Bengaluru/Mysuru: A pall of gloom has engulfed Kannada literary world, with the passing of renowned novelist Padma Bhushan Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa on Wednesday.

At the age of 94, Dr. Bhyrappa left for heavenly abode, after suffering cardiac arrest at                            2.38 pm at Jayadev Memorial Rashtrotthana Hospital and Research Centre, Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru, according to a press release by its Medical Administrator Dr. H.N. Shyla.

Dr. Bhyrappa is survived by his wife Saraswathi, sons S.B. Ravishankar, a banker in London and S.B. Udayshankar, daughters-in-law and a large number of his fans and readers, who had formed his extended family.

Son arrives from London

His elder son S.B. Ravishankar, a banker in London, arrived in Bengaluru this morning at 8 am. While his younger son S.B. Udayshankar, who resides in Bengaluru, was already present. The arrangements are being made to bring his mortal remains to Mysuru, which was his karmabhoomi for over                                       nearly four decades.

The mortal remains of Dr. Bhyrappa was moved to Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru this morning from the hospital, to enable public to pay their last respects, where several dignitaries including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, reputed author Dr. Vikram Sampath to name a few, paid rich tributes to the literary giant.

Pan-India writer

As the name suggests, Dr. Bhyrappa, meaning an epithet of ‘Lord Shiva,’ was endeared by his devoted fans, who were among the legion of his readers, who had in their prized possession, the novels produced by the literary genius. The novels were considered as tomes in the world of literature, spanning borders, that made him a pan India novelist of repute, with the translation of his literary works into English, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Urdu and Bengali, alongside all 14 official languages of India.

Though Dr. Bhyrappa was the favourite child of controversy, for his hardcore rightwing beliefs that reflected in his writings, earning ‘silent friends and critical fiends’, he proudly wore his beliefs on his chest, which he did so till the last breath of his life with elan.

Novels, films

From his earliest novels in his student days — Bheema Kaya and Belaku Mooditu, Dr. Bhyrappa graduated himself as a committed novelist by penning Dharmashri in the year 1961, Doora Saridaru in 1962, Matadana and Vamshavriksha (1965), Jalapatha (1967), Nayineralu (1968), Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane and Gruhabhanga (1970), Nirakarana (1971), Grahana (1972), Daatu (1973), Anveshana (1976), Parva (1979), Nele (1983), Sakshi (1986), Anchu (1990), Tantu (1993), Sartha (1998), Mandra (2002), Avarana (2007), Kavalu (2010), Yaana (2014) and Uttarakhanda (2017).

Some of his novels, mainly Vamshavriksha, Matadana and Nayineralu were adapted into films directed by Girish Karnad, Girish Kasaravalli and T.N. Seetharam respectively, that went on to win awards. While his another novel Gruhabhanga was adapted into small screen by T.N. Seetharam, that made Dr. Bhyrappa, a household name.

His (Dr. Bhyrappa) autobiography was titled ‘Bhitti’ and was the co-author of a biography of renowned Hindustani vocalist Dr. Gangubai Hangal, with Ashok D. Ranade.

Awards, honours

Dr. Bhyrappa, who had been conferred Saraswati Samman, one of the epoch literary awards in 2010, had however missed Jnanpith, the most coveted award any littérateur looks for, to enrich their literary contributions.

He was a recipient of Sahitya Academy Award for ‘Vamshavriksha’ in 1996, Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for ‘Daatu’ in 1975, Masti Award in 1985, Pampa Award in 2005, Nadoja in 2011, Betageri Krishnasharma Award in 2014 and Nrupathunga Award conferred by Kannada Sahitya Parishat in 2017 and Padma Shri in 2016.

Early life

Born on Aug. 20, 1931 to Lingannaiah-Gowramma couple of Santeshivara village, Channarayapatna taluk in Hassan district, Dr. Bhyrappa had his early education at Bagur and Nuggehalli, before shifting to Mysuru, for his high school education at the reputed Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions, Krishnamurthypuram. He later studied BA in Maharaja’s College and did MA in Philosophy at University of Mysore, from where he excelled with two Gold Medals. 

Profession

After obtaining Ph.D for his thesis from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Dr. Bhyrappa began his career as a Philosophy Professor in Kadasiddheshwar College, Hubballi & Sardar Patel University, Gujarat. He had also served as a lecturer at National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, before his transfer to Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Mysuru, where he taught Philosophy & Education Sciences till his retirement in 1991.

Condolences pour in…

In the passing of Shri S.L. Bhyrappa Ji, we have lost a towering stalwart who stirred our conscience and delved deep into the soul of India. A fearless and timeless thinker, he profoundly enriched Kannada literature with his thought-provoking works. His writings inspired generations to reflect, question and engage more deeply with society. His unwavering passion for our history and culture will continue to inspire minds for years to come. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti.

—Prime Minister Narendra Modi

I am deeply pained to hear about the demise of novelist S.L. Bhyrappa and pray for peace to the departed soul. With his death, Kannada literary world has become poor, as he had enjoyed a huge  fandom with his endearing style of writing. My respects to his family and readers.

—Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

S.L. Bhyrappa has completed his journey on earth… A writer, who earned the maiden Saraswati Samman Award for a Kannada literary work, Bhyrappa’s death has left me in deep pain. I pray God to give strength to his bereaved family members and fans to bear the loss of his death.

—Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar

S.L. Bhyrappa had founded a Pratishtan in his name, to take up development works at his native Santeshivara, where he was born. With the help of the State Government, Bhyrappa had implemented a permanent drinking water project there. With the death of such a multifaceted personality, it is indeed a great loss to the society.

—Suttur Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji