Padma Bhushan winning Kannada writer SL Bhyrappa dies of age-related health issues
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Bengaluru (PTI): Popular Kannada novelist and philosopher S L Bhyrappa died due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital here on Wednesday. He was 94 and is survived by his wife and two sons.
"The legendary Indian novelist, philosopher, Padma Shri, Padmabhushana, and Saraswathi Samman awardee Shri S L Bhyrappa suffered a cardiac arrest today at 2.38 pm and reached the lotus feet of the Almighty. Om Shanti !!!," Rashtrotthana Hospital said in a statement.
According to sources, Bhyrappa's body would be kept at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru for people to pay their last respects on September 25, and his cremation is likely to be held on September 26 in Mysuru, where he lived for many years.
Expressing grief over Bhyrappa's demise, the Karnataka government has decided to perform his last rites with full state honours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the death of Bhyrappa and described him as a "towering stalwart" who stirred people's conscience and delved deep into the soul of India.
"In the passing of Shri S L Bhyrappa Ji, we have lost a towering stalwart who stirred our conscience and delved deep into the soul of India. A fearless and timeless thinker, he profoundly enriched Kannada literature with his thought-provoking works. His writings inspired generations to reflect, question, and engage more deeply with society," Modi said.
"His unwavering passion for our history and culture will continue to inspire minds for years to come. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti," he said.
Bhyrappa has been the bestselling novelist for over 25 years now. His novels are widely translated to English and pan Indian languages.
He is known for depicting fundamental human emotions in his works, along with sharing his knowledge on Indian philosophical and cultural traditions.
Bhyrappa has penned about 25 novels and four volumes of literary criticism and books on aesthetics, social issues, and culture, among others. He is known for his popular novels 'Vamshavriksha', 'Daatu', 'Parva', and 'Mandara', among others.
He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Saraswati Samman, Sahitya Akademi Award,s among other honours.
His works like 'Naayi-Neralu', 'Matadana', 'Vamshavriksha', 'Tabbaliyu Neenaade Magane', have been adapted into films.
Bhyrappa's autobiography is titled Bhitti (Canvas).
Born in Santeshivara, a village in the Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district on August 20, 1931, Bhyrappa held an MA in Philosophy and a PhD in Aesthetics. He served as a Professor of Philosophy for over three decades at NCERT.
Bhyrappa is often regarded as a "right-wing writer" with pro-Hindutva leanings, particularly for his novel 'Avarana', which deals with the themes of Islamic invasion of India and religious conversion.
Expressing grief, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a post on 'X' said, "The literary world has been left poorer by the death of Bhyrappa, who had a huge readership due to his writing style." JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda said, "Bhyrappa's passing away is an irreparable loss to the Kannada literary world, as he gave the world excellent novels and touched the hearts of millions of readers." Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said, the death of Bhyrappa, who transformed the very way of perceiving and reading the Mahabharata and Ramayana through his novels, Parva and Uttarakanda, has come as a "profound shock".
Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, former CM B S Yediyurappa, Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra, among others condoled the death.
Writer and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty and her husband Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy were among those who visited the hospital to pay last respects to Bhyrappa.
"We have lost a literary stalwart. His contribution to Kannada literary work is immense," Sudha Murty told reporters.
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Hyderabad–B’luru, Chennai-B’luru among seven high-speed rail corridors announced in budget
New Delhi: India will expand its high-speed rail network with seven new corridors as part of efforts to promote faster and environmentally sustainable passenger transport, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced while presenting the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament on Sunday.
Outlining the government’s infrastructure plans, Sitharaman said the proposed high-speed rail corridors are aimed at improving connectivity between major economic and cultural centres, while also helping reduce the carbon footprint of long-distance travel.
“The government proposes to develop environmentally sustainable passenger transport systems through seven high-speed rail corridors,” the finance minister said in her Budget speech.
According to the announcement, the identified routes include Mumbai–Pune, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, Varanasi–Siliguri, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Chennai and Chennai–Bengaluru. These corridors are expected to link key metropolitan cities with fast-growing urban and industrial hubs.
