S L Bhyrappa, a renowned author and novelist who was awarded the Padma Bhushan on Thursday, said it is a significant honour if a writer’s work continues to be relevant after his or her death.
Expressing happiness on being conferred with the Padma Bhushan, he said he got the award as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister.
“All that I can say is, as Modi is the Prime Minister I have got this award, if not I wouldn’t have…not sure why not earlier,” Bhyrappa said in response to a question if the award was overdue. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, “awards will come and go, no one will observe what award a writer has got, if they (readers) have an interest in his (writer) book they will like it. A writer may die one day, what is important is will there be relevance to his book even after his death.”
Bhyrappa is a well-known Kannada novelist who specialises in writing on society and morals in Indian epics. His work has been translated into over 14 languages. Film adaptations of his books Vamshavruksha, Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane, Matadana, and Nayi Neralu have won praise from critics. Aavarana is among the most well-known novels out there.
Among other awards, he has received the Padma Shri, Saraswati Samman, and Sahitya Akademi Awards. Bhyrappa noted that he is pleased to get this honour and stated, “It is dedicated to the residents of Mysuru since they have fostered me ever since I arrived here for high school. Mysuru served as the idea for the pieces I started writing when I sat down to write them.”
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