Condolences poured in over the demise of Jnanpith award winning writer U R Ananthamurthy from Udupi which was his ancestral home.
Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy, had his origin in Udupi as his grandfather Padmanabha Acharya belonged to Alevooru on the outskirst of the town. Acharya had to move to Kerala later as a temple priest following certain family disputes.
Though Ananthamurthy was not born and brought up in Udupi, he had always kept a special attachment to the temple town till his last days.
Pejavar Mutt seer Vishweshatheertha Swamiji and Ananthamurthy had shared a special bond.
Swamiji, in his condolence message, said Murthy had made rich contributions to Kannada literature with his exceptional talent. "The demise of the litterateur had brought shock to me. Despite differences of opinion, he was very close to me," the seer said in the message.
Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade in his message said being a thinker of scientific temperament, he opposed superstitious beliefs in strong words.
Minister for Urban development and Udupi district-in-charge Vinay Kumar Sorake said Murthy kept his socialist ideologies with courage. His demise had caused irreparable to loss to the literary world and the society as a whole, he said.
Udupi district Deputy Commissioner Muddumohan said besides being a great litterateur, Murthy had a special interest in music. He recalled his association with Murthy druing his tenure as the director of the department of Kannada and culture.
