Dr M.G. Hegde is probably the most consummate scholar of Indian short stories. He was formerly the principal of Dr A.V Baliga College, Kumta; Dean, the School of Language; and professor and chair, Department of English, Rani Chennamma University, Belagavi. His postdoctoral research focused on Indian short stories, for which he received the UGC research award. Professor Hegde has served on the Kannada Advisory Board of Sahitya Academy and Kuvempu Bhasha Bharti Pradhikaran. He is an eminent yakshagana artist. Presently, he is the chief editor of Belakina Belle (Harvest of Light), a mammoth translation project spanning 45 volumes of representative critical articles of Indian thinkers.