The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Sharada Prasad's essays to be released on April 23

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 19, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Sharada Prasad's essays to be released on April 23

Raghava M.

`Ella Ballavarilla' will be released on April 23

Bangalore: A book that will soon hit the stores here tells us about the literary prowess of H.Y. Sharada Prasad, who was Principal Information Officer to the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"Ella Ballavarilla" (There is none who knows everything) is a collection of Mr. Prasad's selected essays on topics ranging from men and women in public life he came across to interesting behind-the-scene happenings, which have now become contemporary history.

Among those referred to in the book include Jayaprakash Narayan; former Prime Minister Morarji Desai; former Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa, and former President K.R. Narayanan.

The non-political figures he refers to include musician Mallikarjun Mansur; Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi; artist K.C. Hebbar; author Shivaram Karanth; former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission P.N. Haksar; and cartoonist R.K. Lakshman.

The Emergency

The collection includes an article on the circumstances that provoked Indira Gandhi to impose the Emergency in 1975. Mr. Prasad also writes about the present and past political scenario and how public life has changed over the past four decades. He talks about the civil servants he has come across during his career and analyses how good the present officials are.

Scientific outlook

Mr. Prasad has written about the need for a scientific outlook of life.

The essay on Maharashtrian painter Santobha who used the traditional art form to depict scenes from the Mahabharata is one that stands out. There is also an essay on basic education. The book will be released here on April 23 by the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court M.N. Venkatachalaiah. Historian Ramachandra Guha, photographer T.S. Satyan and former Additional Chief Secretary Chiranjeevi Singh will be present on the occasion.

The book has been brought out by Abhinava Prakashan of Vijayanagar, Bangalore.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail