Mangaluru: Freedom fighter, author and poet Kayyar Kinhanna Rai passed away at his residence in Badiyadka in Kasargod district of Kerala on Monday, family sources said.
Rai, aged 101, was suffering from various old age related ailments, they said. He is survived by six sons and two daughters.
A recipient of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award in 1969 and thenational award the same year for the best teacher, Rai had penned books on various subjects, including theatre, language, biographies and also for children.
In 2005, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by Mangalore University, they said.
