One needs enormous courage to challenge power, regressive practices in society, says writer

Writer Mahantesh Navalkal’s collection of short stories, Buddha Ganteya Saddu, being released at Kannada Bhavan in Kalaburagi on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Taking instances of banned literary works, writer and activist Meenakshi Bali said that a writer needs enormous courage to challenge those in power and the regressive practices in society.

“There are numerous instances of ban imposed on literary works in history. Only such works that demonstrate the courage to challenge power and question regressive practices are banned. There are instances of burning such books in public. Such works are later considered to be the best works from people’s point of view,” Ms. Bali said.

She was speaking at a public programme where writer Mahantesh Navalkal’s collection of short stories, Buddha Ganteya Saddu, was released at Kannada Bhavan in Kalaburagi on Sunday.

The event was organised by Samudaya Kalaburagi, in association with Pallava Prakashana.

“Banned works often create more curiosity and attract more readers. In the process, they emerge as the best and most-read works. There have been times when writers felt bad as their works were not in the list of banned works,” she said.

Commending Mr. Navalkal for his creativity in presenting agrarian distress in his work, Ms. Bali also expressed discontentment over the poor literary debate on the works of backward Kalyana Karnataka.

“The books written by the writers of South Karnataka normally get wider recognition and publicity. Discussions and debates begin in social media even before their publication. The works of North Karnataka or Kalyana Karnataka regions don’t get similar treatment from the literary world,” she said.

Deputy Director of Pre-University Education Shivasharanappa Mulegaon, who released the book, said that Mr. Navalkal’s stories speak on the people’s resistance to the liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies that were introduced in the early 1990s in India when P. V. Narasimha Rao was India’s Prime Minister and their impact on Indian agrarian economy.

“Despite strong and consistent resistance, the government began implementing globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation policies. Mr. Navalkal’s stories in the book give a vivid picture of the damage the policies have had on India’s agrarian economy,” he said.

Senior writer and activist R.K. Hudgi said that writers in Kalyana Karnataka who made great contribution to Kannada literary world did not receive the recognition that they deserved.

Writer Mr. Navalkal, head of Pallava Prakashana Pallava Venkatesh, president of Samudaya Kalaburagi Dattatreya Ikkalaki, writer Mahipal Reddy Munnur, readers at Central University of Karnataka Appagere Somashekhar and Vikram Visaji and others were present.