Rushdie’s remark on regional language, literature disappointing, says Prakash Belawadi

Indian playwright and artiste Prakash Belawadi took exception to novelist Salman Rushdie’s statement that, in India, modern great literature is what is written in English and there is nothing great in the vernacular languages. 

“I was disappointed and enraged,” Belawadi said during an interaction held as a precursor to the English theatrical adaptation of Parva, S L Bhyrappa’s Kannada novel. 

Balawadi also directed the play, which will be staged between October 19 and 21 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. The theatrical adaptation has five acts and four intervals. 

According to Belawadi, he was even more disappointed when author Khushwant Singh endorsed Rushdie’s statement. He said the play ‘Parva’ would bring forth the depth in regional-language literature. 

Bhyrappa praised the efforts of Belawadi in adapting a 600-odd-page novel into a play. “The original version of Parva runs into 600 pages while the translated version is around 900 pages. I was curious about how Belawadi will turn it into a play, but he has done a commendable job,” he said. 

Asked where his stay in the northern part of India for more than a decade helped him achieve perfection in capturing minute details while building Parva, Bhyrappa said: “It did. My stay in various villages helped me understand society better. Hence I say, I am Bharatiya first, and as a part of it, I am a Kannadiga.”