M. Chidananda Murthy (10 May 1931 – 11 January 2020) was a

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

writer, researcher and historian. He was a well-known scholar in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

specializing in the history of Kannada language and ancient

. He was also known for his campaign to conserve the monuments

Hampi Hampi or Hampe (), also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the town of Hampi in Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire; it is menti ...

and to secure classical language status to Kannada Language. Murthy also articulated that uniform civil code and an anti-conversion law must be enacted by the Government in India.

Education

Chidananda Murthy obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in 1953 from

Mysore University The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and the premiership of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The university is recognised by t ...

. He obtained his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in Kannada Literature in 1957, also from Mysore University. During his postgraduate studies, he produced his influential essay

Pampa The Pampas (; from Quechuan languages, Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentina, Argentine Provinces of Argentina, provinces of Buenos Aires Pro ...

''Kavi Mattu Maulya Prasara''. In Mysore University, he came under the influence of Kannada literary figures like

Kuvempu Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa (29 December 1904 – 11 November 1994), popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He wa ...

, PuTeeNa, Raghavachar and historians like S. Srikanta Sastri. Another literary stalwart TeeNamShri guided Murthy in doctoral research on Kannada inscriptions. His doctoral thesis was titled ''A cultural study of Kannada inscriptions''. He obtained his PhD degree from

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by University Gra ...

in 1964.

Career

Murthy was the head of the department of

Bangalore University. He was also associated with Kannada Shakti Kendra. As a historian most of Murthy's work focused on scientific study of the Kannada Inscriptions. He attempted to contextualize inscriptions in their socio cultural setup. He produced many books on the history of

language and

. He guided many research students.

Works

Source: *Vīraśaiva dharma, Bhāratīya saṃskr̥ti Prakāśana, 2000 *Vāgartha Bāpkō, 1981 *Vacana sāhitya 1975 *Sweetness and light Sahithigala Kalavidara Balaga, 1989 icroform*Saṃśōdhane. 1967 *Saṃśōdhana taraṄga. Sarasa Sāhitya Prakāśana, 1966 *Pūrṇa sūryagrahaṇa Aibiec Prakāśana, 1982 *Pāṇḍitya rasa, Kannaḍa Viśvavidyālaya, 2000 *Śūnya sampādaneyannu kuritu. 1962 *Madhyakālīna Kannaḍa sāhitya mattu aspr̥śyate Prasārāṅga, Karnāṭaka Viśvavidyālaya, 1985 *Liṅgāyata adhyayangaḷu Vāgdēvi Pustakagaḷu, 1986 *Kavirājamārga. 1973 *Karnāṭaka saṃskr̥ti Kannaḍa Sāhitya Pariṣattu, 1991 *Karnāṭaka-Nēpāḷa Prasārāṅga, Kannaḍa Viśvavidyālaya, 2003 *Kannaḍāyaṇa Priyadarśini Prakāśana, 1999 *Kannada śāsanagaḷa sāmskr̥tika adhyayana. 1966 *Hosatu hosatu Kannaḍa Viśvavidyālaya, 1993 *Grāmīṇa Bāpko Prakāśana, 1977 *Cidānanda samagra sampuṭa Sapna Book House, 2002 *Basavanna

National Book Trust National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian state-owned publishing house, headquartered in Delhi, India, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. NBT publishes reading material in several Indi ...

, India, 1972

Awards

* Rajyothsava award *

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

Pampa Award The Pampa Award (or Pampa Prashasti) is a literary award in the Indian state of Karnataka. The award was established in 1987 by the government of Karnataka. It is the highest literary honor conferred by the Department of Kannada and Culture, Go ...

in 2002 * Alva's Nudisiri Award in 2006

Illness and death

Chidananda Murthy was admitted to a private hospital in Bangalore on 9 January when he suffered difficulties in breathing. The doctors reported blockage of windpipe by dry cough. His son said that Murthy had stopped solid intakes and was only consuming fluids from past few months, due to his varying health conditions. However Chidananda Murthy died two days later after the admission to the hospital, on 11 January 2020 at around 4am. His mortal remains were kept at the city residence in Bangalore for the people to express their last respects. Several dignitaries like

B. S. Yediyurappa Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa (born 27 February 1943), often referred to by his initials BSY, is an Indian politician. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he has served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, chief minister of ...

, S. L. Bhyrappa, S. Suresh Kumar, V. Somanna expressed their condolences to the veteran's death. The government announced the last rites to be performed with full state honours and respect.

References

Sources

* The Hindu – 10 May 2004

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murthy, M. Chidananda People from Davanagere district 20th-century Indian historians Historians of India 1931 births 2020 deaths Kannada people Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada Kannada-language writers University of Mysore alumni 20th-century Indian writers 20th-century Indian male writers