About Dr. Venkataraja Puninchathaya
Late Dr. Venkataraja Puninchathaya was born in to ‘Pundoor’ family which is famous for personalities who have excelled in various fields.
He was born to Late Damodar Puninchathaya and Saraswathi Amma on October 10th, 1936. He was a teacher by profession and spent most of his life serving in Swamiji’s High School, Edneer. He spent his later part of life in ‘Gayatri’ house Ithanadka, Mulleria, Kasargod district.
Puninchithya was a rare personality who was a scholar, litterateur, exemplary teacher, orator, actor, Yakshagana narrator, Director and research scholar. He was the one among the few extinguishing manuscriptologists in multi languages. The importance of his discovery of Tulu epic poems ‘Shree Bhagavatho’, ‘Kaveri’, ‘Tulu DeviMahatme’, ‘Tulu Mahabharatha’ and ‘Tulu Karnaparva’ cannot be exaggerated. The publication of these epics enhanced the prestige of Tulu language, which would occupy the place of pride among the leading languages of India, which possess classical works of earlier centuries. He also proved that Tulu did possess the script of his own, though it was not popularized through mass media, due to various reasons. Therefore, in the history of renaissance of Tulu language and literature of the name of Venkataraja is to be written in golden letters. He has written a number of poems, plays, research papers and prasangas in Tulu, Kannada and Sanskrit. He has also written devotional songs to more than hundred cassettes. He was the founder President of Kerala Tulu Academy and served it from 2008-2012.
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