<p>Noted Kannada writer S L Bhyrappa on Wednesday received the Saraswati Samman award for his novel ‘Mandra’. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Noted Kannada writer S L Bhyrappa on Wednesday received the Saraswati Samman award for his novel ‘Mandra’. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /></p>
