Retrieving a Distinct Voice

Rajalakshmi N. Rao is a distinctive modernist voice in Indian literature, who wrote powerful short fiction in both Kannada and English. Born into a literary family—she is the granddaughter of the eminent Kannada writer B. M. Srikantaiah— she published her first English story, “The Rain”, in The Illustrated Weekly of India (1954) at the age of nineteen, followed by a stream of English stories in Deccan Herald and Kannada stories in Prajavani and other Kannada publications. In 1956, she brought out her only Kannada short story collection, Sangama. Her work is marked by intense prose, psychological depth, and a modernist sensibility, exploring themes of emotional intimacy, existential struggle, and self-realisation. Her characters—often young, educated, and urban—reflect the shifting moods and aspirations of a newly modernising India.

Following a brief period of marriage and motherhood, Rao withdrew from the literary scene and eventually embraced a spiritual path, dividing her time between an ashram in Uttarakashi and Machilipatnam. The recent publication of Sangama – Pastorale, which brings together her complete Kannada short fiction along with, for the first time, a dozen of her stories in English, restores to prominence a major voice in Indian literature.

Ramya, also known as Divya Spandana is a well known Indian actor and former Member of Parliament from Mandya, Karnataka. She gained fame through her work in cinemas and later transitioned into politics, where she made a strong impact as a young and articulate leader.

She also served as the Head of the Indian National Congress’ social media wing, where her digital campaigns garnered international attention. Known for her bold voice and public engagement, Ramya is recognized for her commitment to youth empowerment, gender equality, and fostering inclusive public discourse. Her work bridges the worlds of entertainment, politics and social advocacy, making her a unique and respected public figure.

Asha Devi is Professor of Kannada at Maharani University, Bengaluru.  Her publications include the works of literary criticism, Belakiginta Bellage (Whiter than Light, 2016) and Naduve Suliva Atma (The Moving Self Within, 2011).

Usha B.N is a translator, teacher and photographer, she has been closely associated with youth rights and women’s rights groups in Bengaluru. She has worked with rural women’s collectives in Karnataka on gender, rights and law for more than 15 years.

Nithyananda B Shetty is currently Professor of Kannada Studies at Tumkur University.  His areas of research interest include modern and classical Kannada literature, culture and film studies.  He has published two books on Kannada literary research, Maarganveshane (Introduction to Kannada Literary Research, 2022) and Sahitya Samoshadhane (Research in Literature, 2022). He has also written Rashtreeyateyu Srishtisida Karnataka (Nationality and the Formation of Karnataka, 2018), among other books. He has edited the Kannada translation of Kalatatvakosha, a four volume lexicon of fundamental concepts in Indian Arts edited by Kapila Vatsyayana. He also edited Loka Jnana, a peer reviewed inter disciplinary journal of cultural studies in Kannada. He is currently working on the interface of Kannada and Tulu Literature.

Chandan Gowda is Professor and Dean, School of Liberal Arts, Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru. A book of his essays, Another India: Events, Memories, People (Simon and Schuster, India), was published last year.  Another book of his, Longing for an Elsewhere: Mysore and the Making of India’s Developmental State, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press (New York) early next year. At present, he is editing, The Greatest Kannada Short Stories Ever Told (Aleph) and Daredevil Mustafa (HarperCollins, India), a book of short stories by the Kannada writer, Purnachandra Tejasvi. He is a columnist with Deccan Herald.