D. L. Narasimhachar Explained

Birth Date:	27 October 1906
Birth Place:	Chikkanayakanahalli, Kingdom of Mysore,
Death Place:	Mysore, Karnataka, India
Nationality:	Indian
Discipline:	Kannada, Indology, Halegannada, History of Karnataka, Epigraphy
Workplaces:	University of Mysore
Alma Mater:	Maharaja College, Mysore & Central College, Bangalore.
Academic Advisors:	B.M. Srikantaiah, T. S. Venkanayya
Notable Students:	G. Venkatasubbiah, M. Chidananda Murthy, T. V. Venkatachala Sastry
Known For:	Kannada Grantha Sampadane
Awards:	Kannada Sahitya Parishat Award, Festschrift Volume - "Jnanopasaka"^[1] (1960) & "Upayana" (1967)
Spouse:	Muthumma
Website:	D. L. Narasimhachar

Doddabele Lakshmi Narasimhachar (27 October 1906 – 7 May 1971)^[2] was a Kannada linguist, grammarian, lexicographer, writer, literary critic and editor who taught at the Department of Kannada Language Studies, University of Mysore between 1932 - 1962. His knowledge of Halegannada (Old Kannada Language) helped him in reading ancient epigraphic records. He authored four books in Kannada, edited about nine volumes, penned eleven prefaces, wrote nearly hundred articles (both in Kannada and English) across three decades, seven monographs in English and outlined introductions to four Kannada works. He presided over the forty first Kannada Sahitya Sammelan (Annual Kannada Language Conference) held at Bidar in 1960. He was the recipient of the Kannada Rajyotsava Award from the Mysore State. In 1969, his alma mater - University of Mysore bestowed on him an Honorary Doctorate (D. Litt) in recognition of a lifetime contribution to the world of Kannada studies.^[3]

Early life and education

D. L. Narasimhachar's younger years were spread out across the district of Tumkur in the southern state of Karnataka - in towns like Pavagada, Madhugiri and Sira. Hailing from a Brahminical family, D. L. N. was trained in chaste Sanskrit from a Pandit. Narasimhachar's writing began at an early stage with recurrent contributions to the local school magazine "School Folk". For his Bachelor's degree (1927), he sought admission to the Central College at Bangalore. There he had taken Kannada as an optional subject (in addition to his primary subjects - Physics and Chemistry). Incidentally, his score in the optional subject was his highest, this eventually steered him to complete his Master's degree in Kannada at the Maharaja College, Mysore (1929). His contemporaries at Maharaja College, Mysore were future literary names like K. V. Puttappa, K. V. Raghavachar, Anantharangachar and K. Venkataramappa. The faculty at Maharaja College, Mysore included B. M. Srikantaiah, Rallapalli Anantha Krishna Sharma, V. Seetharamaiah, C. R. Narasimha Sastry, T. S. Venkannaiah and A. R. Krishna Shastry. During his free time, he would frequent Oriental Research Library to peruse old Kannada manuscripts. The H. V. Nanjundaiah Gold Medal set aside for outstanding Master's student was awarded to D. L. Narasimhachar in 1929.^[4]

Academician

D. L. Narasimhachar began his career as a research assistant at the Oriental Research Library, Mysore. He simultaneously held the position of a part-time lecturer in Kannada at the Maharaja College Kannada Department. An ongoing research project dedicated to the 'timing' of the earliest Veerashaiva literature caught his attention. He became the first recipient of the research grant set aside for this scholarly endeavour. After his departure from the Oriental Research Library, he was appointed a full time lecturer at the college in 1932 and continued in the same post till 1939. For a brief tenure of two years, he taught at present-day Yuvaraja College, Mysore before coming back to his parent department, where he taught till the end of the Second World War.

In late 1945, he received a promotion to the post of Assistant Professor and was transferred to Central College, Bangalore. By the end of the decade, he was back in Mysore as Associate Professor in the department where he started his career. In 1954, he was appointed Chief Editor of the ‘Kannada-Kannada’ Dictionary Project . D. L. Narasimhachar spent the remainder of his years till retirement in 1962 serving at Mysore in the capacity of Professor of Kannada Language Studies. His career spanned thirty years from 1932 - 1962.

The University Grants Commission (U. G. C.) extended a Post-Doctoral Fellowship to D. L. N. from 1962 onwards for the next six years.^[5]

Literary contributions

D. L. Narasimhachar's scholarship was along two lines - "Textual Criticism" and "Independent Research". His involvement in the "Kannada - Kannada' Dictionary project saw him bring out the first edition of the dictionary during those years. He succeeded T. N. Srikantaiah in this project after his demise. D. L. N.'s guide to Editorship titled "Kannada Grantha Sampadane" is among his remembered works. Between 1959 - 63, he was the Editor of the University of Mysore's Journal "Prabuddha Karnataka". His introductions to K. S. Narasimha Swamy's "Shilalathe", "Vaddaradhane",^[6] "Pampa Ramayana Sangraha" and "Sukumara Charitam" brought him much note. Narasimhachar was involved in Epigraphical Studies across the state. His knowledge of Halegannada helped him decipher much of these inscriptions. He delivered numerous lectures on the Mysore Akashvani (later All India Radio). His publication titled "Pīṭhikegaḷu, lēkhanagaḷu" was a compendium of his earlier essays and lectures spanning three decades.^[7]

Selected works

Books

• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Hampeya Harihara" (1939)^[8]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Shabda Vihara" (1956)
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Śivakōtyācārya viracita Vaḍḍārādhane" (1959)^[9]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Kannada Grantha Sampadane" (1964)^[10]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Gōvina hāḍu" (1967)^[11]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Peetekagalu-Lekhanagalu" (1971)
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Pampa Bharata Dipike" (1971)^[12]

