Kāykiṇi, Jayanta, 1955-

Jayant Kaikini (born 24 January 1955) is a poet, short story writer, playwright, columnist in Kannada and a lyricist and script writer in Kannada cinema. He has published seven short story collections, six poetry collections, four essay collections and three plays so far. He is valued as one of the best writers in Kannada literature and has revolutionized the field by giving it a fresh new perspective. He has bagged many notable awards like 'Karnataka Sahitya Academy' award(1974,1982,1989,1996), Kusumagraj National Literary Award (2010), Katha Award for Creative Fiction (1996), DSC South Asian Literature Prize (2018) amidst others. Kaikini is regarded as one of the most significant writers in Kannada today. Kaikini has been conferred the honorary doctorate from Tumkur University.