Kannada poet KS Nisar Ahmed dies at 84: CM Yediyurappa and other leaders offer condolences

Noted Kannada poet KS Nisar Ahmed died of age-related illness at his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and many leaders have expressed sadness and offered condolences to his bereaved family.

KS Nisar Ahmed was reportedly suffering from some age-related ailments. The 84-year-writer was recently admitted to the hospital. He breathed his last at his Bengaluru residence on Sunday. His funeral was reportedly held in JC Nagar in the city. He had a large number of admirers, but his body was not kept for public darshan due to the coronavirus scare.

Born in Devanahalli, Bengaluru, KS Nisar Ahmed was a post-graduate in Geology and he worked as an Assistant Geologist in The Mysore Mines and Geology at Gulbarga. He later worked as a lecturer in Geology in Central College, Bangalore and then in Chitradurga and Shivamogga. He came in touch with Kuvempu, who invited the Kannada poets' meet during the Dasara festival in 1959.

Besides being a geology professor, KS Nisar Ahmed was a prolific poet and writer who dabbled in various literary forms - criticism, children's literature. He also translated several plays of Shakespeare into Kannada. He is one of the first poets to write about Bengaluru in Kannada and Manasu Gandhibazaru and Sanje Aidara Male are some of the collections of poems.

Mysuru Anantaswamy sung his poems first and released as an audio cassette Nityotsava in 1970s. The cassette not only became, but also gave birth to the audio cassette industry of light music. He was also a strong votary of the Kannada cause and spoke passionately about it.

KS Nisar Ahmed was awarded Kendra Sahitya Akademi award (2008), highest literary award of the state Pampa Award (2017), Rajyotsava award (1981) and Padma Sri (2008). He chaired the annual Sahitya Sammelana held in Shivamogga in 2007 and inaugurated Dasara in 2017.

KS Nisar Ahmed's death has saddened many people across the globe. Many celebs, political and his readers took Twitter to share their grief over his sad demise and offer condolences to his family. BS Yediyurappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, and some political leaders have offered condolences to his death.

BS Yediyurappa tweeted in Kannada the translation of which read, "Senior writer KS Nisar Ahmed's death is sad. He also served as a professor and land scientist. He was recognized as a sensible writer and a popular poet. I pray to God to grant Nisar peace to his soul and the strength to endure the pain of his separation, to his family members and fans."