ram Manohar Lohia, Motilal Nehru, and Basaveshwara. He also wrote books for children about famous figures like Albert Einstein, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, and Marie Curie. He wrote several books about Kuvempu, his teacher. One book, Soundarya Yogi Kuvempu, shares Gowda's own experiences with Kuvempu. In 1970, he led the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, a big Kannada literary conference in Bangalore.

In 2006, on the day Mahatma Gandhi died, Gowda fasted all day. He did this to ask for Kannada to be recognized as a classical language. He had fasted for this reason before. He even thought about returning his Padma Shri award to show how serious he was. But he didn't return it, hoping that the President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, would agree to his request. In 2014, a former minister asked the government to give Gowda the title of poet laureate (Rashtrakavi). This was to honor his great contributions to the Kannada language.

In 2015, Gowda and five other people returned a literary prize they had received. They did this to protest delays in the investigation of a writer's death.

Family and Passing

Gowda was married to Savithramma. Their son, J. Shashidhar Prasad, also became the Vice Chancellor of Mysore University.

In 2015, Gowda turned 100 years old. At a celebration for his 100th birthday, he shared something special. He said that for 25 years, he had been praying to Jesus Christ along with all the Hindu Gods. In his prayer room, there were pictures and statues of Hindu Gods. There was also a Rosary that he had brought from the Vatican.

Devegowda Javaregowda passed away in Mysore on May 30, 2016. He died from heart failure. He had been admitted to the hospital a few days earlier. His final ceremonies were held at the Kuvempu Trust in Mysore. Many important people, including politicians and writers, came to pay their respects.

Awards and Honors

Devegowda Javaregowda received many honors throughout his life.

• He received his first special doctorate degree in 1975 from Karnatak University.
• In 1998, he received another doctorate from Mysore University.
• In 2006, Kuvempu University also gave him an honorary doctorate.
• He also received the Nadoja Award from Hampi University.
• To celebrate his 100th birthday, a 30-minute documentary film was made about him.

Here are some of his major awards:

• Pampa Prashasti in 1998
• Padma Shri in 2001
• Gorur Award in 2003
• Karnataka Ratna in 2008