In Memorium : S. L. Bhyrappa

 Words are just insufficient to describe the sense of loss of a great person for the country, for the society and personally for me. One of my friends asked me to speak about SLB sir, but no matter how hard I tried, mind didn’t cooperate. Perhaps, it required some sinking in about the loss of an individual as accomplished, influential master like him. I am sure there are many more accomplished writers and authors who have worked closely with SLB sir and have written eloquently about the great man. I tried to put to words what impact he had on me in my life.

To describe S. L. Bhyrappa in words is to attempt to describe an ocean holding a fistful of water. The impact of his words on his audience was very individual, but highly impactful. I found SLB sir quite late (on relative terms) in my life. Though I had heard and read about him in papers, I never took up the courage to go and start reading his books. Perhaps, it was providence that I found his writings at a time when I was searching for my answers for myself. The first book I picked up was Aavarana. 

If there is one book that can jump start your journey in rediscovering yourself and your roots and culture, it’s Aavarna. When I completed the book, I had some answers, more questions but a clarity on what I really wanted to do. One may wonder if this is possible. Can a book exert such an influence on the individual? I believe it’s purely personal and it certainly did for me. I wasn’t worried about the historical accuracies, but the process and meticulous nature of preserving the history by Lakshmi’s father. This one aspect reignited the fire within me to read history, document what I know in forms I am familiar with. Searching for the data is paramount that finding datapoints to retrofit one’s mental model. The moment we stay true in our sojourn, the truth will be revealed from the veil.

This book encouraged me to collect all his writings in Kannada and English and like a possessed one, I quickly lapped up every possible edition that is available. SLB also became one of the 3 influential writers to have a deep, profound impact on me (DVG, Prof. K. S. Narayanaacharya being the other 2). Every time I read his book and wrote a review publicly or made notes in my book, there is a recurring theme in my comments: As a society, have we learnt anything? 

S. L. Bhyrappa was not just a writer, but a philosopher who chose the path of story telling to hold mirror to ourselves. He set his stories in the familiar lands of his childhood, which makes it quite relatable to many of us who have similar backgrounds. His characters were imperfect humans (as well are), yet have their own unique personality. In every book, he has ensure that a core message is passed onto the generations to come.  Do we really take these lessons a bit more seriously or treat it just as stories?

S. L. Bhyrappa will be remembered for a long time to come. Nicknamed Saraswati Putra, I feel he descended to give some timely reminders to the society, hold a mirror against itself. As he became one with the elements, his writings will become immortal. My only regret is not meeting him in person and taking his aashirwada.

My namasakra, Gurugale..