Two commemorative volumes titled Krishnaloka and Kaavyatatvollekha will be released during the birth centenary celebrations of Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy at Nityotsava Convention Hall near Ballal Circle, Krishnamurthypuram, on July 26 at 10.30 am under the auspices of Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Centenary Celebration Committee.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will inaugurate the programme in the presence of Suttur Mutt Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji. Scholar Nadoja Dr. T.V. Venkatachala Shastry will preside.

The books’ Chief Editor Dr. C.P. Krishnakumar (CPK), Karnataka Sanskrit University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ahalya Sharma, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Committee Working President Dr. Mallepuram G. Venkatesh, Secretary Dr. K. Leela Prakash and Convenor C.N. Keshava Prakash will be present on the occasion. Here we publish a tribute to the Scholar Par Excellence by Dr. C. Naganna, Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Mysuru Kendra and former Director of Prasaranga, University of Mysore. —Ed

By Dr. C. Naganna

Teaching is really a glorious profession which involves not only teaching but writing books, presenting scholarly papers in seminars, symposia and conferences besides guiding Ph.D students and evaluating their theses so on and so forth.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy did all this and much more during his seventy-four summers which enabled him to leave a rich legacy behind.

This is an opportune moment to take stock of his contribution to the literary world which encompassed Kannada, Sanskrit and English.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy was born in Keralapura in Hassan district on July 30, 1923 in a family of scholars. He did his BA and MA degrees from Maharaja’s College, Mysuru, obtaining first rank, winning innumerable prizes and gold medals.

The thesis “Dhvanyaloka and Its Critics” he submitted to Bombay University in 1947 drew the attention and appreciation of such greats as P.V. Kane and H.D. Velankar.  Subsequently, he served as Professor and Head, Sanskrit Department at Karnataka University, Dharwad, from 1959 to 1984.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy considered the Sanskrit studies as a labour of love and his single most focus was to explore the boundaries of aesthetics by delving deep into the texts which were rarely touched by fellow scholars.

As a result of his dedication he was able to publish “Some Thoughts on Aesthetics” (1968); “Indian Literary Theories: A Reappraisal” (1972); “Essays in Sanskrit Criticism” (1974); “Vakrokti Jeevitha” (1977); “Dhvanyaloka” (1982) and so on.

Some 70 books in Kannada, 15 books in English and more than 300 research papers have flowed from his pen, which is an astounding production considering the intellectual labour and thinking that has gone  into their making.

As a translator, Dr. Krishnamoorthy has given us such works as “Dhvanyaloka and Lochanasara”, “Kannada Kavyaprakasha”, “Kannada Kavyalankara”, “Kannada Kavyameemamse” which had been created in Sanskrit nearly one thousand years ago. He translated the plays of Bhasa, Kalidasa, Shudraka, Bhavabhuthi, Shaktibhadra and many others, into Kannada enriching the dramatic literature in our language.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy’s deep knowledge of world literature enabled him to demonstrate that Sanskrit poetics was not confined to that language but it encompasses a wider linguistic spectrum. His mastery over three languages — Kannada, English and Sanskrit — was legendary.

He was a poet of the first order as he composed poems with equal felicity as prose and his translated poems are a testimony to his prowess.

He was decorated with so many awards and honours that the important ones may be, mentioned here: Rajyotsava award, Rashtrapati Puraskar, Karnataka Sahitya Academy award, Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Academy award, P.V. Kane Gold Medal, Chairmanship  of Akhila Bharata Prachyavidya Sammelana, etc.

His scholarship was so respected among the learned people that they said with reverence,                                                                “Whatever Dr. Krishnamoorthy says on Indian Poetics is not his opinion, but it is his judgement.” Very rarely scholars contradicted him, for his enquiry was so thorough and comprehensive.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy, a scholar par excellence, breathed his last on July 18, 1997 even as the scholarly world expected that he would contribute a few more gems to the world of literature.

Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Prathishtana and Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy Centenary Celebration Committee are jointly bringing out the commemorative volumes “Krishnaloka” and “Kaavyatatvollekha” consisting of Dr. Krishnamoorthy’s  research papers at a function tomo row in the presence of writers, scholars and admirers of late Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy.