HYDERABAD: Even months after Gauri Lankesh was murdered in Bengaluru, her friends and family are yet to determine why she was the target. In conversation with her close friend Chandan Gowda, and publisher Kannan Sundaram, Gita Ramaswamy from the Hyderabad Book Trust explored the unknown side of Lankesh.
Kannan said that when there were so many activists who were a lot more vocal in defying the system, it was strange that Lankesh was targetted. Also, it was a sad sign, he said that only after people die that we see an uprising in the country. Agreeing with Kannan, Ramaswamy pointed out about insensitivity among people. This session was preceded by a talk by leading journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, which witnessed a packed audience. However, the session on ‘Gauri Lankesh — A life in Courage and Compassion’ - had a handful of attendance.
Meanwhile, Gowda recalled his time with Lankesh as a close friend and how she was persistent in her fight against injustice. “She was reckless in a way, if you look at the things she published. Also, she was someone who embraced her weaknesses,” he recalled.Ramaswamy talked about how Bengaluru saw an uprising of sorts after her death.
However, the reason behind this remains a mystery. “People from different walks of life turned up for varied reasons. Such was her reach,” she said.Gowda said threats were common for Lankesh, and she never paid heed to any of them. “The architecture of her house and office was simple. There was nothing to place to protect her in case of an attack,” said Gowda.