Mysuru: Dr. K.P. Lalitha (Rashmi NanjappaKallichanda) has been selected for the 24th KodaginaGowramma Endowment Award of the Kodagu District Kannada SahityaParishat for her book ‘KodaginaJanapadaKathegalu’ (Kodagu Folk Tales).

The award has been instituted by B.G. Vasanth, son of writer KodaginaGowramma, to honour outstanding works by women writers of Kodagu. So far, 23 women writers have received the award.

Dr.Lalitha has worked extensively in translation research and folklore studies. She has served as Head of the Kannada Department at BMS Women’s College, Bengaluru and as Deputy Director of Mysore University’s Prasaranga. She is currently the Executive Editor of Prasaranga.

A native of Kodagu, Dr.Lalitha graduated from Mangalore University and secured a gold medal in her postgraduate studies at the University of Mysore.

Her doctoral thesis on Kodagu place names was subsequently published by the SahityaAkademi.

Her research works include ‘Vivaksha’, ‘Vivechane’, ‘JeevanthaPaleyulikegalu’ (On Living Relics), ‘KodaginaBhasheMathuSamskruthi’ (Kodagu’s Language and Culture), ‘KodaginaJanapadaKathegalu’ and ‘ShodhaneyaHaadiyalli’ (On the Path of Research). She has also authored ‘Oororme,’ a collection of research essays in English.

Her play, ‘PommodeeraPonnappa,’ based on the history and folklore of Kodagu, was staged 11 times to full houses at Rangashankara in Bengaluru. It was later translated into English and performed in New York, Sydney and New South Wales.

Dr.Lalitha has published 29 research papers in reputed international journals and has presented papers at State, National and International Seminars. Her research work has also earned her the Abdul Kalam National Award from NITI Aayog.