'Need to reintroduce Indian epics to people in original forms'

Scholar Shatavadhani R Ganesh said that many writers while retelling stories have not been doing justice to the original authors of Indian literature.

He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the fourth edition of Mangaluru Lit Fest, organised by Bharat Foundation, at Hotel Ocean Pearl, on Friday.

“Literary works should reveal the truth without any prejudices. While studying great literary works, one should not be narrow-minded,” he said.

Ganesh stressed that in order to read ancient Indian works, one needs to learn Sanskrit.

He observed that great characters such as Lord Rama were shown in a poor light while retelling Ramayana in various forms.

Ramayana and Mahabharata became popular epics as they propagated the significance of truth and righteousness, he said.

"These epics provided an opportunity for people to reflect upon their lives. Thus, there is a need to reintroduce the Indian epics to the people, in their original forms," added Ganesh.

He said that dividing literature into various categories is an attempt to divide the literary world.

Poet laureate Kuvempu had maintained that 'rasa' is the rule of a poet. Those who do not have an emotional quotient deny the concept of 'rasa', he said.

Literature of today lacks 'rasa'. Indian art forms also need to be seen in a holistic way, instead of separating them into a number of sub-categories, he added.

“Art in its purest form represents the truth. The main objective of art is invoking good feelings. Such positive aspects need to be discussed,” he said.

Shatavadhani Ganesh lamented that the art of Avadhana is tagged as art meant only for Brahmins. But, it is not true.

The government has not been providing encouragement to Avadhana art. Today, no programmes or research are conducted on ancient Kannada literature, Shatpadi and Sangatya, he added.

He also recollected that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have inspired them with their rich culture, writers and poets.

Mythic Society management board member V Prasanna was present.