A Writer Whose Stories remain Unforgettable

There are many people who write, but a writer whose works remain lasting in the minds of many is hard to find. Defying such barriers, Raja Rao is considered to be one among the few Indian writers who remain unforgettable.

The Indelible Face of Raja Rao; Image Source: Be an Inspirer

In the year 1908, many opposed the British and the civilization they brought in through their ideas and language. However, many writers who claimed themselves as Nationalists were engaged in glorifying India and its culture, plus tradition. Raja Rao was born in the same year. Considering this environment, he grew up only to have bouts of love for his own country. But things were different for him since he lost his mother at a young age. This only led his innocent mind to become more curious and seek answers for the questions his mind asked.

It was only natural for a 4-year-old child to feel this insecure urge for everything given that he never got to spend his time with his mother. Moving on, he completed his initial studies in India and later went abroad to study in France. Slowly and unknowingly he became fond of writing, and before he could realize it, he was already hailing in the world of renowned writers.

While he belonged from Karnataka and completed his higher education in France, he wrote quite frequently in English. He also wrote in Kannada and French, but it was his work in English that made him remarkable.

Rao is the most transformative novelist today. He boldly imbibed his novels from the European tradition and absorbed the Indian literary tradition - R. Parthasarathy.

He lived a very long life and saw many turning points, but whatever he saw and experienced, was later curated into his work in a rather beautiful way. His first novel was Kanthapura, which depicted the village life of South India. He is highly appreciated for this work of his that was inspired by the many freedom-related movements of that time. Gandhi was among one of those many inspirations for him and it is evident in many of his works.

The effect of our personal life is clearly visible in our work and if one is a writer they tend to make the readers also experience the same in all its essence. Raja Rao had 3 marriages. While studying in France, he married Camille Molly, a French teacher from Montpanelier, in 1931. After that, he came to India and joined the freedom movement, and post-independence, he went to America to start teaching there. He got married again in 1965 to an American actress named 'Katherine Jones', but after 20 years of their relationship, it ended up in a divorce. Then came 1986 and it was now his third time! While these marriages might have been a lot for him, they made him produce some of his best works with the many memories he collected through them.

He was honored with many awards in his life, even posthumously. These awards included the Sahitya Akademi Award (1964), Padma Bhushan (1969), Nustad International Award for Literature (1988), and the Padma Vibhushan (2007).

Raja Rao died on 8th July 2006 at the age of 97 in Austin, Texas. The news of his death was published by every major newspaper in Europe, America, and India. This only proves how successful he was by leaving an unforgettable impression everywhere he once lived.