Mysuru: “I’m not sure, whether we can restore Shakespeare’s legacy, when we are struggling to find place for our own writers,” said Dr. Mahadeva, Professor of English, University of Mysore.
He was speaking after inaugurating a one-day State-level seminar on ‘Shakespeare-Our Contemporary,’ organised by JSS College of Arts, Commerce and Science, at its premises here recently. Citing the concept of ‘Magic Love’ in Shakespearean plays, he said, it is all about giving oneself.
Remembering the Founder of ‘NINASAM’ K.U. Subbanna and other translators for their contributions, he also recalled how passionate teachers like Prof. H.H. Annaiah Gowda and Prof.Polanki Ramamoorthy were, while teaching Shakespeare at University of Mysore English Department.
Prof. Chandrashekaraiah, Professor of English (Retd.), Visiting Professor, Sri Basaveshwara Peetha, University of Mysore, who presided, spoke on Shakespearean dramas and various characters reflecting in Indian Community.
Expressing his concern over Shakespeare often being forgotten in modern education system, he said that Shakespeare does not belong to one single country but he is rather a global asset.
Prof. B.N. Balajee, retd. Professor of English, KSOU, Prof. Lakshmi Chandrashekar, a renowned actor and theatre activist, Bengaluru and Prof. Nirmala Prakash, retd Professor, KSOU, were the other speakers in the seminar.
Mahadevappa, Principal and Prof. Mahalingappa, HoD of English (UG), Dr. Syed Hajira Begum, HoD of English (PG) were present.
A total of 33 teaching faculty and 40 students from various colleges attended the seminar.
Final year BA student Vidhyashree rendered invocation. Final MA student Meghashree welcomed. Virupaksha Panditharadhya proposed a vote of thanks. Kavya compered.
There needs be greater recognition worldwide of the possibility that Shakespeare was a mask for the true writer of the Shakespeare works. Teachers of today prefer not to get involved in the detailed controversy as they feel it deflects from the plays themselves but an understanding of the true nature of the real writer is more than helpful in understanding their meaning and that of the more explicit character revealing sonnets.
The recent “faction” novel The Royal Secret on the dramatic life of the great Elizabethan philosopher Francis Bacon offers an interesting way to re-examine Shakespeare’s credentials in the time the English Renaissance.