Mysuru: Even as writer, diplomat and politician Pavan Varma’s lucid exposition of Adi Shankaracharya ended with very many insights into one of Hinduism’s greatest thinkers and how relevant is his thoughts in today’s world, the next panellist Prof. G. N. Devy, a writer and a critic, bounced a lot of ideas about the current scenario in the country about mobs, mobiles and declining diversity at the Second Mysuru Literary Fest held at the Senate Bhavan in Manasagangothri yesterday under the auspices of Mysore Literary Association (MLA).
Beginning his talk on how the British had introduced the Criminal Tribal Act in 1871, he said that this led to classifying a particular community of people who may or may not have indulged in criminal acts. But similar forms of the mob mentality in the 19th century in America was witnessed following the gold rush and also in Australia and other parts of the world, he said.
