K. V. Narayana

Kampalapura Veeranna Narayana (born 20 October 1948), also known as KVN, is an Indian linguist, professor of Kannada language and literature, and a literary critic. He is currently the Chairman of the Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi Pradikara, Government of Karnataka. He hails from Piriyapattana in Mysore district. During his time as a professor in Bangalore University, he initiated investigations into Kannada language and culture from the root level. He served as the registrar of Hampi Kannada University. His major areas of interest are Kannada language, literature, teaching and science.

He received the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Honorary Award for a lifetime's contribution to Kannada language and literature. He initiated a series of workshops on Kannada, what he calls ''Karnataka Odu'', a special knowledge zone on Kannada. He is considered as one of the major thinkers of our times. Provided by Wikipedia