SL Bhyrappa (1931-2025): The Kannada novelist and the precipice of creativity

The Kannada litterateur Chitrashekhar Kanthi once asked me who, in my estimation, was the Kannada writer with the greatest storytelling skills. Twenty-six years ago, my understanding of literature had not grown beyond making judgments on what was good, bad or ugly. “Srikrishna Alanahalli,” I replied. Kanthi then wanted to know my choice from among the living writers. I told him that I admired SL Bhyrappa the most. “Why not Kum Veerabhadrappa or Poornachandra Tejaswi?” He asked me. “I regard them highly too,” I replied, “but not as much as Bhyrappa.”

Kanthi smiled, perhaps with a sense of disbelief. “Have you read Sartha?” he asked. This was Bhyrappa’s novel, published a year earlier (1998). “No,” I said. “Please do. You might reconsider your opinion.” Kanthi was right.

When Bhyrappa passed away on September 24 at the age of 94, it was this meeting with Kanthi in the autumn of 1999 that came to mind immediately. I can’t recall another meeting with Kanthi in which Bhyrappa was the subject of our discussion. In fact, it surprises me how little Bhyrappa has figured in my conversations with Kannada writers over the last 30 years, including the ones with Bhyrappa himself. This bestselling novelist, with his widely acclaimed...

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