Journalist, the late Gauri Lankesh
| Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K.
Kannada Sahithya Academy (KSA) is set to release 54 books on women personalities from Karnataka, written by various authors from across the State, on June 5.
L.N. Mukundraj, president of Kannada Sahithya Academy, explained that there are far fewer books available in the market that cover women personalities who have excelled in various fields including science, social work, medicine, art and theatre, politics, journalism, literature, etc.
“Hence, we decided to get these books written by various authors and researchers. A meeting was conducted to shortlist 50 such personalities but we were able to shortlist 54 finally,” he said.
He said, “Later, we shortlisted people who have conducted research on these people or those who were closely acquainted or worked with them. When we reached out to these people, they were more than ready to write these books. We also formed a committee of two women editors — H.L. Pushpa and Meenakshi Baali — to oversee them, followed by subeditors to edit these books.”
The Kannada Sahithya Academy has priced each book at a nominal ₹80. “We want people to understand women’s struggles and their achievements in their fields. Some of the books include Kempananjammanni Devi by Divya K.L., Sara Aboobacker by Sabiha Bhoomi Gowda, Rehamanavva Kalmani by H.S. Patil, Leelavathi Devadas by Rita Rini, Kamala Hampana by Chitthaiah Pujar, Gauri Lankesh by Mallige Sirimane and others,” he said.
Ms. Sirimane, an activist who worked closely with the late activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, said, “Through this book, I have attempted to tell people about her life, struggles and achievements in the field of journalism. She represented the voices of people and strongly opposed the decisions and policies that were against the interest of public. I accompanied her in most of her assignments and saw her closely as a human being and as a journalist.”
Published – June 02, 2026 08:49 pm IST
