The Department of Kannada Culture of the Karnataka government has reportedly edited out certain parts of an interview with acclaimed classical dancer Pratibha Prahlad, from a recent talk series. In the parts of the interview which have been deleted from the video uploaded on YouTube as well as the copy given to Prahlad, she had spoken about her relationship with former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, and her experience as a single mother, The Hindu reported.
Prahlad’s interview was part of a talk series organised by the Department of Kannada Culture called ‘Maneyangaladalli Mathukathe’, meant to record life stories of renowned Kannadiga personalities. Padma Shri awardee Pratibha was interviewed by senior journalist Ramakrishna Upadhya on May 21 as part of the program, where she reportedly talked about her introduction to dance, her journey as a dancer and arts administrator, her relationship with former CM Ramakrishna Hegde, and her decision to be a single mother to her twin sons.
According to Deccan Herald, Prahlad had said in the interview, "Personally, I don't believe marriage is necessary to have children. It is something that society has subscribed to for reasons best known to society. Yes, it is good to have a partner to share the joys and burdens of looking after a family. But, irrespective of this, society has to progress and think about various paradigms. One such paradigm was my decision to become a single mother to my twin sons and I have never regretted it."
She also reportedly said that her relationship with Hegde had become strained when he fell ill and that his family tried to keep her away from him. She spoke about how she and her sons were stopped from meeting Hegde during his final days, according to The Hindu.
Ramakrishna Upadhya, who interviewed her, told The Hindu that the full interview was initially uploaded on YouTube on May 22, but was soon pulled down and replaced with the edited version. Prahlad told The Hindu that she had asked for a copy of the interview from the Department of Kannada Culture, which also turned out to be an edited version.
Prahlad has spoken to the media about her relationship with Ramakrishna Hegde, who was 35 years older than her, on a few occasions in the past. Responding to reports on her talk being censored, she tweeted, “Strange that the Dept of Culture should have an objection to what I said about my life choices & challenges (sic)”
Strange that the Dept of Culture should have an objection to what I said about my life choices & challenges. @CMofKarnataka @BSBommai @csogok @NammaKarnataka_
— Prathibha Prahlad (@PrathibhaP) May 29, 2022
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