B.T. Lalitha Naik

Balaji Tangali Lalitha Naik (born 4 April 1945) is an Indian social activist, politician, writer, film actress who was the minister of Kannada, Culture, and Department of Women & Child Welfare of Karnataka.

Lalitha Naik is the grand-niece of the renowned Bharatanatyam danseuse K. Venkatalakshamma.

Writing career

After her marriage, Naik, started writing radio plays about the trials and tribulations of middle class life for the local Akashavani station. Encouraged by the popularity she started writing and contributing poems, short stories and articles for prominent Kannada periodicals such as Sudha, Prajavani and Taranga. When her novella, Nele Bele, won an award in the annual novella competition conducted by Sudha magazine, she was invited by the writer P. Lankesh to contribute to his newly started tabloid Lankesh Patrike. Naik started writing regularly for the tabloid and was soon recognized for her sensitivity, social commitment and progressive views. Her popularity as a writer and journalist led her to being nominated as Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council (MLC) by the then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde. Naik continued to write and produce memorable books like the short story collection Habba mattu Bali ("Festival and the Sacrifice"), the novel Gati ("Fate") and the poetry collections, Ide Koogu Matte Matte ("The Same Cry Again and Again") and Bidiru Mele Kantiyali ("In the Bamboo Thicket"). Author of sixteen books, she is also known for her plays, children's fiction and essays. She won the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award in 1991. In 1994 she was elected MLA from Devadurga constituency, Raichur on a Janata Dal ticket, and was made Minister for Kannada, Culture, and Department of Women & Child Welfare in the J. H. Patel cabinet. Barely two years into her tenure as minister, her son Vishwajit was accused of defiling the statue of B.R. Ambedkar at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bangalore. Though subsequent investigations revealed the allegations to be baseless, she was forced to step down at that time and Vimalabai Deshmukh succeeded her as Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Karnataka. She also served as the President of Women's Janata Dal. After the split of Janata Dal in 1999 into Janata Dal (Secular) and Janata Dal (United), she joined Janata Dal (Secular) headed by H.D. Deve Gowda. She was a member of its National Executive. Later she quit Janata Dal (Secular) over Gowda's decision to form alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party. She later joined Janata Party, but left it in 2004. Subsequently, she joined the Welfare Party of India and served as its National Vice President. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections she contested from the Gulbarga constituency on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket and lost to Mallikarjun Kharge.

Social activism and films

Lalitha Naik participated in several social-literary movements of the 1980s including Bandaya movement, a protest movement for social equality and justice, and Gokak agitation. An avowed feminist Lalitha Naik has strongly appealed for the passing of Women's Reservation Bill in both central and state legislatures and urged women to learn martial arts to protect themselves in the prevailing rape culture. She has also lodged her strong protest against the victimization of innocent Muslim youth and social activists fighting for justice like Binayak Sen. She has protested against teaching Bhagavad Gita in schools. She has also demanded for the setting up of a National Men's Commission along the lines of Mahila Ayog to prevent the rising atrocities against men and the unscrupulous use of IPC 498(A), the anti-dowry harassment law which she alleges is often used as a means to blackmail and extort men. She is of the view that reservations should not be permanent.

Naik acted in and wrote dialogues for the Banjara language film, Zadero Pankheru ("Forest Bird") in 1996. Karnataka Choodamani (2011). Honorary Doctorate from Kuvempu University in 2009–10.