T. S. Venkannayya (ಟಿ. ಎಸ್. ವೆಂಕಣ್ಣಯ್ಯ) - a brief biography

T. S. Venkannayya was born on October 1, 1885 at Taĺaku village, Challakere taluk, Chitradurga district, Karnataka to parents Subbanna and Lakshmidevamma. They belonged to the Mulukanadu sect of Telugu speaking brahmins who originally hailed from Venganadu. They were ardent devotees of Rama and were spiritually inclined. Venkannayya was named after his grandfather. 

Early Years

Venkannayya’s grandfather had presented his son Subbanna his much-treasured volume of Ramayana, while on his deathbed. Giving the book, he had remarked that it was the only thing of any real consequence that he could bequeath to him – and that it’s daily recitation and reading would keep generations in good stead! Subbanna promised to stay true to his father’s wishes and generations since have carried on this unbroken tradition. T. S. Venkannayya’s father Subbanna was a poet in his own right and was known to compose poetry impromptu. He was well versed in ‘Gadugina Bharata’, ‘Jaimini Bharata’, ‘Rajashekhara Vilasa’ and ‘Jagannatha Vijaya’. 

In the time of Palegars, there was once a bull fight arranged in this village. They were both ferocious bulls and wouldn’t easily relent. The fight culminated in the bulls interlocking their horns. They couldn’t unlock the horns and ended up staying like that for a long time! Thus, the palegar watching this thought of naming the village as Taĺaku. 

T. S. Venkannayya’s grandmother Hanumakka had offered prayers to Lord Venkateshwara for a grandson. She was ecstatic at Venkannayya’s birth and nicknamed him ‘putta’. She took much trouble to familiarise him with ‘Mahabharata’, ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Bhagavata’ at a young age.  She made sure that Upanayana and such time bound initiations were done at the right time for the young boy. 

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