Chandrashekhar Patil


Chandrashekar Patil, popularly known as "Champa", is an Indian poet, playwright and public intellectual writing in Kannada. He is considered as one of the foremost voices of the Bandaya movement.
Champa is the editor of the influential literary journal Sankramana started with two of his friends Siddalinga Pattanashetti and Giraddi Govindaraj in 1964. He is known for leading many social and literary movements such as Gokak agitation, Bandaya movement, anti-Emergency agitation, agitation for the implementation of Mandal report, Farmer's movement, etc.
After retiring as professor of English from Karnatak University, Patil served as the President of Kannada Sahitya Parishat and as the Chairman of Kannada Development Authority. Protesting the assassination of his friend and Vachana scholar M. M. Kalburgi, he recently returned his Pampa Award, the highest literary honour of the government of Karnataka.

Poetry