<p>The demise of r<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/s-l-bhyrappa-a-look-into-the-novelists-philanthropy-politics-and-upcoming-memorial-3742112">enowned writer S L Bhyrappa</a> brings back fond memories of our family interactions with the literary magician.</p><p>Our family was living in Mysuru in the 1980s and the 1990s. Bhyrappa would visit our home in Gangotri HUDCO layout, at least once in a fortnight, while on his return from the Regional College of Education (RCE) where he was teaching Logic and Philosophy. </p><p>He would have hours-long discussions on various topics with my father H G Suryanarayana Rao. He loved the 'strong' coffee prepared by my mother Sharada Rao. As children, we got an opportunity to see the personal side of the literary giant. </p>.End of an era! S L Bhyrappa dies at 91; Kannada literary world mourns celebrity novelist's demise .<p>SLB was a great connoisseur of Hindustani music. He would request us to play the recordings of Bhimsen Joshi, Parween Sultana, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain and Ravishankar, and listen to the music intently. My parents would make me sit outside the house to prevent anybody from ringing the calling bell during this music listening session.</p><p>Every visit of SLB offered a unique experience. On one occasion, he announced that he wanted to take up an experiment in the houses of his close friends. His idea was that every morsel of food should be chewed 30 times before swallowing! He would review the progress of this ‘chewing experiment’ regularly and assess its impact on our health. </p><p>SLB used to communicate in silence. Though he looked stern and serious, he had great human qualities. My father passed away in 1985 when I was pursuing research in economics at Manasa Gangotri, University of Mysore. He continued to visit our house and review the status of my PhD work periodically. He always used to ask me "not to become a last paragraph PhD awardee." He would refer to the remarks of the evaluators that sometimes the ‘doctoral degree’ is awarded to a scholar for toiling three to five years on research work and not for any significant findings. He would also ask if I required any financial assistance.</p>.A titan's pen falls silent: Kannada literary world mourns the loss of S L Bhyrappa.<p>SLB always believed in original research and never compromised on principles. If he was not visiting our home, it only meant that he was writing his latest novel either sitting in a remote place in the Himalayas, in a village in some other part of the country, or in a friend’s house. That period would continue for several months. </p><p>Writing a novel was like a meditation for SLB. Every word he wrote emerged from his deep research and first-hand experience.</p><p>Branded as a ‘rightist writer’ and SLB was an agnostic and never lobbied for recognition.</p>
<p>The demise of r<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/s-l-bhyrappa-a-look-into-the-novelists-philanthropy-politics-and-upcoming-memorial-3742112">enowned writer S L Bhyrappa</a> brings back fond memories of our family interactions with the literary magician.</p><p>Our family was living in Mysuru in the 1980s and the 1990s. Bhyrappa would visit our home in Gangotri HUDCO layout, at least once in a fortnight, while on his return from the Regional College of Education (RCE) where he was teaching Logic and Philosophy. </p><p>He would have hours-long discussions on various topics with my father H G Suryanarayana Rao. He loved the 'strong' coffee prepared by my mother Sharada Rao. As children, we got an opportunity to see the personal side of the literary giant. </p>.End of an era! S L Bhyrappa dies at 91; Kannada literary world mourns celebrity novelist's demise .<p>SLB was a great connoisseur of Hindustani music. He would request us to play the recordings of Bhimsen Joshi, Parween Sultana, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain and Ravishankar, and listen to the music intently. My parents would make me sit outside the house to prevent anybody from ringing the calling bell during this music listening session.</p><p>Every visit of SLB offered a unique experience. On one occasion, he announced that he wanted to take up an experiment in the houses of his close friends. His idea was that every morsel of food should be chewed 30 times before swallowing! He would review the progress of this ‘chewing experiment’ regularly and assess its impact on our health. </p><p>SLB used to communicate in silence. Though he looked stern and serious, he had great human qualities. My father passed away in 1985 when I was pursuing research in economics at Manasa Gangotri, University of Mysore. He continued to visit our house and review the status of my PhD work periodically. He always used to ask me "not to become a last paragraph PhD awardee." He would refer to the remarks of the evaluators that sometimes the ‘doctoral degree’ is awarded to a scholar for toiling three to five years on research work and not for any significant findings. He would also ask if I required any financial assistance.</p>.A titan's pen falls silent: Kannada literary world mourns the loss of S L Bhyrappa.<p>SLB always believed in original research and never compromised on principles. If he was not visiting our home, it only meant that he was writing his latest novel either sitting in a remote place in the Himalayas, in a village in some other part of the country, or in a friend’s house. That period would continue for several months. </p><p>Writing a novel was like a meditation for SLB. Every word he wrote emerged from his deep research and first-hand experience.</p><p>Branded as a ‘rightist writer’ and SLB was an agnostic and never lobbied for recognition.</p>
