JOIN USSo what’s your favourite Kannada book?
Kannada is known for its glorious literary heritage. For Rajyotsava, Metrolife asked well-known writers and film personalities to recommend one Kannada book, and this is what they said:
Vivek Shanbhag, writer
Shivaram Karanth's novel 'Marali Mannige'.
His take: It deals with modernity, which is an eternal theme. Every generation has to negotiate modernity in its own way. While the specifics may be different, the core challenge remains the same for each generation.
Mansore, filmmaker
Poornachandra Tejaswi’s novels 'Jugari Cross' and ‘Karvalo’
His take: Let me choose two books. Tejaswi has this ability to convey serious ideas in simple Kannada. Many writers try to showcase language proficiency. They prefer style over content, but Tejaswi is different. His books deal with ideological conflicts, politics, and gangsters. But you don't feel they are heavy. For a filmmaker like me, he shows how to observe, and how local can be universal.
Vasudhendra, writer
Shivarama Karanth’s 'Balveye Belaku'
His take: It is non-fiction and perhaps the best book on life in general. Karanth is so confident and authentic. We see a lot of books on personality development. This book is right up there in the genre, but goes beyond it to give you a holistic view.
Ramesh Aravind, actor-director
His take: D V Gundappa's 'Mankuthimmana Kagga'
The verses here are about philosophy, and they convey DVG’s ideas in a nutshell. Everytime I read the book, I find new meanings in it. It’s definitely a classic.
Tara, actor-politician
Kuvempu’s novel 'Kanuru Heggadati'.
Her take: I first read it when I was to play the lead in its film adaptation by Girish Karnad. It inspired me to read more. It is close to my heart because of Kuvempu's extraordinary descriptive skills. It first took me two months to read it. Kuvempu takes you inside the mind of every character, and you can never forget them.