Bengaluru: The Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF): Another writer withdraws from the festival Mr. O L Nagabhushana Swamy is the third Kannada writer to boycott the festival. Several writers from other languages and English expected to withdraw from the festival in protest against Mr. Vikram Sampath.
The Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) scheduled to be held on December 5 and 6 received a jolt on Friday with a third Kannada writer announcing that he will not attend the Festival.
On Thursday two young Kannada writers Mr. T K Dayananda and Mr. Arif Raja had announced that they will not attend the Festival in protest against Mr. Vikram Sampath, one of the organisers of the Festival. Both of them attributed their decision to Mr. Vikram Sampath's support for right wing opinion on returning awards.
On Friday, Prof. O L Nagabhushana Swamy also announced his decision of withdrawing from the Festival. O L Nagabhushana Swamy is Honorary Director, Translation Centre, Sahitya Akademy, Bengaluru and has been Professor and Head, Department of English, Maharani’s Arts College in Bengaluru since 1998. He has taught at various Government Colleges in Karnataka since 1973.
He was Editor, Aniketana, Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Bangalore (2001-2004); Member, General Council, Sahitya Academy, New Delhi (1994-1999); Dean, Faculty of Languages, Kannada University (1992-1995) and Member, Syndicate of Kannada University (1993-1995). A prolific writer in Kannada, he has authored 37 books.
He has been conferred with the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award for Criticism, 1983, Tinamsri Award from Mysore University, 1984, SS Malawad Award from Karnataka University, Dharwad, 1984 and Karnataka Sahitya Academy award for translation in 2001. On Day 1 of the Festival on December 5, Mr. Nagabhushana Swamy was supposed to moderate an event in Stage 1 called Sirigannada- Hindhe, Indhu, Mundhe; Kannada past, present and future.
Boycott: Meanwhile, several other writers from other languages and English are also expected to boycott the Festival in protest against increasing incidents of intolerance and Mr. Vikram Sampath's support for the right wing. "Several other writers are also expected to boycott the festival. But they may not issue any statement officially,” said a writer who is also contemplating withdrawing from the Festival.
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