A.R. Krishnashastry

Ambale Ramakrishna Krishnashastry (1890–1968) was a prominent writer, researcher and translator in Kannada language. Prof Krishnashastry is even more popular today after four decades of his death and has become a household name through his masterpiece Vachana Bharata, recital of Mahabharata in Kannada language. Krishnashastry lost his mother Shankaramma because of plague when he was only ten. His father Ramakrishna Shastry who was a distinguished grammarian and principal of Sanskrit Pathashala of Mysore, did not remarry as was the usual practice but brought up his children with great difficulty instead. Prof A.R. Krishnashastry was compelled to study Kannada and Sanskrit for his Bachelors of Arts degree (1914) although he wanted to pursue his career as a scientist because of the poverty. His career started as a clerk in Athara Kacheri in Mysore. He worked as a tutor and researcher at Oriental Library(later renamed as Oriental Research Instititute), Mysore before appearing for Master...