S.L. Bhyrappa

S.L. Bhyrappa is a Kannada novelist, whose fame is not confined to Karnataka only, but has spread all over India as well as the United States. He is one of the torch-bearers of the modern Indian novel and his translations in Hindi and Marathi, have further accentuated his popularity. Born in the Channarayapatna village of Hasan district. Bhyrappa had faced difficult days. Having lost his mother at an early age, he had to take up menial jobs to continue his education.

But, literature had always been an essential part of his life. Even during those hard days, writer Gorur RamaswamyIyengar inspired him. He had completed his primary education in Channarayapatna before moving to Sharada Vilas High School, Mysore. He started his career as a Lecturer of Philosophy at Sri Kadasiddheswar College, Hubli. Later, he moved to the Sardar Patel University in Gujarat, and lastly at the Regional College of Education, from where he retired in 1991.  

His first published novel was ‘Bheemakaya'(1958), followed by more successful novels such as Vamishavruksha, Tabbaliyu, Neenade Magane, Matadena and Nayi Neralu. Some of these were later adapted into films which won many hearts. Infact, one of his novels, ‘Vamshavruksha’ received the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award. His creation, ‘Daatu’ has received the Sahitya Akademi Award in both the Kannada and Kendra section. One of his novels, ‘Parva’ that has won many accolades, depicts the morals, hierarchy relating to our greatest epic, Mahabharata.

Many of his novels have been translated into other Indian languages, including Marathi and Hindi. One of his latest novels, ‘Avarana’ achieved tremendous success by creating a record of ten reprints within five months of its release. ‘Yaana’, another of his novel was published in 2014. His recent novel, “Uttar Kanda” a note of freshness is noted; through it’s re-telling of the Ramayana from Sita's perspective. The novel has been awarded the Saraswat Samman. Satish Khusal, one of his fans said that he loves Bhyrappa's novels due to his realistic portrayal of characters.

Bhyrappa has not been devoid of controversy as his novels have always aimed at challenging the Indian Philosophy. He vehemently criticized the riots during the Kaveri issue. Nevertheless, he has to his credit many prestigious awards such as the Padma Sri Award, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, Nadoja Award and many others.

Bhyrappa Family Tree (Infographic Family Tree)