Editorship

• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Bhīṣmaparva saṅgraha" (1930)^[13]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Pampa Ramayana Sangraha"^[14]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Siddarama Charithra" (1941)^[15]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Karnāṭaka Mahābhārata. Bhīṣma parva" (1950)^[16]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Siddarama Charitheya Sangraha" (1962)^[17]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Rāghavāṅka kaviya Siddharāma cāritra" (1975)^[18]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Sukumara Charitam" (1954)^[19]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Shabdamanidarpanam" (1964)^[20]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Kēśirāja viracita Śabdamaṇidarpaṇaṃ" (1964)^[21]
• Narasimhachar, D. L.: "Kannaḍa Sāhitya Pariṣattina Kannaḍa nighaṇṭu" (1971 - 1990)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Paramaśivayya, Jī. Śaṃ., 1933- Kr̥ṣṇa, Na . Jñānōpāsaka : Ḍi. El. En. avara vyaktitva mattu kr̥tigaḷa kuritu lēkhanagaḷu . Bodleian Library, Oxford . Beṅgaḷūru : Kannaḍa Sāhitya Pariṣattu . 5 February 2019.
2. Web site: NARASIMHACHAR D. shastriyakannada.org. 2019-02-03. 6 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180706100412/http://www.shastriyakannada.org/DataBase/KannwordHTMLS/CLASSICAL%20KANNADA%20SCHOLARS%20HTML/NARASIMHACHAR%20D%20L.%20HTML.htm. dead.
3. Book: Vidyashankar, S. ಡಿ. ಎಲ್. ನರಸಿಂಹಾಚಾರ್. Kannada Sahitya Parishath. 1993. Bangalore. 1–2.
4. Web site: D. L. Narasimhachar (1) – Dr S. Srikanta Sastri Official Website. www.srikanta-sastri.org. 2019-02-03. 3 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190203144307/https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/d-l-narasimhachar/4594532068. dead.
5. Book: Ḍi. El. Narasiṃhācār. Vidyāśaṅkar. Es. Kannaḍa Sāhitya Pariṣattu. 1992. Kannaḍa Sāhitya Pariṣattu. Beṅgaḷūru. kn. 30594658.
6. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . ವಡ್ಡಾರಾಧನೆ (Vaḍḍārādhane) . Śāradā Mandira . 1970. 20586362 .
7. Book: Narasiṃhācār, Ḍi. El. Pīṭhikegaḷu, lēkhanagaḷu.. 1971. kn. 20074288.
8. Book: Narasiṃhācār, Ḍi. El. Hampeya Harihara. 1968. Prasārāṅga, Maisūru Viśvavidyānilaya. Maisūru. 31267582.
9. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . Śivakōtyācārya viracita Vaḍḍārādhane . Śāradā Mandira . 1959. 36274884 .
10. Book: Narasiṃhācār, Ḍi. El. Kannaḍa granthasampādane. 2005. Ḍi. Vi. Ke. Mūrti. Maisūru. kn. 796212464.
11. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . Gōvina hāḍu. . Śāradā Mandira . 1967. 533357621 .
12. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . ಪಂಪ ಭಾರತ ದೀಪಿಕೆ . Kannaḍa Adhyayana Saṃsthe, Maisūru Viśvavidyānilaya . 1971. 20918331 .
13. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . Veṅkaṇṇayya . Ṭi. Es . Śrīkaṇṭhayya . Tī . Bhīṣmaparva saṅgraha . Gaurnameṇṭ Brāñc Pres . 1930. 263722676 .
14. Book: ಪಂಪರಾಮಾಯಣ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸರಾಘವಾಚಾರ್. ತಿರುವಳ್ಳೂರ್. ನರಸಿಂಹಾಚಾರ್. ಡಿ. ಎಲ್. 1980. 1006429090.
15. Book: Siddharāma cāritra. Rāghavāṅka. Veṅlaṇṇayya. Ṭi. Es. Narasiṃhācār. Ḍi. El. 1941. Karṇāṭaka Saṅgha. Śivamogga.
16. Book: Śrīnivāsācār . Ḍi . Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . Karnāṭaka Mahābhārata. . Maisūru Viśvavidyānilaya . 1950. 263740313 .
17. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . Siddharāma cariteya saṅgraha . Śāradā Mandira . 1962. 276640226 .
18. Book: Veṅkaṇṇayya . Ṭi. Es . Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . ರಾಘವಾಂಕ ಕವಿಯ ಸಿದ್ಧರಾಮ ಚರಿತಂ (Rāghavāṅka kaviya Siddharāma cāritra) . Ta. Veṃ. Smāraka Granthamāle . kn . 1975. 18751877 .
19. Book: Sukumāra caritaṃ. Śāntinātha. Śāmarāv. Ṭi. Es. Narasiṃhācār. Ḍi. El. 1954. Karnāṭaka Saṅgha. Śivamogga. 263740197.
20. Book: Keśirāja. Śabdamaṇidarpaṇaṃ. 2012. Ḍi. Vi. Ke. Mūrti Prakāśana. Maisūru. kn. 898436227.
21. Book: Narasiṃhācār . Ḍi. El . ಕೇಶಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ ಶಬ್ದಮಣಿದರ್ಪಣ (Kēśirāja viracita Śabdamaṇidarpaṇaṃ) . Maisūru : Śāradā Mandira, 1964. . 1964. 228776339 .