“
Tata remained a lifelong atheist. Among Tata's generation of Kannada writers, only A.N. Murthy Rao, Gowreesha Kaikini and Rayasam Bheemasena Rao (Ballari Beechi) were self-proclaimed atheists. Tata never reached out to god as a crutch even when facing extreme adversities in life. Amma used to read Bertrand Russell and sound like a rationalist when I was young. However, after her illnesses and Harshanna's death, she too reached out for that crutch to steady herself.
”
”