Novelist highlights the disaster caused by internet, people must resist

Mangalore Today News Network

Manipal, Sep 18,2017: Manipal University Lit Fest ‘Milap’ brought some well-known people in the literary world onto the stage during the event at Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities.  A release detailed that  Kiran Nagarkar, novelist, spoke on ‘Mythology and Contemporary Sensibility’. The session started with the dramatic reading of his play ‘Bedtime Story’ performed by students of the MCPH theatre club. The play was guided by author Nagarkar. The reading was dedicated to senior journalist the late Gauri Lankesh.

Novelist Nagarkar spoke about this play, which was banned for 17 years. The play was written in 1978 as an accusation against himself during the time Vietnam War was on, said the author.  Talking on the contemporary sensibility, he said that it was never about the author but always about the work. “It is a damn shame that ‘Bedtime Story’ is not played anywhere in India,” he added. “Internet is a disaster for mankind” said the author when he was asked about the future of Indian literature. “But rescue operation can be done only by us,” he said. Parents had to talk to their children about books just like they talked about films and that was the only way, he felt.

The session was moderated by Gayatri Prabhu, Assistant Professor, MCPH. Earlier, Shantha Gokhale, writer and theater critic, along with the author Anjum Katyal, spoke about ‘theatre and writing’. A well-known contributor to Seagull Publications, author Katyal highlighted the need to capture every creative ‘process’ and not only the end product.