The imperative that writers localise themselves, stay rooted in regional tradition is a complex one. His literary seriousness, his ever-wakeful political instincts, his joy in ideas, his interventionist attitude which was rooted in a quiet courage and abjured cynicism or despair, his ceaseless curiosity about everything, his warmth, among other striking qualities, made him unlike anyone else I knew. I cherish the time I spent in his scintillating company. He could talk for hours without letting the intensity diminish. I came to know him well after my college years due to my friendship with his son, Sharath. I was drawn to how he had sought to work out the very difficult relationship between the traditional and the modern worlds in his writings and activism. Tell us about what Ananthamurthy has meant in your life as a reader, columnist and teacher, especially how you relate to his imperative that writers localise themselves, be rooted in a regional tradition.Ĭhandan Gowda (CG): URA was a deep influence. Apart from knowing him personally, you’ve played the lead in the TV adaptation of Bharathipura, translated from his work, done these extended interviews with him. Salim Yusufji (SY): Let us begin with your many-sided acquaintance with U R Ananthamurthy and his work.

He is presently editing and co-translating Daredevil Mustafa, a book of short fiction by Purnachandra Tejasvi, and completing a book on the cultural history of development in old Mysore. His most recent book, A Life in the World (Harper India, 2019), is a collection of interviews with U R Ananthamurthy and forms the subject of this conversation with Salim Yusufji.

He is also a literary translator, and has translated Kannada fiction and non-fiction into English, including Bara, a novella by U R Ananthamurthy. Chandan Gowda is professor of sociology at the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, and writes a regular column for Deccan Herald.

Ambedkar by Salim Yusufji