The Novelist Nonpareil

Dr S L Bhyrappa (1931–2025) has often been hailed as a Bharatiya author who wrote in Kannada. His novels have consistently been on the bestseller lists since his early success in the 1960s. His works have been widely translated into Marathi, English, and Hindi as a result of which his popularity is not restricted to Karnataka. In fact, his novels have also been translated into Russian, Chinese, and German in addition to numerous Indian languages. 

It would be an understatement to say that Bhyrappa had a rough childhood. His birth and boyhood were amidst death and disgrace, damage and despair. He suffered untold miseries both physically and emotionally. But he did not crumble under the weight of misfortune. Rather he used it to his advantage by deeply thinking about death, basic human nature, and relationships from a young age.

In an interview, he was asked if he held any bitterness towards society as an outcome of the vicissitudes he faced as a lad. Pat came the reply, “How could I? All the people who helped me at various stages of my boyhood and youth were also from the same society.” Instead of bearing grudges against those who harmed and humiliated him, he cultivated gratitude towards those who nurtured him.

Poverty was his companion all through his growing years but his strong sense of dharma never allowed him to swerve from the path of righteousness. He did odd jobs to survive and that became a wonderful repository of ideas, situations, and emotions which would fuel his creativity.

His early novels have a strong autobiographical streak: Bheemakaaya, Dharmashree, and Gruhabhanga. He once told the polymath-poet Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh, “The first three or four novels of anyone is bound to be autobiographical. It is important to write them and exhaust the stories from our own life. It is only after that we get to writing real fiction. We have no option but to be creative!”

Along with his rich personal experiences, Bhyrappa had the advantage of studying philosophy and aesthetics as part of his formal education. This provided a solid foundation that would later manifest in his novels characterised by philosophical depth and aesthetic layering.

If that wasn’t enough, he backed it with painstaking research on the subject he chose and relentlessly strove to polish his craft. To top it all, he was fearless and forthright; his choice of topics sometimes landed him in controversy. But he always handled them with calmness and reason.

Practically everything he wrote ended up becoming classics. A renowned Kannada author (possibly K P Poornachandra Tejaswi) once remarked that S L Bhyrappa is the reason why people are still reading Kannada books!

The themes explored by Bhyrappa in his novels are breath-taking. He wrote on the themes of society and culture (Vamshavruksha, Gruhabhanga, Daatu, Anveshana), history (Saartha, Aavarana), retelling of epics (Parva, Uttarakaanda), politics (Matadaana, Tantu), philosophy (Niraakarana, Grahana, Nele), art (Mandra, Jalapaata), psychological exploration (Saakshi, Anchu), contemporary society (Dharmashree, Tabbaliyu Neenaade Magane, Kavalu), reincarnation (Naayi Neralu), and even science fiction (Yaana).

Needless to say, such categorisation is merely for the sake of examination; each of his novels has multiple layers and traverse many sub-themes.

Dr Bhyrappa not only created whole generations of readers but also inspired many young writers. The brilliance and the popularity of his novels instilled hope in the minds of budding authors that they too could write in Kannada and find discerning readers. Furthermore, he actively mentored upcoming writers and encouraged their efforts. He would take time to read the novels of young writers and offer constructive criticism.

I deem it my good fortune that I had the chance to closely interact with Bhyrappaji on multiple occasions over the past eight years.

He graciously wrote the foreword for one of the books that I co-translated (a book about the Mahabharata written by Dr. S R Ramaswamy). When I went to meet him with my co-author Arjun Bharadwaj, he handed us the foreword written out in long hand spanning fifteen pages. Then he spoke about the preparation he underwent before writing Parva. In addition to reading the original Mahabharata several times over, he travelled far and wide to various sites mentioned in the epic. I doubt if even a doctoral candidate would go through so much trouble to obtain a PhD! Every single novel of Bhyrappa has behind it meticulous homework, sometimes spanning years.

In the same interaction, he asked Arjun and me, “How is your financial situation? You say that you are full-time writers but do you earn enough to take care of your expenses?” When we assured him that we were financially stable, he said, “If that is the case, then be generous with your money. Those who work for you or offer their services, pay them well. It is important to financially support those who work hard.” And this is something that Dr. Bhyrappa himself did all through his career. He was particular to receive his royalties and he was particular to pay people who did any work for him. 

In 2017, when Dr Bhyrappa was invited to speak at the Jaipur Lit. Fest, he invited well-known political commentator and author Sandeep Balakrishna to accompany him. While they were at the Lit. Fest, Bhyrappa spotted a famous journalist and desired to have a word with him. Sandeep cautioned him saying, “He is a pompous fellow, sir. It is a waste of your time interacting with a person who is so egoistic and self-involved.”

Nevertheless, Bhyrappa walked up to the man and said with his characteristic simplicity, “I am Bhyrappa from Mysore.” The renowned journalist of pan-Indian popularity had no clue who Bhyrappa was and spoke to him as if he were an elderly fan.

After the brief exchange, Bhyrappa returned to a sulking Sandeep who was naturally upset at the manner in which Bhyrappa was slighted. “Sir, he is a typical Delhi journalist. Why did you waste your time talking with him?” Bhyrappa chuckled and said, “I wanted to see how a journalist of that stature behaves. I wanted to observe his words and his mannerisms. I just wanted to get an idea about a character like him.” That was Bhyrappa. A man who looked at characters around him rather than taking anything personally. This is the result of profound detachment, not easily accessible to everyone.

Some years back, I had called upon a young friend of mine who had lost his father after a debilitating illness. Unable to find words to console him, I just sat with him looking blankly at his freshly shaven head. He smiled and said, “I have come to terms with this tragedy. The verses of the Bhagavad-gita and the novels of Bhyrappa instilled courage in me. They held me in good stead.” That day I realised that Bhyrappaji has a rightful place in the long line of rishis that Bharatavarsha has produced over millennia.

Dr Bhyrappa’s death leaves a void that cannot be filled. He is no longer with us but what gives us solace is that his immortal writings will always be at our side, ready to imbue us with confidence to face the morbid realities of the world.

Hari Ravikumar is an author and co-translator of Dr Bhyrappa’s 'Matadaana'.