Source: The Hindu

C.S. Yogananda, Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics at the Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering has digitalised Saakshi – a quarterly literary magazine brought out by Kannada’s finest poets, the pioneer of the modernist movement, Gopalakrishna Adiga for nearly 25 years.

The digital version of this magazine which launched many new Kannada writers was launched in Bangalore recently. It was not only a platform for divergent views, but kept many a debate fuelled.

Noted Kannada writer Sumateendra Nadig recalled how Adiga went in search of writersAdiga, kept a meticulous account of every single paise as he had great concern for public money. Late Lankesh described Adiga as the poet who opened the eyes of a generation and renowned writer U.R. Ananthamurthy viewed Adiga as one of the greatest poets, because he had in him the ability to foreswear his own self. Although Adiga taught English literature, he wrote almost exclusively in Kannada except a single poem. This poet who loathed self promotion, was comfortable remaining behind the scenes. One gets to see his unyielding conviction in his poem, “Prarthane”.

In his memoir “Nenapina Ganiyinda”, Adiga chronicles the events that led him to bring out “Saakshi”. Adiga and his like-minded friends felt the need to bring out a literary magazine that would capture the literary experiments of their times, as also creating a forum for objective criticism. Saakshi stopped coming in 1992 after serving the literary community for 25 years.

After long deliberations they have decided to bring out “Saakshi” in demi-crown format. After collecting all the issues of “Saakshi”, Yoganand and his team scanned more than 6,300 pages and put them in a format that provides easy access to the user. It was with the help of Sumateendra Nadig that the first edition came out. Yogananda and his friends have provided an opportunity to the present-day writers to read and understand great literary values propagated by literary luminaries of 60s by digitalising all the issues of “Saakshi”. Releasing e-edition of “Saakshi”, Dr. Thimmappa, who was associated with Adiga said that this effort meant the re-birth of Adiga. For Ananthamurthy, this act of Yogananda accorded the “real” classical status to Kannada. Recalling the days when Adiga launched “Saakshi”, he said, while intellectuals were silent about USSR Adiga launched “Saakshi” and never did he compromise with truth. “He lived as conscience keeper of times,” he described.