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Introduction
M. S. Puttanna (ಎಂ.ಎಸ್. ಪುಟ್ಟಣ್ಣ), also known as Mysore Suryanarayana Bhatta Puttanna (21 November 1854–1930), was a Carnatic scholar, author, translator, editor, essayist, and public official in the Kingdom of Mysore, (present-day Mysore), located in the south Indian state of Karnataka. He was a prolific writer of Kannada literature, both fiction and nonfiction, and is renowned for popularising modern Kannada literature through the use of colloquial Kannada in his writing. He was the first author to translate major works of English literature into Kannada language, such as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1599-1602), King Lear (1603-1606), and Thomas Day’s children’s classic, The History of Sandford and Merton (1783-1789). M.S. Puttanna served as a township administrator or amildar in the Kingdom of Mysore, a sovereign state under the British Raj.

Early Life
M.S. Puttanna (Mysore Suryanarayana Bhatta Puttanna) was born Lakshmi Narasimha Sastry on 21 November 1854 in Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, to Suryanarayana (father) and Lakshamma (mother) in the home of his maternal grandparents. He was known as Puttanna (“younger big brother” in the Kannada language).

His mother, Lakshamma, passed away when Puttanna was only ten days old. His father passed away shortly after, leaving him an orphan. Puttanna was raised by relatives on his mother’s side: his grandmother, his aunt and uncle, Pete Annaiah Sastry.

Education
Despite his difficulties in early life, M.S. Puttanna was educated by a Panth guru (home tutor). Later he enrolled in the Raja School, renamed Maharajas College whose chief patron was the Maharaja of Mysore (Krishnaraja Wadiyar III). He graduated after passing the First Arts examination in 1878, (the equivalent of pre-university) and taught literature at a high school in Kolar district.

After a few years, he was granted a transfer to teach at his alma mater, the Raja School Mysore. While at Raja School, he enrolled in the prestigious Presidency College, Madras. He studied via correspondence, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Ethics and Logic in 1885. His sheepskin-embossed degree certificate is displayed together with his handwritten manuscripts in the great hall of Carnatic writers in Jayalakshmi Vilas on the University of Mysore campus.

PUBLIC CAREER
Puttana was a court translator in the Chief Court of the Kingdom of Mysore, (the High Court of Mysore), translating legal documents into English and Kannada.

In 1897 he was appointed to be a township administrator, or amildar of the county, of Chitradurga, Kingdom of Mysore. Later he also served as amildar in the following Talukas in the Kingdom of Mysore: Nelamangala, Chamrajnagar, Bagepalli, Mulbagal and Hosadurga.

In his career as an amildar administrating over a various townships in the Kingdom of Mysore, Puttanna encountered an assortment of Carnatic people from various castes, socio-economic backgrounds and life circumstances. He gained a broad perspective on the challenges and customs of life under the British Raj in the late 19th century. It can also be said that this served as a wellspring of inspiration and knowledge in his literary life.

Literary Career
Puttanna’s canon of modern Kannada literature which arose out of a deep appreciation of classical Kannada and influenced by Western genres using a modern written idiom [footnote]. His works, such as Musuga Tegiye Mayangane (1928), are associated with the two prominent movements of modern Kannada literature, Arunodaya (Pre-renaissance) and Navodaya (Renaissance), to which he made significant literary contributions and influenced upcoming Kannada writers who built on the foundational work of Puttana and his peers.

In addition to writing, he served as editor and contributor to a monthly literary journal called Hitha Bodhini ('Teaching the Good' or 'Wise Counsel’).

In Kannada literature Puttana is recognised as one of the pioneers of the use of colloquial or common language, effectively broadening the appeal of the language to a wider readership. In his historical works he presents details of the royal court in accurate detail, a task which required a knowledge of history and cultural sensitivity of the ways of Carnatic kings and imperial life.

In Puttanna’s time, Kannada had largely fallen out of use in classical form and usage as an official language which can be partly attributable to the reign of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan when Marathi and Urdu was used. Thus in the late 19th century, Kannada was mainly used in matters of commerce and personal communication. He is one of the major figures involved in its cultural resurrection during the late 19th and early 20th century.

His development of the novel in Kannada, the main example being his seminal work Maddidhuno Maharaya, was a unique and lasting contribution to the body of Kannada literature as it and others that followed remain in print till today. He was also the first Kannada author to record the life of a local Kannada personage, Kunigal Rama Sastry.

Besides taking upon himself to translating the works of Thomas Day and William Shakespeare into Kannada, Puttanna was the first Kannada author to employ the use of prose extensively. He replicated this practice when he translated 'The Adventures of Hatim Tai' (1824) by Duncan Forbes.

His collection of over 150 childrens stories adapted from the Pancha Tantra (an Upanishads-derived story) collectively known as Nitichintamani (translation: Moral Oracle), could be described as the Kannada equivalent of Leo Tolstoys or Aesops short stories for younger readers. This was the first time that moral values passed down through the Upanishads were adapted in simple Kannada language and style for a broader audience, specifically children. Values such as consistency, truthfulness, loyalty and trust were portrayed in simple story form for children to understand and assimilate. These stories were part of the reading syllabus for primary education in Mysore state for many years.

