Vaidehi (Kannada writer)
Janaki Srinivasa Murthy (born as Vasanti on 12 February 1945), popularly known by her nickname Vaidehi is an Indian writer and well-known writer of modern Kannada language fiction. Vaidehi is one of the most successful women writers in the language and a recipient of prestigious national and state-level literary awards. She has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories, "Krauncha Pakshigalu" in 2009. Biography. Early life. Vaidehi was born on 12 February 1945 to A. V. N. Hebbar (father) and Mahalakshmi (mother) in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district, Karnataka. She grew  up in a large traditional Brahmin family. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Commerce from the Bhandarkar College in Kundapura. Her father is a lawyer and her mother was a homemaker. At home, a dialect of Kannada called Kundapur Kannada is spoken and she uses this dialect in her works as well. Vaidehi became her pen-name under unusual circumstances. Early in her writing career, she had sent a story to the Kannada weekly magazine Sudha for publication but later requested the publisher not to go ahead with the print as the story was non-fictional and included  a real-life story. However, the editor went ahead with the publication by changing the author's name to 'Vaidehi'. This name stuck in her later writings as well as she gained popularity. Married life. Vaidehi married to K. L. Srinivasa Murthy at the age of 23. The couple have two daughters, Nayana Kashyap (née Nayana Murthy) and Pallavi Rao (née Pallavi Murthy). After marriage Vaidehi changed her legal name to Janaki Srinivasa Murthy and moved to Shivamogga. Later the family moved to Udupi and then to Manipal where she currently resides. Vaidehi's daughter Nayana Kashyap is a translator , Kannada writer and English teacher. She has translated some of the Vaidehi's works into English including five novels. Works. Collection of short stories. Beautiful essays Awards. Vaidehi has won numerous awards for her writings in Kannada.