Pointing out the recent socio-economic issues affecting millions of common people in Karnataka and the poor response to them by the writers and intellectuals, senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu said that one could never become a good writer without social responsibility.
“Just as one cannot be a good journalist without social concerns and responsibility, one can never be a good writer without them. As musicians, actors and sportsmen are accountable to their listeners, viewers and fans, the writers too owe to their readers. We have recently seen many issues, including the row around the textbook revision, which affected vast majority of people and I hardly saw any writer responding to it. We have inherited this beautiful social atmosphere of peace, harmony and coexistence and we have a moral obligation to leave the same or better society for the next generation. For that, writers not only need to express their social concerns in their literary works but also they need to come to the streets to join hands with the agitating masses,” Mr. Dinesh said recalling the historic Gokak agitation and the active participation of popular writers and cultural icons such as actor Dr. Raj Kumar.
He was delivering an inaugural address at the conference of journalists and writers at Kannada Bhavan in Kalaburagi on Tuesday. The event was organised jointly by the district units of Kannada Saahithya Parishath and Karnataka Union of Working Journalists.
