Arun Joladakudligi

Bio

Arun Joladakudlugi was born in New Vijayanagar District, Kottur Taluk, Joladakudligi. He graduated with an M.A. in Folklore and an M.A. in Kannada Literature from Kannada University. He also got his PhD degree there for his research on ‘Philosophical Bases of Kannada Folk Studies’. He completed his postdoctoral research on folk poets under the guidance of Prof. Rahmat Tarikere. Since 2021, he has been working as a Guest Assistant Professor in the Department of Folklore at the Karnataka Folklore University.

He has published 11 books in Kannada. Recently, his books “Corona Folklore” and “Naduve Suliva Hennu” (an autobiographical narration of Padmashri Manjamma
Jogati) published in 2020 have received critical acclaim.

He has received several awards, including the Rajyotsava Pustaka Prashasti from Gulbarga University, the Janapada Deepa Award from Honnavara Janapada Prakashana and the Prajavani and Sanchaya’s Poetry Awards. Protesting the delay in the investigation of M.M. Kalburgi’s murder, he returned the Aralu Sahitya Award given by the Kannada Sahitya Parishath to the government. His writings are texts for graduate students of 10 universities, including Davangere University, Akkamahadevi
Women’s University, Gulbarga University, Mangalore University, Mysore University, Raichur University, and Karnataka University.

He has presented more than a hundred research papers at the international, national and state level. In 2012, he presented a paper on the changes in the folk arts of Karnataka at the International Folklore Congress held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Poetry, stories, and research essays are his creative expression. Since 2010, he has maintained a web blog called ‘Kannada Folklore’. In 2021, he started a YouTube series called ‘Ambedkar Odu’. It has now completed 560 episodes. 130 hours of Kannada audio archives of Ambedkar’s writings and speeches can be listened to. No other regional language of India has attempted this model.