Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, Indian author and academic was born on 6 June 1891. The well known Kannada writer, he became the fourth to be honored with the Jnanpith Award in the Kannada language.

Popularly known as Maasti Kannadada Aasti, He began writing under the pen name “Srinivasa”. He is most well-known for his short stories. One of the most notable works of his collection is ‘Kelavu Sanna Kategalu’. He has written 120 books in Kannada and 17 in the English language.

For his contribution in Indian Literature, Bhartiya Jnanpith awarded him with Jnanpith Award for his novel ‘Chikavira Rajendra’ in 1938. Besides this, Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar honored him with the title ‘Rajasevasakta’.

India Postal Department has issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor four Gyanpith Award Winners in 1997. Dr. Masti Venkatesha Iyengar was also one of them.

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