Bangalore (Karnataka): Writer prodigy Ria Vithasha, known by her pen name Muddu Thirthahalli aged 17, has authored five novels and won a Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. The ‘wishy-washy’ response of the Prime Minister on the killing of senior Kannada writer MM Kalburgi distressed her enough to take the decision to return the award.

The higher secondary school student was conferred the prestigious award for her 2011 collection of essays “Ondu Chandrana Tundu”.

Vithasha, whose novel “Kaada Haadiya Hoogalu” has been made into an award-winning film, said she was pained that the police and government have not yet caught assassins of Kalburgi. Vithasha’s mother Lydia D’Mello said her daughter wanted to return the award in protest after hearing the Kannada writer Chandrashekar Patil decided to return his Pampa award, one of the highest literary honours conferred by the department of Kannada and culture of Karnataka. “She was close to Kalburgi and had attended many functions in his hometown Dharwad. She wanted to do something when she heard of his killing but we advised her to have patience,” Ms D’Mello said.

“I knew Kalburgi from childhood and have read all his books. I cried a lot when he was killed and wanted to return my award but my parents told me to have patience and wait. Now so much time has elapsed and still there is nothing being done so like the other writers have done, I have returned my award,” Vithasha told the media.

Over 40 writers have returned their awards to protest the increasing incidents of hate and violence by fringe groups, which  have been emboldened by the tacit and sometimes overt patronage of members of India’s  ruling dispensation.

[prepared by Newsnet desk from media reports]

  Bengaluru, HATE CRIME, India, Kalburgi, Karnataka, NARENDRA MODI, wirters