Gubbi Veeranna
| Gubbi Hampanna Veeranna | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 24-01-1891 Gubbi, Kingdom of Mysore, India |
| Died | 18-10-1972 Bangalore (St. Marthas Hospital) |
| Occupation | Theatre director, actor |
| Spouse(s) | Sundaramma, Bhadramma, Jayamma |
| Children | G V Swarnamma, G V Malatamma, G V Channabasappa, G V Girijamma, G V Revamma, G V Rajashekar, G V Shivanand, G V Shivaraj, G V Guruswamy, G V Lathamma & G V Prabha. |
Gubbi Veeranna (1891 – 1972) was an Indian theatre director and artist and an awardee of the prestigious PADMASHREE conferred by the President of India. He was one of the pioneers and most prolific contributors to Kannada theatre. He established the drama company, "Gubbi Sree Channabasaveshwara Nataka Company", which played a crucial role in promoting the Kannada theatre field. He is conferred the title Nataka Ratna meaning "A Precious Jewel" in the theatre world. Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company is the first theatre company in Karnataka to employ female artists to portray female characters on the stage. Elephants and horses were also brought on stage in war scenes of Kurukshetra, There is a popular saying that the story of Gubbi Veeranna's company is itself the story of the Kannada theatre, which indicates the popularity of this company in the theatre world. Apart from theatre, Gubbi Veeranna has also produced films and acted in them as well.
In 1955, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for acting, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, and the highest Indian recognition given to practising artists . The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1972, for his contributions to arts.
Gubbi Veeranna was born in the town of Gubbi in the Tumkur district of Karnataka in the year 1891. He started a drama company called Gubbi Shree Channa Basaveshwara Nataka Company and started producing plays in which he also acted sometimes. He had four wives, three of them being Sundaramma, Bhadramma and Jayamma. He had an unnerving commitment towards the theatre. An incident to corroborate this is when his second wife Sundaramma who was also an artist with the company died on the stage while enacting a play. It is said that Gubbi Veeranna who was also acting in the play along with his children, did not stop the play but allowed it to continue till the end. He and his children attended to her dead body only after the play stopped. Veeranna also is credited for having groomed people like Rajkumar, Narasimharaju, Balakrishna, G.V.Iyer, B. V. Karanth, Master Hirannaiah and many more artists. He not only helped them groom their career in the theatre field but also provided them with other financial help. As an example, Veeranna provided financial contribution towards B. V. Karanth's graduation and master's degree at Banaras Hindu University.
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