NE NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, JAN 12
Leading Kannada language scholar, epigraphist and activist Chidananda Murthy passed away early on Saturday at the age of 88. He was ailing for some time and was admitted in a private hospital, where he breathed his last at around 3.30 a.m.
He was known for his work on Kannada inscriptions. His work played a key role in deciding the antiquity of the Kannada, which helped get the language to get the status of Classical Language from the Union Government in the year 2008. He was also a vocal Kannada activist, leading Kannada Shakti Kendra in 1970s and 1980s.
Later, he became a champion of the Hindu Right-Wing cause. He was one of the key articulators of the argument against Tipu Sultan. He had also launched a campaign to save the monuments of Hampi. Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa renamed Hyderabad Karnataka, a group of six districts formerly under the administration of Nizam of Hyderabad as Kalyana Karnataka, after the persistent demand from Murthy.
In a twitter message, Chief Minister Yediyurappa said that “Murthy was a thinker, researcher and historian who always worked for the interest of Kannada. His place in history is unique and irreplaceable. His role in protecting the monuments of Hampi and in Kannada getting a classical language status is memorable.”
