The first time I saw U R Ananthamurthy was when he addressed a meeting at Thirthahalli to protest against Emergency which was proclaimed just a couple of months before. Many of my friends had become his admirers because of his unique contribution to Kannada literature. But I was more impressed by the iconoclast who refused to follow the outmoded feudal and brahminical traditions blindly.
That day he spoke about the imminent threat to democracy, freedom and creativity. The insightful speech left the audience, mostly young, disturbed and concerned about the future of the country. My second encounter with him was when the Kannada literary magazine Rujuwatu edited by him was launched. I had translated into Kannada Ashish Nandi's article, a comparative study of the personalities of Gandhi & Godse for the magazine. When I met him along with friends who were actively involved with "Rujuwatu" URA expressed his appreciation of the translation and said it was excellent. When I read my translation a few days later, I realized that it could have been better. URA was not being too generous. But that was his way of encouraging youngsters and building confidence in them. That is why the legion of his admirers loved to call him "Meshtru".
Narayanan
