About the Lecture
P. Lankesh (1935-2000) was one of the leading Kannada writers who experimented with many literary forms and excelled in most of them. He directed four off-beat films and bagged the Swarna Kamal award for Best Direction. In his mid-forties, Lankesh launched a politico-cultural weekly, Lankesh Patrike, which shaped the consciousness of at least two generations of Kannada readers. His anti-establishment stance and uncompromising secular outlook made him one of the most important public intellectuals of the 20th century. In this talk, I share my experiences with Lankesh and my views on his literary and cultural significance.
About the Speaker
Nataraj Huliyar is a major Kannada writer and Professor of Comparative Literature at Bangalore University. He is presently Director, Gandhi Research Centre, Bangalore University. His research interests include modern African literature and Kannada literature. His extensive publications include essays in criticism, short stories, plays and a novel, Kamana Hunnime (2018). He has also compiled and edited anthologies of the writings of Ram Manohar Lohia, MD Nanjundaswamy, Ki Ram Nagaraj and P Lankesh.