A Mysorean’s views from a jail window

Where is India’s GenNext headed? A function held in the city on Sunday to mark the release of the prison diary of a 19-year-old provided an occasion for eminent individuals to mull over the state of today’s youth in the country.

That the 19-year-old’s diary was penned over six decades back only accentuated the sea change in the values of today’s youth. Besides, the diarist was none other than HY Sharada Prasad, the Mysorean who turned out to be a man of eminence and
became the press advisor for prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and Rajiv Gandhi.

Former chief justice of India, MN Venkatachalaiah, read out from the book, titled A Window on the Wall, Quit India Prison Diary of a 19-year-old and edited by journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju.

“Youth are not reacting to issues around them like in earlier days. They seem to have become immune to the unhealthy acts of the politicians, who, however, have not changed at all. People getting used to it is the sadder part of it,” the former CJI said.
Venkatachalaiah said the vision and commitment shown by Sharada Prasad when he was a 19-year-old was amazing.

“Today’s youth do not want to think of patriotism or nationalism. The acts of politicians had then shocked Sharada Prasad, and he had a vision and zeal to work for the national interest,” he said.
Former Indian envoy to Unesco, Chiranjeev Singh, observed that the diary rose above becoming a chronicle of jail conditions and provided a view of the culture, political scenario and politicians of those days.

He said the diary also revealed the extent to which Mysore had shaped the sensibilities of Sharada Prasad. The ability to revel in small things in the jail, like the kobbari mithai (a sweet made of coconut) given to inmates, essentialised the diarist’s simplicity.

Freedom fighter HS Doreswamy recalled that Sharada Prasad visited villages and was instrumental in inspiring hundreds of youth to plunge into the Quit India movement in the Mysore region.
Historian Ramachandra Guha, who released the book, also read excerpts from the book. He pointed out at how the diarist had compared friends in jail to those made on train journeys.

Kamalamma Sharada Prasad, the diarist’s wife, told DNA, “The diary is a compilation of his memoirs from the papers in his collection and has been presented in the form of a book to motivate the youth. Earlier, the youth strived to unite the nation. Now they are being misguided to divide states. Sharada in his last days was very disturbed by the Telangana and Shiv Sena issues, and wanted to fight for national unity.” The Kananda version of the book was also released on the occasion.