The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : An outstanding teacher and institution builder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

An outstanding teacher and institution builder

By Our Staff Correspondent

Admirers and close associates, including T.S. Satyan, photo journalist, Naganna, Prabhu Shankar, littérateur, paying their respects to C.D. Narasimhaiah at Dhvanyaloka in Mysore on Tuesday.

MYSORE, APRIL 12. An extraordinary man who built an extraordinary institution. The former is C.D. Narasimhaiah and the latter is Dhvanyaloka, the Centre for Literary Criterion, which has emerged as the hub of intellectual pursuits and which has kept the flame of literary culture alive in Mysore.

A "must-see" in the itinerary of distinguished personalities visiting the city, Dhvanyaloka was established in 1979 by Prof. CDN soon after his retirement and is synonymous with advanced studies and research in English literature across the world.

Its journal is the Literary Criterion (which is being published since 1952) edited by CDN and assisted by his son, C.N. Srinath, and Ragini Ramachandra. It has many publications to its credit including Kipling's India, A common poetics for Indian literatures, Bhakti in Indian literature, Indian poetics in application, Western writers on India, the Vitality of West Indian Writing, Glimpses of New Zealand Literature, T.S. Elliot and the Indian Literary Scene, Indian literature in English, among others, all of which were edited by CDN and his son Prof. Srinath.

But his interests were not confined to literature alone. As photojournalist T.S. Satyan told The Hindu : He encouraged his students in any sphere they were found to excel or have a natural flair.

A past master for spotting talent, he helped a group of students establish a theatre group called "Mitramela" of which CDN became president. G.S. Subramaniam, a veteran Gandhian, a retired Professor of English of Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, and currently Secretary of the Mahajana Education Society, who was a student of Prof. CDN, described him as an outstanding teacher whose passing away denotes the end of an era and of an institution builder par excellence, the likes of whom are rare to find.

The Department of English, University of Mysore's Postgraudate Centre at Mandya, has mourned the death of CDN.

At a condolence meeting held today, Lingaraj Gandhi, Head, recalled the seminal contributions of CDN for the cause of literature in general, and Indian writing in English in particular. "In his three decades (1952-1979) of service as chairman of the Department of Studies in English, Prof. CDN has infused the passion for literature in thousands of students. CDN inculcated in a generation of students the values of uprightness, candidness, sense of taste and discrimination. Never did he compromise with quality or spoke to please", said Dr. Gandhi.

He said CDN made the English Department of the University of Mysore well-known throughout the world. Describing CDN as an inaugurator of a great tradition in the Department of English, Prof. Gandhi said he nurtured the department for three decades with his dedication.

The students and teachers of the department observed a minute's silence in honour of CDN at the gate of the PG centre when the body went past Mandya on its way to Mysore from Bangalore.

The Former Minister, H. Vishwanath, said the passing away of CDN has left a vacuum in the field of literature and recalled his visits to Dhvanyaloka when he was Minister for Education.

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