Namma Diwakar – Celebrating 80 years of the Kannada poet, author and translator 

Talking about his life, and journey as an author to The Hindu, soon to be 80, S. Diwakar says it has been a beautiful journey, “A lot has happened over 80 years and it is difficult to describe how it has been. Even if my life has not been good, it has always been better. I would say that the last 80 years have been a beautiful journey. My life as a writer has been quite good. I am not a prolific writer, but when the urge is there to write I do. Whatever I have written over the last five decades, I have written out of love. Even in the case of translation, I translate because I want to share the pleasure of reading a particular work in a language. It gives me joy to share the works of many wonderful writers with Kannada readers. So, my journey as a writer and translator has always been great”.  

Over the last five decades, S. Diwakar has been a luminous force in Kannada literature, excelling as a poet, short story author, essayist, critic, translator, and anthologist. His endeavours, including translating 50 short stories by Nobel Prize laureates and curating the finest short stories by Kannada writers of the past century, have earned him admiration akin to that of an explorer dedicated to uncovering marvelous tales from around the globe.   

Talking about his life, and journey as an author to The Hindu, soon to be 80, S. Diwakar says it has been a beautiful journey, “A lot has happened over 80 years and it is difficult to describe how it has been. Even if my life has not been good, it has always been better. I would say that the last 80 years have been a beautiful journey. My life as a writer has been quite good. I am not a prolific writer, but when the urge is there to write I do. Whatever I have written over the last five decades, I have written out of love. Even in the case of translation, I translate because I want to share the pleasure of reading a particular work in a language. It gives me joy to share the works of many wonderful writers with Kannada readers. So, my journey as a writer and translator has always been great”.  

Sharing his thoughts on the future of Kannada literature, Diwakar says there are many young writers, but there is a visible lack of young readers of Kannada literature, “As long as the language is alive literature will be alive. Kannada as a language is 2,000 years old, a language much older than English, so the future will always be good. Many countries that do not speak English, like China, are learning the language for business, if Kannada as a language can give people employment, business and money, the language will emerge to be stronger.”

“There are many young Kannada writers, I open social media platforms, and it makes me happy to see that many writers post their small or big works in Kannada. Young Kannada writers are also being recognised well, compared to the years when we started writing. There are many programs and scholarships that fund and encourage young writers. Publishing books is also much easier now, back then it was hard to find a good publisher. However, there are many publishers now and the process of publishing is cheaper. An author can even publish a book by themselves”. 

“However, I do feel that there is a lack of young readers. Not many youngsters are interested in reading Kannada literature. Which is a little concerning. But as I mentioned earlier, if the language is alive, literature will be alive too”, Diwakar added.   

On asked if he will continue writing and if there is some new work to be released for book lovers, Diwakar says he would never stop writing, “I have never stopped writing and will never stop. I am currently writing a few stories that are in process and yet to be released. My next book Akruti Matthu Ashaya, a collection of stories from across the world, will be released on November 26”.   

As the writer will soon be turning 80 years old, a group called S. Diwakar Geleyara Balaga is organising an event commemorating the writer’s work and life, on November 26. The event marks a felicitation to Diwakar and his work with the release of the books Parimalada Padasale by Veeraloka Books and Akruti Matthu Ashaya written by Diwakar himself. A reading of excerpts from Diwakar’s writings by theatre maker S. Surendranath, Shripathi, and Soumya, along with a musical collage of Bhavageete by Parameshwar Hegde Sangeet Academy curated and composed by Pandit Parameshwar Hegde will also be presented at the program. The event will begin at 10:15 am, at the Indian Institue of World Culture at Basavanagudi.