Political system making literature unidimensional: Shivaprakash

'Kannada literary movements should become vibrant'

The tendency of writers to hobnob with politicians in a bid to gain position and favours is not a welcome sign, said senior writer H S Shivaprakash.

He was delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of Dharwad Sahitya Sambhrama here on Friday. The writer said the nexus between writers and politicians in power has not yielded good results to the society. “A writer should be a guiding light to the ruler. However, today, the writer has become a politician’s flag-bearer,” he noted.

Shivaprakash also expressed his displeasure at the absence of vibrancy in Kannada literature in recent years. “Literature should have led to movements, dialogues and pro-active works. But all that has come to a standstill,” he said.

Without naming any party or organisation, Shivaprakash observed that there have been conscious attempts in literary circles to confine literature from multidimensional to unidimensional.

“The current day writers are not creative. They are just copying from the Navodaya or Navya forms,” he added.

He also recalled the contribution of Dharwad writers and artists to art, music and literature. Shivaprakash said, the district had remained the alert and active cultural hub and recalled poets, including Sarvajna, Kumaravyasa, Bendre, Karnad, musicians Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Mansur, Gangubai Hanagal, Rajguru and others who gave Dharwad district a distinguished place in the cultural world.