Dr.Ramachandra Deva is an important writer in Kannada Literature.

Ramachandra Deva was born on March 22, 1948 in Kote Mundugari village in Karnataka. Having completed his early education in Balila, Panja, he came to Mysore and lived at Madhva hostel. He completed B.A

from the University of Mysore in 1969 with English, Kannada and Linguistics as special subjects and M.A from the University of Mysore in 1971.This phase was very important in his literary career as he wrote some of his finest works during this time. In his own words, he was a notorious and irregular student but a brilliant one! He won many awards and was widely published in prestigious magazines. He hobnobbed with literary greats at this time which greatly influenced his growth.

Ramachandra Deva completed his Ph.D from University of Bangalore, 1991 which is an exhaustive comparative study of Shakespeare in English and Indian cultures, with particular reference to Kannada translations/adaptations during the past century. Ramachandra Deva was a linguist and was fluent in English, Kannada, Havyaka kannada, Tulu with a working knowledge of Hindi, Sanskrit and Malayalam.

Professionally Ramachandra Deva donned multiple hats. He began his career as a Lecturer in English, in Milagres College, Kalyanapura, Banumiah’s College, Mysore, and The National College, Bangalore between 1971-1974.Deva provided bibliographic support to Library of Congress Office, American Embassy Centre, New Delhi, as a representative of Karnataka from 1974-80. Deva was Assistant Editor at Prajavani, a Kannada daily, Bangalore between 1980-88. Deva started as a Lecturer and went on to become the Founding Head, Dept. of English, Kuvempu University between 1988-91. During his lifetime he worked extensively to promote literature. Ramachandra Deva was head of Printers’ Prakashana, Granthavali and Deva Sahithya. Deva was also the Chairman of Bodhi Trust, a literary/cultural organization actively involved in the publication of books.

Ramachandra Deva is credited with some of the finest translations in Kannada literature. Translations of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hamlet are considered the best and have withstood the test of time. The translations are almost half a century old and are credited with pioneering a new direction in the world of Shakespeare translations. Apart from being used as textbooks by various universities, they have also been extensively staged.

Ramachandra Deva shifted to his village Kalmadaka in 1991. Deva was a proud and successful farmer. He employed modern farming and irrigation methods. Kalmadaka became a fertile soil for the growth of both the areca/coconut trees and some of the best works of Deva’s life. The lush green beauty of the village, the inexplicable sounds that accompany life in the midst of nature, the gurgling brooks and the raucous sounds of monkeys coupled with the distant vista of Kumara Parvata and the simplicity of village life inspired him. Friends, food, exercise, peace, added years to his life. Deva wrote prolifically till his demise in 2013, The works produced during this time were mature and replete with poignant depictions of life. Deva loved to adapt historical /mythological tales, interweaving them with present day issues to create masterpieces that strike a chord.

Though Dr.Deva never travelled out of the country, he saw the entire world through books and was highly knowledgeable. Deva was a human google! He knew at least something about everything and could wax eloquent on various topics with his booming voice. Deva taught himself about computers and made a foray into blogging long before it became fashionable to do so.

Dr.Ramachandra Deva passed away on September 11 2011,after a brief illness.

Deva has an extensive collection of priceless books most of which have been donated to the Ramachandra Deva section at the Karnataka State Open University,Mysore.

Prof. A. Shashikala,his wife has taken the onus of publishing and distributing his work and coordinating the theatrical presentation of his work.

Ramachandra Deva continues to live and inspire through his words.

This website is dedicated to keeping his flame burning bright.