Udupi, May 6:Veteran writer and Kendra Sahitya Academy Award winner Bhasker Mayya of Saligrama Gundmi passed away at a private hospital at Brahmavar today following a cardiac arrest.

He was 70 and survived by his wife, son and daughter.

He had served Bhandarkar’s College as a Hindi Professor. He was an expert in Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, Kannada and English languages and had secured MA degrees from various Universities and a PhD from Mysore University.

Dr Mayya had penned nearly 52 books and hundreds of research articles.(UNI)