‘He was a model for all historians because of his wide-ranging interests and his multidisciplinary approach to research’

Born in 1935 at Hampasagara, Ballari district, he went on to study at Cambridge University and started his career as a professor of History at Karnatak University, Dharwad, his alma mater.

Dr. Settar worked till the very end and never rested on his past laurels. “A day before he was hospitalised, he was proof-reading and giving final touches to a book,” said N. Ravikumar of Abhinava Prakashana, who has published several of Dr. Settar’s recent publications in Kannada. Dr. Settar had also said he would need two more years of research to finish some of the projects he had taken up recently. He leaves behind many important works ready for publication.

Early Buddhist Artisans and their Architectural Vocabulary, a result of his recent research at Kanaganahalli near Sannati, Kalaburagi district, is set to be published by Manipal University Press. For the first time, he had put together all Kannada inscriptions of the first millennium in an eight-volume work, covering 220 inscriptions. He had also compiled a dictionary of every word for over 25 classical Kannada poetry. All these works will be published this year, Mr. Ravikumar said.

Dr. Settar’s early and important works in the 1970s were in the realm of Jain philosophy and ritual death (Sallekhana), with critically acclaimed books such as Inviting Death: Historical Experiments on Sepulchral Hill.

He also wrote extensively on Hoysala and Vijayanagar sculptural heritage. He edited several scholarly volumes on various epochs of Indian and Karnataka’s history. He served as director of the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology in 1978 and as chairperson of the Indian Council of Historical Research in 1996. He was also a visiting professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

It was in recent years that Dr. Settar shifted focus to studying the evolution of the Kannada language and literature with multidisciplinary approach and had chosen to write in Kannada. He believed that his choice of language made his work more accessible. Dr. Settar’s works in Kannada, including Shangam-Tamilagam Kannada Naadu Nudi, and Halagannada Lipi Lipikaara Lipi Vyavasaya are regarded as landmarks. His most recent work was Prakrita Jagadwalaya in 2018.

Noted historian and his student S.K. Aruni said Dr. Settar was “a model for all historians” because of his wide-ranging interests and his multidisciplinary approach to research. He drew from art history, linguistics and philosophy, and strictly followed an evidence-based approach to history, often revising popularly held notions and sometimes changing his stands when new evidence came up. For instance, his 2007 work Shangam-Tamilagam …, which won the Bhasha Samman from the Sahitya Akademi, proved many of the poets of the Sangam period in Tamil were Kannadigas.

“Using linguistics and epigraphy, he re-imagined the ancient history of Karnataka,” Dr. Aruni said.

A polymath, he had a keen interest in music, art, and cinema as well. He even wrote several short stories under the pen name ‘Priyadarshini’ through the 1970s and 1980s. He had a wide collection of art and sculpture.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by K V Aditya Bharadwaj & Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – February 28th, 2020

Prof Murthy was born on May 10, 1931 at Hirekogalur in Channagiri taluk  of Davanagere district.

Bengaluru :

Noted historian and writer Prof M Chidananda Murthy passed away in the city on Saturday morning. The 89-year old scholar was being treated at a private hospital for age-related issues. His cremation will be held with state honours on Sunday. He is survived by a daughter and a son.
“His wish was that he should not be buried, but cremated. We are just doing it,’’ Prof Murthy’s son Vinay Kumar told The New Sunday Express.

Prof Murthy had worked for protecting monuments of Hampi. He had stated that a few people had been destroying the monuments looking for treasure, believed to be hidden there.

He along with Prof L S Sheshagiri Rao (who passed away recently) had submitted a report to the government on Kannada which played an important role in according the classical language status to it in 2008. Renaming of Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka was one of his demands, which the state government met recently.

Prof Murthy was born on May 10, 1931, at Hirekogalur in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district. A post-graduate in Kannada from the University of Mysuru, he was greatly influenced by writers like Kuvempu and Pu Thi Narasimhachar and historians like S Srikanta Sastri.  He obtained his doctorate from Bangalore University in 1964 for his thesis ‘A cultural study of Kannada inscriptions’.

He authored more than 25 books in Kannada. He is known for criticising the then-Siddaramaiah government’s decision to introduce Tipu Jayanti and accord a separate religion status for Lingayats.
Prof Murthy who had headed the Kannada department of Bengaluru University was a recipient of Kannada Rajyotsava, Nadoja and other awards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Prof Murthy’s death. “Dr M Chidananda Murthy was a doyen of culture and literature. His passion towards Kannada language was noteworthy and so were his efforts to preserve unique aspects of our rich history. His demise is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers,’’ Modi tweeted.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa who visited Prof Murthy’s residence on Saturday told reporters that the scholar had worked for the identity of Kannada and the state. “When I was the CM earlier, I had requested him to become an MLC, but he declined citing his old age. He was a straight forward person. Whenever he found someone twisting history, he would  react,” he said.

He never used a computer
In the era of Internet, Prof Chidananda Murthy preferred handwritten communication. Whenever he wanted to convey his message to an individual or organisation, he would just use a pen and a paper. Prof Murthy taught epigraphy (inscriptions) at Bangalore University. Noted writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa, one of his students, said, “Even during the typewriter era, he would prefer writing with hand. In fact, he would teach me how to make notes during my PhD. Whenever he read books, he would take notes”, he said.  Prof Murthy neither owned a typewriter nor did he use a computer. Noted writer Siddalingiah said whenever there was an issue related to the state or its language, Prof Murthy would write to persons concerned. His handwriting was clear, he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ashwini M Sripad / Express News Service / January 12th, 2020