The CPI-M Saturday mourned the death of renowned writer and social activist U.R. Ananthamurthy, calling him "a firm advocate of secular values".
"Ananthamurthy had created a style of writing with social relevance in Kannada which had a big impact on Indian literature," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement.
"A socialist by conviction, Ananthamurthy was a firm advocate of secular values, pluralist culture and social justice. In his death, the country has lost a public intellectual of great calibre."