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