Jenab Adeel Akthar runs a footwear shop at Bannur, and works on his Kannada writings during after-hours. He has to his credit two novels and over 30 short stories. Which is no mean achievement, considering that Mr Akhtar wasn’t even familiar with Kannada script a decade ago. His earlier writings were in Urdu and they were widely published in ‘Shama’.
Mr Akhtar’s first Kannada short story, ‘Asti Panjara’ was published in 1998, three years after he started learning the script. He told ‘The Hindu’ the theme of his works centred on the plight of farmers and other rural folk. Through his writings Mr Akhtar helped highlight their hassles and hardship during drought. His stories, ‘Mulugadi’ and ‘Jalasamadhi’ depict human sufferings in the wake of the submergence of Bagalkot.
Mr Akhtar can be reached at Kalpana Footwear, M M Road, Bannur Town, Mysore Dist. Ph. 98806-69989
Janab Akhtar is even a greater literary genius than the great Kannada poet and orator & retired professor of geology Prof Nisar Ahmed. Prof Ahmed grew up with Kannada surrounding him in an academic atmosphere in Shimoga while Shri Akhtar due to his profession, did not. Unfortunately most fine Kannada writers are forced to self publish because most ordinary Kanndigas in Karnataka are so steeped in poverty that they cannot afford to buy Kannada literature for the pleasure of it. Perhaps Kannadiga software millionaires should sponsor the publication of Shri Akthar's evidently extraordianary writings that even Mysoreans who cannot even speak let alone read Kannada, are somehow able to appreciate and review.
