ABSTRACT
K. Balagopal (1952–2009) is a renowned intellectual and a human rights activist who has given tough opposition to the oppressive and feudal policies adopted by the state. Balagopal strongly believes that literature and literary criticism are closely interconnected in terms of their functions and ideologies. Literature critiques society and literary criticism critiques literature, that is literary criticism is trying to understand the context by critiquing the text. The essay in this chapter is taken from the volume Rupam-Saram: Sahityampai Balagopal. The volume includes essays, reviews, forewords and interviews that examine the role of literature in human life and question the strongly rooted notions and perspectives about life and literature. Balagopal opines that the role of literature is to fill the gaps in human life. He makes an interesting comparison between writers and revolutionaries and alerts them to be vigilant because the ruling classes can otherwise resort to exploitation and injustice. He emphasises this vigilance as all the more crucial for the writer because writing is something directly connected with ideas and ideology. He urges to first develop a progressive philosophical perspective by analysing critically own ideas and the predominant ideas prevailing around them.
