Idea of ‘Akhand Bharat’ in my soul; all my works are reflection of the country: S L Bhyrappa

Mangaluru, Nov 4: Veteran Kannada novelist and advocate of Sangh Parivar’s Hindutva S L Bhyrappa was on Saturday honoured with the lifetime achievement award for his immense contributions towards ‘The Idea of Bharat’ at the Mangaluru Literary Festival organised by Mangaluru Literary Foundation at TMA Pai International Convention Centre, here.

Speaking on the occasion, the Saraswati Samman awardee said an Indian work will be one where there is a reflection of the whole nation. The writer will need to do a thorough research and have a close understanding of the lifestyle of people in different parts of the country, he said.

Mr. Bhyrappa said all his works were reflection of the whole country. “While in some works you find it substantially, there are works where you see in a subtle way,” he said.

While expressing his distaste for writers ignoring north Indians and disregarding Hindi and Sanskrit, Mr. Bhyrappa said: “No one will accept such works.”

While stating that the idea of ‘Akhand Bharat’ was in his soul, Mr. Bhyrappa said that extensive travel across the country and spending time in villages has helped to realise that people were bound by one common culture. “Our practices might be different from one region to another, but culturally it’s one culture that is seen across,” he said.

While expressing his appreciation for the way students in Sri Rama School in Kalladka in Bantwal were being taught, Mr. Bhyrappa gave away the cheque he received as a part of the award for the midday meals of the school.