A Multifaceted Contributor to Literature, Cinema and Community Service

Early Life and Career

Date of Birth: 18.05.1978
Place of Birth: Gulwadi, Kundapur Taluk
Father: Tota Abdul Khader Byari
Mother: Fatima Bee
Occupation: Scrap Business
Education: 6th Grade Primary Education
Schools Attended: Sarvodaya Private Higher Primary School, Gulwadi

Fields of Service

Yakub Khader Gulwadi has significantly contributed to literature, cinema, and culture in Kannada and Beary languages. His involvement spans across Kannada conferences abroad, writing, cricket, antiquity collection, small libraries, and mental health camps.

Organizations Served

Yakub has actively served in several organizations, including Gulwadi Talkies, Manasmit Foundation, Community Kundapur, Sahamat Kundapur, and Nadumane, among others.

Positions Held

• Head of the nationally awarded Gulwadi Talkies
• Twice a member of the State Film Award Selection Committee
• Twice a member of the Bangalore International Film Festival Award Selection Committee
• Former member of the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy
• Director of Manasmit Foundation
• Director of the World Kannada Cultural Conference Committee
• Director of Dr. S. Janaki National Award Selection Committee
• Currently a member of the Kannada Development Authority

Achievements

As a member of the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy, Yakub organized numerous Beary literary and cultural events across the state. He contributed to the National Award-winning film “Gulabi Talkies” by renowned Kannada director Girish Kasaravalli in costume design, jewelry, and art department for actress Umashree, depicting Beary culture. In 2019, he directed the film “Triple Talaq,” a sensitive narrative in Beary language, showcased at several international film festivals.

Awards

• National Award (Silver Lotus) in 2017 for the film “Reservation”
• Best Kannada Film Award at the Bangalore International Film Festival in 2018 for “Reservation”
• Wahab Doddamane Award from the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy in 2016
• Recognition from the Central Government in 2005 for tsunami relief operations in Andaman and Tamil Nadu
• Honor from the Central Kannada Sahitya Parishat at the Kannada Literary Conference in Dharwad in 2019
• Recognition from the Abu Dhabi Kannada Sangha in 2012
• Udupi District Kannada Rajyotsava Award in 2022
• Honor from the Udupi District Kannada Sahitya Parishat in 2017
• Honor from the Saudi Arabia Kannada Sangha in 2023

Future Plans

Yakub has numerous dreams and aspirations, contingent on community support.

Notable Aspects

For the past twenty-five years, Yakub has been conducting programs for communal harmony and mental health services, such as free medical camps and medication distribution, through organizations like Karnataka Samudaya, Sadbhavana Kundapur, Sahamat Kundapur, and Manasmit Foundation. He has been recognized in various fields such as Kannada and Beary literature, cinema, culture, antiquity collection, small libraries, and acting. Yakub has worked with national and state award-winning Kannada directors like Dr. Girish Kasaravalli (Gulabi Talkies), Dr. Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar (Ishtakamya, India Versus England), and Nikhil Manju Linge Gowda (Haj). He co-directed the film “Aa 90 Dinagalu” with Ronald Lobo and directed documentaries for the Karnataka Film Academy and the Karnataka Information Department. His experiences from traveling to over twenty countries have been encapsulated in three Kannada literary works: “Sri Lanka – A Beautiful Island Nation,” (ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ – ಒಂದು ಸುಂದರ ದ್ವೀಪರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ) “Andaman and Tsunami,” (ಅಂಡಮಾನ್  ಮತ್ತು ತ್ಸುನಾಮಿ) and “My Foreign Touring Talkies.” (ನನ್ನ ಫಾರೀನ್ ಟೂರಿಂಗ್ ಟಾಕೀಸ್)