Sir,
I have been in Portland with my son on a short visit. My daily link with Mysuru is through Star of Mysore. When I read the fascinating and perceptive account of the Literary Fest held in Mysuru in KBG’s Abracadabra dated June 19, I felt nostalgic that how much I missed it.
It was indeed to the credit of Dr. K.C. Belliappa that he took a calculated risk in holding such a function and in the event, it turned out to be an outstanding success drawing a huge crowd.
Clearly, the two dominating figures at the function were Dr. S.L.Bhyrappa and Dr. Ramachandra Guha. KBG apparently had some doubts that Bhyrappa being essentially a novelist in Kannada how he would fit in here as it is an English Lit Fest.
However, as reported, Dr. Bhyrappa excelled with his thought-provoking speech in English. It must be realised that without exception all those professors of Kannada in Mysore University during its halcyon days were equally proficient with their impeccable English. In fact, I used to say if one reads BMSri’s English Geethegalu, which is a translation of some selected English Poetry to Kannada, one wonders which is the original!
Of course, Ramachandra Guha’s delivery with his usual style of speaking with rapidity as if issuing forth with a high-speed automatic gun fire will certainly be impressive and as a historian he has made a mark. His observation that the award of Padmashri to Dr. Bhyrappa is rather downplaying his stature as a novelist of great eminence is a correct observation. Bhyrappa did not make an issue but I remember he did remark to imply to that effect. The fact that without exception all his novels saw many reprints and translated to many Indian languages while some of them made a record of sort for reprint in a short pace of few months is testimony to the measure of his popularity.
I do not think there is any parallel to this. He has carved a niche in the hearts and minds of people of India for the unique quality of all his novels and the characters in his novels reflect the reality of their life. It reminds me of the saying that ‘no prophet is honoured in his own country.’
– H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Camp: Portland, USA, 22.6.2017
NOTE: Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa was teaching Philosophy in English but wrote in Kannada. Likewise, Dr. U.R. Ananthamurthy who taught English wrote in Kannada.—Ed
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