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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Telangana: Man sets woman on fire for 'rejecting' marriage proposal
Hyderabad (PTI): A 28-year-old married woman was set on fire allegedly by a man after she "rejected" his marriage proposal in Mahabubabad town on Tuesday, police said.
The accused, in his 40s, who runs a shop, had developed an "illicit" relationship with the woman and was suspecting that she was in contact with another person and that she was "ignoring" him.
He poured petrol on the woman when she was alone at her house and set her on fire. He then hugged her and both of them suffered injuries, police said.
They were initially shifted to Government Hospital in Mahabubabad and later admitted to another state-run Hospital in Warangal for further treatment.
As per the doctors, the woman suffered 90 per cent burns in the incident while the accused 75 per cent burns, police said.
The woman's mother, in a complaint to the police, stated that her daughter was married to a man in Gudur mandal.
Due to family disputes, the woman came to Mahabubabad along with her two children and was residing there for the past three years.
She was running a vegetable cart. The accused was already married, and his wife had passed away. He developed an"illicit" relationship with the woman, police said.
The accused allegedly forced and harassed the victim to marry him, the complainant said.
Based on a complaint, an attempt to murder case was registered in connection with the incident, police added.
