It was St. Manickavasagar, the poet of the Tamil Bhakti movement who attempted to describe his tormented soul as an ant struggling inside a hollow bamboo stick, both ends of which are burning. The predicament of a writer of this generation is none too better.
Eric Hobsbawm, erudite writer once christened the modern age as an "Age of Extremes" keeping in mind the ferocity with which mankind fought its wars, the inhumanness of mass killings in gas chambers and concentration camps, the brutality of atom bombs and chemical weapons and the devilry of spending millions to make sophisticated weapons while more than half of the world population goes to sleep on hungry stomachs. Twentieth century was his area of research.
The twenty first century has added more fuel to the fire of extremism the unnerving growth of globalisation and religious extremism. What is the role of the conscentious writer in such a situation? Is it possible for him to distance himself from the terror of the age and live in an ivory tower shutting his eyes.
The next predicament of the writer is centered on the expected future shock whether the books will survive the onslaught of the electronic age. The younger generation gets most of their information either from the net or from the T.V. As somebody remarked they seem to be living in an electronic bubble, 'in an atmosphere of electronic make-believe world unconnected with the hard realities of life'. To whom shall the writer aim to, when the readership seems to be thinning.
Yet another serious development is being discussed in the literary circles of the west is the possibility of the death of literature. Literature, once considered to be the custodian of culture seems to have met a setback due to new criticism laying down a set of new rules to judge literature.
The insistence on the apodeitic value of the written word is questioned and the intrinsic merit of aesthetic appreciation is given a mortal blow by deconstructive criticism. It has forced the appreciation and enjoyment of great literature to oblivion. In other words this new critical approach considers literature as nothing but an indeterminate linguistic structure.
In the midst of such challenges, the writer has to tread the path with measured steps and willingly or unwillingly he has to bear the onus of choosing great literature of every age. I wish to share these loud thoughts with new writers who enter the writing profession with great enthusiasm.
Sahitya Akademi, among its multifarious activities has made it a point to publish from time to time volumes like DAKSHINA, a sample collection of recent poems, short stories, literary criticism and short plays from south Indian languages.
I hope and trust that the readers will immensely enjoy the present volume of Dakshina, a pleasant blend of writings from Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. A word of thanks to Dr. Siddalinga Pattanshetti, Prof. M. Thomas Mathew and Prof. Akkiraju Ramapathi Rao for their valuable help in enriching this volume with selected writings from their respective languages. Also thanks to the Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi and the Regional Secretary for their help.
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