Dinakara Desai
| ದಿನಕರ ದೇಸಾಯಿ – Dinakara Desai | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1909 Hondakkal, Kumta taluk, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka |
| Died | 1982 |
| Occupation | Writer, educationist, political activist |
| Nationality | India |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Literary movement | Chutukas |
Dinakara Desai (ದಿನಕರ ದೇಸಾಯಿ) is a writer, educationist, political activist, and poet. He is famous for his poetry form called chutuka (also known as Chutuka Brahma). Chutuka or chutuku is a quadraplet poem. This format was later adopted by other poets. He has made major contributions towards the literary development of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.
Desai initially intended to become a lawyer but was influenced by labour union activists M. N. Joshi and Thakkar Basha, who motivated him to contribute to the labour movement. He later became an associate to M. N. Joshi, reviewing the social issues that caused problems toward labourers. In this regard, he joined the Servants of India Society which was an organisation that was founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. The membership to this organisation was very stringent and the members were admitted only on an oath that they would serve the country without "expecting anything in return". His initiation to social activism was when he had to fight for the rights of the dock workers in Mumbai who were mainly Konkani people. Later, he also went to the Bijapur and Dharwad districts of Karnataka to assist in providing relief when a severe drought had set into those regions. He grew in stature and also held a position in the Mumbai City Corporation.
Later, Desai decided to focus on his native district of Uttara Kannada, where he began an "agitation against the landlords", which finally culminated in the law granting the land ownership to the person who tills the land. He later created the Kanara Welfare Trust in 1957. Under the aegis of this trust, various schools and colleges were founded in this district. He also started a Kannada language weekly Jansevaka in Ankola to create social and political awareness. One regular contributor was Gourish Kaikini.
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