 His given name is unique since it includes the Kannada alphabet 'ಞ' (a palatal consonant pronounced nasally as "nya"), which is used very rarely in the written Kannada of today and is absent in the English alphabet which often leads to various other transliterations of his given name such as "Kinyanna" and "Kinnanna".Rai first learned Kannada in school.Later he published his first handwritten journal, "Susheela", at the age of 12.