Bengaluru, Sep 25 : Booker awardee Banu Mushtaq, while sharing her condolence message over the demise of iconic Kannada litterateur S.L. Bhyrappa, recalled how he chose to stay at her residence for a week to closely observe Muslim life before penning his famous novel 'Aavarana'.

Bhyrappa passed away on Wednesday following a cardiac arrest in Bengaluru. His final rites will be held in Mysuru with state honours.

Banu Mushtaq stated, "I noticed that Padma Bhushan awardee Bhyrappa did not follow any strict rules about food habits. From my childhood, I had developed a taste for reading through Bhyrappa's writings. I was one of his most loyal readers. But after his stance, his rigidity, and his presentation of ideas shaped by prejudice, I no longer remained a devoted reader. Instead, it appeared as if, like a skilled lawyer, he shaped certain arguments, dug out information through research, and then presented it persuasively."

"I would ask myself: who had robbed him of his creativity?" Banu Mushtaq questioned.

"Though ideologically we had differences, seeing him, talking with him, and the memories of those discussions remained etched in my mind. Now, with the news of his passing, it feels as if one strand of connection has been snapped. I feel a personal loss. My heartfelt respects to Bhyrappa," Banu Mushtaq stated.

"Bhyrappa had come to Hassan to take part in a literary event. I went to the programme a little late. People there informed me that Bhyrappa had inquired about me. After the function, when I met him, he told me that he wanted to visit our house and stay for a week. I told him he could come immediately, but he replied that he wouldn't come then and was planning to stay at my residence for a week later," Banu Mushtaq recollected.

"I panicked and soon forgot about the matter," she said.

Mushtaq shared that after a month, she received a phone call from Bhyrappa saying he would have vegetarian food and arrangements were made accordingly.

She also shared that her family was happy to welcome Bhyrappa, except his son, who later agreed to it.

Bhyrappa explained that he had come to our residence to collect information for his novel. He said he needed to study Muslim family behaviour and culture, which was why he had chosen to stay at our house.

"Mushtaq (her husband Mushtaq Mohiyuddin) and Bhyrappa once went to a mosque at the time of namaz. There, women were allowed to offer prayers, and a separate hall had been arranged for them. At that time, I used to go to that mosque only on Friday afternoons. So Mushtaq took him along. Bhyrappa washed his hands and feet, sat inside the mosque, and noted everything in his notebook," she stated.

Later, Bhyrappa wanted to see a Muslim educational institution. So Mushtaq took him to Alur. Bhyrappa toured the entire campus, examined the facilities provided for students, and wrote down everything in his notebook, she said.

"Yet to Bhyrappa's curious eyes, the life of the Muslim background remained largely unseen. To understand the inner and outer life of the Muslim community within a week was an impossible task. Still, Bhyrappa's intense curiosity, thirst for gathering information, and eagerness to gain acquaintance with unfamiliar worlds were remarkable. However, I felt that he was gaining only a superficial understanding.

Later, the 'Avarana' novel was published. In it, Bhyrappa gave examples that matched his pre-decided premises and produced writing that contributed to the "demonisation" of the Muslim community, just as he had researched. But in the preface of that novel, he mentioned that he had stayed in a sister's house, without giving the name.

Gradually, everyone came to know that before writing 'Avarana', he had stayed in our house, Banu Mushtaq recounted.

/IANS