A prolific novelist with 26 novels under his belt, Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa, is a figure who has undoubtedly left a mark on Kannada literature. One of the most best-selling Kannada writers, the admired yet controversial writer’s works have captivated audiences. Whether it’s Girish Karnad and BV Karanth directed Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane and Vamsha Vriksha, Girish Kasaravalli’s Naayi Neralu or TN Seetharam’s Mathadana, one would be hard-pressed to find a Kannada speaker who has not encountered him, his stories or the ripples of his ideas in some way. With the 94-year-old writer’s passing due to a cardiac arrest on Wednesday afternoon after months of age-related health issues, literary personalities share a glimpse of who he was and the legacy he leaves behind.
(Inputs from Anjali Ram, Sruthi Hemachandran, Mahima Nagaraju and Reshma Syed)
I have mixed feelings today. We all grew up reading his works. His earlier novels were brilliant – it was avant-garde and futuristic in some ways. In recent times, his ideology changed. Everyone has a right to have an opinion. Even he had the right to opine regardless of whether we agree or not. Whether you approve or protest, he was a personality you could not ignore. His passing is a big blow to the literary world. One by one, we are losing all our seniors like Girish Karnad, UR Ananthamurthy and KV Tirumalesh, who shaped the younger minds of our times and the modern Kannada literary movement. His early works, like Doora Saridaru, were something our generation idolised and worshipped. And you have to give credit to that. You cannot take that away from him.
He was one of the most important writers in Kannada. His early works made us rethink conventional ideas, especially about mythology, though some male characters were quite exploitative. I loved his initial writings. However, later, with the rise of feminism, Dalit movement and diverse-marginalised voices, he didn’t seem to update his perspective and became more patriarchal and aligned with right-wing ideology. Still, he will be remembered as a stalwart of Kannada literature. His passing is a great loss.
I’m quite grief-striken. He was getting older by the day and his health was failing, but there was a false sense of everything being normal because till the very end, he was so active in the literary space. Even in the hospital, he would be reading and writing. With my recent book on Tipu Sultan, he managed to read about 950 pages word by word, requesting it in a large font, and gave me so much valuable feedback. That kind of generosity and interest from a figure who towers over any writer of my age, is a very rare trait. I’ve been reading his books from a very young age, from Thanthu and Bhitti to Vamshavriksha and Aavarana. He always stood for principle and that’s what attracted me. He was dedicated to the service of books and literature till the very end.
The kind of novels he had written in his prime is unbelievable. If you look at the number of pages of his books, some are over 3,000 pages. He used to put in a lot of effort to study a subject before starting a novel, and that’s a reason why he could do wonders with his work. Moreover, he was a humble author. He never put a single photograph of himself in his book, including his autobiography, which is rare. When he received money along with awards, he would give it to poor children or donate it to schools. Bhyrappa was number one and will remain so even after his death. When I wrote Tejo Tungabhadra, he read it and invited me home. He appreciated and happily served lunch to me. He was 92 then. I will forever cherish this memory.
Growing up, I was fascinated by Bhyrappa’s works like Vamshavriksha, Daatu and Grahana. I think people will remember him for this marvellous storytelling skill that he had as a writer. I didn’t know him personally. But I remember seeing him a few years ago. He was healthy and active then.