Together with his friend Shri H.V. Nanjundaiah, M.S. Puttanna worked for the founding of the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana (Kannada Literary Institute) in Chamrajpet, Bangalore and served as its first secretary.

Based on his prior experience as amildar, he worked as a secretary for the Ratepayers Association (a taxation board) preparing reports and chairing meetings held in Kannada. He contributed to a special sub-committee determining the rules related to the use of Kannada in administrative matters.

Social Life
M.S. Puttanna cultivated a diverse circle of friends, but his closest were fellow academics, poets and writers. Among these were Shri H.V. Nanjundaiah (the acting chief minister, or Diwan of Mysore and the first vice chancellor of the University of Mysore), and journalist M. Venkatakrishnaiah (a prominent journalist whose statue still stands in Mysore), both of whom were his boyhood friends.

Basavappa Sastry, poet laureate of the court of the Maharaja of Mysore, was a fellow Kannada language exponent who became a close friend. Another was Dewan Rangacharlu, the Chief Minister of the court of the Maharaja of Mysore.

Among the younger members of his circle were the writers B.M. Srikantaiah, D.V. Gundappa and Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, all of whom Puttanna was generous with his time and encouragement.

Personal Life
M.S. Puttanna was a man of Hindu faith. Being born into a Brahmin family, he was a practising Hindu and observed the rituals of morning and evening Sandhyavandanam, pujas, and other Hindu rites. He was known to frequently recite shlokas or prayers, specifically, 'Purusha Sukta', 'Rudra Chame' and 'Sri Sukta'.

His dress was conventional. His normal attire for going out comprised of dhoti (in formal style with folded puckers), long black coat (with closed collar), Mysore style turban and chappals (slippers). He was often seen with a walking cane.

Being a polyglot allowed him to absorb ideas from a wide range of sources. Having been trained as a logician and ethicist he was instrumental in creating breadth and depth of perspective of humanity and what progress meant.

Though he was quite traditional in his personal conduct, he actively encouraged the younger generation to travel abroad, an idea that ran counter to prevailing beliefs of the time. He did not agree that Brahmins be given preferential treatment in education and believed that all classes of people be given the opportunity for educational advancement in light of the collective aspiration for nationhood and independence. He was a forerunner in espousing the equality of races, sexes and castes; the ideals of modern India’s secular democracy.

He was known to be indifferent to the social rigidity imposed by the caste system, readily mixing and conversing with all groups of people. He was accepting of other faiths, recognizing that this was important in the social cohesion of a multi-religious society. These tendencies of race and caste insensitivity were evident in his hiring practices. He regularly sought out the best qualified individuals regardless of social background.

After World War I, he invited Indian war veterans from Europe of Harijan background to his home and personally honored their contribution to the war effort and upholding the pride of Indians in battle.

As an amildar he was known to be steadfast and incorruptible. He once invited fellow amildars to a post harvest village feast and duly presented them with a bill for the meal afterwards, in lieu of making the villagers foot the bill. They protested, but he saw to it that they paid for what they enjoyed.

Family Life
M.S. Puttanna’s first marriage lasted for 10 years before breaking down on moral grounds. He felt betrayed and promptly severed the marriage. His second bride was one of personal choice. He home-schooled his second wife, instructing her English, Sanskrit and mathematics. He also arranged Carnatic music and piano lessons for her.

Thus with close supervision, he was able to inculcate a higher mindset based on education for his new life partner. He felt that this equivalence of outlook was the only path to mutual understanding based on personal enlightenment. This arrangement was unusual at a time when movements for the advancement of women and equal rights were still in their infancy.

He was so committed to the cause of personal advancement of the poor and deserving that he proceeded to sponsor an orphan student named Shankaraiah. From personal experience, M.S. Puttanna knew that, denied opportunity, an orphan’s lot in life was going to be difficult and an educated future unlikely. Puttanna provided for Shankaraiah’s education and the orphan eventually graduated with a engineering degree and married Puttanna’s first daughter, Lakshamma.

His second marriage was a long, fruitful and harmonious one bearing the following offspring in chronological order:

M.P. Somashekar Rao (son) Sambhamurthy (son) Lakshamma (daughter) Sitamma (daughter) M.P. Krishnaswamy (son) Saraswathamma (daughter)

Death
M.S. Puttanna died at age 76 in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore in 1930.

Selected Works
M.S. Puttana, 'Madiddunno Maharaya'(“You Reap What You Sow”)(1915), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana, 'Musuga Tegiye Mayangane' ('Remove Thy Veil, O Beauty!'), (1928), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana, 'Avarilla Duta’, ('Meals Without My Husband'), (1959), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttanain collaboration with MB Srinivasa Iyengar, 'Niti Chintamani', (‘Moral Oracle’), (1884), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana, 'Kunigala Ramasastri Gala Charitre', ('The Story of Kunigala Ramasastri'), (1910), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana,'Hemachandra Rajavilasa' ('King Lear' by William Shakespeare), (1899), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana,'Hemalatha 	Rajakumara Charitre' ('Hamlet' by William Shakespeare), (2009), Publisher’s name.

M.S. Puttana,'Sumathi Madana Kumara' ('The History of Sandford And Merton' by Thomas Day), (1897), Publisher’s name.