Journalist, the late Gauri Lankesh

| Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K.

For the first time in the history of Kannada Sahithya Academy (KSA), around 54 books dedicated to women personalities written by various authors from across the State have been selected and will be released on June 5.L.N. Mukundraj, president of Kannada Sahithya Academy, explained, “There was no particular reason behind publishing these books but fewer books are available in the market that cover women personalities who have excelled on various platforms including science, social work, medicine, art and theatre, politics, journalism, literary writers, etc. Hence, we decided to get these books written by various authors, researchers and others and publish them. A meeting was conducted to shortlist 50 such personalities but we were able to shortlist 54 of them.”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 ready to write these books. We also formed a committee of two women editors that comprised H.L. Pushpa and Meenakshi Baali followed by subeditors to edit these books.”The Kannada Sahithya Academy has priced each book at ₹80, so that anyone can buy them to read. “We want people to understand women’s struggles and their achievements in their field. Some of these personalities include Kempananjammanni Devi by Divya K.L., Sara Aboobacker by Sabiha Bhoomi Gowda, Rehamanavva Kalmani by H.S. Patil, Leelavathi Devadas by Rita Rini, Nadoja Kamala Hampana by Chitthaiah Pujar, Gauri Lankesh by Mallige Sirimane and others,” he said.Meanwhile, Ms. Sirimane, activist, who worked closely with activist and journalist, the late 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 oppose the decisions and policies that were against the interest of public. I accompanied her in most of her assignments and seen her closely as a human being and a journalist. When I was asked if I can write a book about Gauri, I grabbed the opportunity. I hope I have done justice to my job.” Published - June 02, 2026 08:49 pm IST