Noted Kannada writer S L Bhyrappa on Wednesday received the Saraswati Samman award for his novel ‘Mandra’.
Constituted by the K K Birla Foundation, the award consists of Rs 7.50 lakh, a citation and a plaque. Addressing a gathering after receiving the award, Bhyrappa said literature should not subserve the cause of change, modernity and upliftment of the downtrodden.
He said literature is not against change or modernity in society, but it should not lose its identity and freedom. “Literature itself is a vast, possibly the widest, field in which all the values of life can be explored,” Bhyrappa said. Indian Council for Cultural Relations president Karan Singh, K K Birla Foundation president Shobhana Bhartia and the jury were present on the occasion.
Published 16 November 2011, 15:28 IST