Mangaluru: Prapthi Gowda, a 22-year-old from Sullia of Dakshina Kannada district, overcame a physical challenge to publish her first book in the Arebhashe language. The book was released during the Karnataka Arebhashe Samskruthi Mathu Sahitya Academy honorary awards programme on Saturday.A long-time enthusiast of literature and poetry, Prapthi had earlier written articles and poems in Kannada. Her debut Arebhashe work, a short story collection titled Vimalavvana Mooru Pillika, was published by the Arebhashe Academy. The book explores the relationship between a grandmother and her grandchildren.A BEd student at Vivekananda College in Puttur, Prapthi told TOI that the 98-page book narrates the story of a grandmother and her granddaughter. “In the era of mobile communication, people lost those good old days when they shared a memorable bond with grandmothers. I wrote this book to make readers recollect those days,” she said. She has also written for periodicals and newspapers.A native of Aranthodu in Sullia, Prapthi said she aspires to pursue a PhD after completing her master’s degree. “We speak Arebhashe at home. Reading Kannada literature and writing articles and poems was my passion for a long time. This was my first attempt to become an author, especially in my mother tongue,” she said.Recalling her rural upbringing with limited transport facilities and the physical challenge that made walking difficult since childhood, she said, “I want to achieve something in life to prove that physical challenge is in no way an obstacle to success.”She is the daughter of Chinnappa, a farmer, and Lakshmi, a homemaker.The Arebhashe Academy released 11 books during the awards ceremony. It has published 77 books and 10 fellowship research works so far.
