Namma Kannada Nadu

Dr. A. N. Krishna Rao (1908-1971)popularly known as Anakru, was one of Karnataka's famous novelist. He was popularly known as Kadambari Sarvabhouma (Emperor of Novels).

Anakru was born in Arakalagudu in Hassan District of Karnataka, India. His father was Narasingaraya and mother Annapurnamma.The period Anakru entered the literary world, was one when there was not Kannada readership, nor sale of books. From such shackles of literary traditionalism, Anakru liberated the Kannada reader. Through his first novel was Jeevana Yatre.Subsequently, he wrote Udayaraaga, Sandhyaaraagaa, Mangalasutra, Natasarvabhouma, Sahithyarathna, Taayiya Karulu, Grihalakshmi, Taayi Makkalu, Aasheervada and Anugraha which won him great popular name Kadambari Sarvabhouma.His literary output exceeded 80,000 pages.Then came the social reform when he wrote Nagna Sathya, Shani Santaana and Sanje Gaththalu, that threw light on the issues of prostitution, the traditionalists and protagonists of religion were shaken and called him a "vulgar writer" for writing on such a subject. "if telling the truth is vulgar, then I am a vulgar writer; if the act of covering with a cloth, a downtrodden, helpless, naked woman on the street is vulgar, then I am a vulgar writer" was Anakru's reply. It is an irony that the very same people who criticized Anakru, wrote on the same subject later.

Anakru’s contributed significantly to the growth of Kannada culture. He inspired an entire generation of Kannadigas and was the pioneer who instilled the Kannada reading habit and a value for Kannada. He also worked towards Integration of Karnataka. Once introducing him to an audience, one of Kannada's other major writer Maasti Venkatesh Iyengar said “I am a Tamil Kannadiga, Sir Mirza Ismail is a Muslim Kannadiga, and Anakru is a pure Kannadiga”. This tribute from a literary like Maasti mirrors of Kannada fervor Anakru was known for.

A. N. Krishna Rao acted as the president of the 43rd Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Manipal. Anakru was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Karnataka State award. Mysore University awarded Anakru a honorary doctorate in literature.
Based on Anakru's fiction Sadhyaraga, the Kannada movie Sandhyaraga released in 1966 was a hit movie.

The house, in Visvesvarapuram Bangalore of the first Kannada chaluvaligar, which had been a meeting place for writers during Anakru's lifetime is now being used as a footwear godown. Lot of people had urged the Government to convert this house into a memorial. But from almost 10 years this is still pending. Government said that the ownership of the building had to be ascertained before converting it into a memorial.

Some of his writings are ,

Sahitya and Kamprachodane
Sahitya mattu jeevan
Porake (Harate)
Kaman Billu
Nannannu nanekande
Maduveyo Manehalu
Raj Nartaki
Bannad Bisanike
Rasikagrani
Samra Sundari
Ran Vikram
Anna Tangi
Sandhyaraga