The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Vyasaraya Ballal passes away

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Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
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Vyasaraya Ballal passes away

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Kannada writer Vyasaraya Ballal died at his residence at Kumaraswamy Layout here on Wednesday. He died of a massive heart attack. He was 84. He is survived by wife, a son and two daughters.

He was born on December 1, 1923 in Udupi. After his matriculation he went to Bombay (Mumbai) in 1944. There he worked as a stenographer with a foreign company and rose to become a senior-level officer. He settled in Bangalore after his retirement.

Inspired by Kannada literature since his childhood, Mr. Ballal took to writing short stories, plays, travelogues, literary criticism, political satire and novels. He wrote a column in the Kannada newspaper Nudi. However, he was known more as a novelist. His major works include Anurakte, Hemantagana, Milli Ramayana, Vatsalya Patha and Bandaya.

A majority of his works deal with Mumbai life, the predicament of the working class in the face of the fast-changing technological scenario and the impact of urban realities and cultural demands on the emotional and intellectual lives of individuals and society.

It bagged him the Sahitya Akademi award.

His work Bandaya depicts the selfishness and sacrifices in the then Bombay trade unionism.

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