Udupi; Jan 15: An eminent linguist Tulu and Beary language scholar and the lady who assisted day and night, relentlessly, by giving shoulder to shoulder with her husband Dr.U.P.Upadhyaya in the preparation of Tulu dictionary, Dr.Susheela.P.Upadhyaya has left her heavenly abode in city’s private hospital due to her brief illness.
Dr.Susheela was 77 years old and left behind her husband, a scholar and language scientist Dr.U.P.Upadhyaya and son and daughter, who are settled in U.S.A. The final rite of Dr.Susheela was held in Beedinagudde on Jan 14, Tuesday night.
On behalf of national poet Govinda Pai research centre, a felicitation and ‘Kopparige’congratulatory programe was organized on last Dec 26, for the couple, who have been continuously working for the last three decades.
The couple, when they were getting ready and about to start Dr.Susheela abruptly fell sick and had to admit her in a hospital. Dr.U.P.Upadhyaya had to attend the celebration lonely. Since then he did not return to his home from hospital.
Dr.Susheela was born in Majoor village, near Kaup and did her graduation in Kerala’s Tiruvananthapura College. She had received her M.A degree in Hindi from Banaras University and M.A.degree from Poona University in language science and did her PhD. She had worked with Udupi MGM college from 1958-59 and then worked in Bangalore’s Sacred Heart and BMS women’s college as Hindi professor.
Dr.Susheela, who was with Poona Deccan College as a researcher from 1964-69, has received doctorate degree from Poona University for her composition of study on coastal region’s comparison on Beary and Malayalam language.Thereafter; she was working with Mysore Manasa Gangothri’s Bharatiya Basha institution as research administrator.
In 1970, Dr.Susheela, who left abroad with her language scientist husband, she studied deeply the Dravid Nigro language culture as a researcher in Africa’s Dakar University. After returning from abroad to Udupi along with her husband, she worked as professor, guide and sub-editor of Tulu dictionary in Govinda Pai research centre. Also she has studied deeply the Tulu folksongs ‘Paadaana’ and some of her ‘Paadaana songs’ were recorded in CDs/DVDs.
Dr.Susheela being the member of the Karnataka Beary Sahitya academy, presided over Shirsi Janapada conference and Udupi district’s women litterateurs conference. She was the recipient of Tulu academy, Rani Abbakka, Bangalore’s Gargi, Polali Sheenappa Hegde and many other awards.
‘Beary language’s descriptive grammer and comparative study’in English research has been published in Kannada by Karnataka Sahitya academy. She had written many books like ‘Janapada Aaradhane and Ranga Kalegalu’’Dakshina Bharata Janapada’and Malayalam Bhashe and Sahitya and many more research books.
1 Comment
Dr.Susheela Upadhyaya was really a great scholar and also a great personality. Inspite of all problems she faced she grew a very higher place, but remained very simple in life. She always lived for others than she lived for herself. I am very proud to say that she was my Guru, in real meaning a great guru.I bow my head to her. She is my mentor.
It is a great loss for the scholarly world, specially the tulu folk theatre, kolk literature and folk culture.