Friday, August 21, 2020

Crow-Touched water

Appreciations from JNU on Kannada Language Chair

 ಕಳೆದ ಐದು ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜೆ ಎನ್ ಯುವಿನ ಕನ್ನಡ ಅಧ್ಯಯನ ಪೀಠವು ಕ್ಯಾಂಪಸ್ಸಿನ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಗಮನ ಸೆಳೆದಿದೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಈ ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಾದ ನಾವು ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ ಪಡೋಣ.

I wanted to take the time to thank you for all your work. I found in you an excellent and understanding teacher who went over and above in catering the class to my needs. Every hour I spent felt extremely well used! I was particularly impressed with how much the language class was catered to my particular research interests and questions with presentations on relevant areas, area-specific vocabulary, and more. I am fully certain that you will be deeply missed by your students at JNU ( Aman Banerji, Department of Development Sociology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences- Cornell University).

Amazing achievements in such a short period, that too a lot of it in very difficult times for the university. You became a part of the true JNU spirit, including that of protest against injustice, almost immediately. The university community will miss you sorely (Prof. Aditya and Mridula Mukharjee, Centre for historical Studies, JNU).

As a colleague myself learned a lot from your association in Centre. During this period, you not only well established the Kannada Chair but also organised so many literary and cultural programmes. You always shared your real motivational ideas for the betterment of the academia. ( Ajmer Singh Kajal, Professor of Hindi, JNU).

You have done great service to the Kannada Chair you held for the last few years. We are proud of your contributions to the Kannada Studies and the overall contribution to the community life in the Campus. I thank you for being a part of this community and would remember you always. ( Ajay Kumar Patnaik, Professor, Centre for Russian Studies and School of International Studies, JNU).

Many thanks for the contribution you have made towards enriching the academic atmosphere at JNU both through your scholarly work as also through your active participation in various activities. I am sure you shall continue to enrich the India that we want it to become through your scholarly and activist pursuits.( Dr Vikas Bajpai, Assistant Professor, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU ).

It has been a short but brilliant career as Kannada chair. You brought a brightness and visibility to the language and region. And you brought together many great minds for events and showcased the culture very admirably. Wish we had people with such energy and verve in Karnataka itself....! . Yours will be a hard act to follow ( Prf. Janaki Nair, Centre for Historical studies, JNU).

I have wonderful memories as we shared the corridor. ( Sharad Baviskar, Assistant Professor, Centre for French and Francophone Studies, JNU).

Though we didn't personally interact much, I am aware of your intellectual contribution to JNU ( Nivedita Menon, professor , Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, School of International Studies, JNU).

Wishing you the very best in your future endeavors! A person like you is indeed gifted with extraordinary strength and vigor, which i had the privilege to witness at the times we worked together. You have indeed given the Kannada chair a new vision and dimension to be carried forward. Your deep understanding of the dance, music and visual presentations of not only your state but of all, made us enjoy the deepness of arts and aesthetics. ( Prof. Meeta Narain, Centre of Russian Studies, JNU)

Your presence was vital in JNU, and happened at a time when we needed a scholar like you to give the right kind of direction to the study of Indian languages. You will be missed by all of us (Prof. G Arunima, Professor, Centre for Women's Studies, JNU)

You contributed to the best traditions of JNU and will be missed. ( Dr. Ravi Srivastava, Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, JNU).

It was a pleasure knowing you. I deeply admire your scholarship. But I will never forget the cultural event you produced that awakened me to deep Shaivite- Islamic linkages in North Karnataka, that Manu Devadevan has brought forth in his wonderful book. What a loss to JNU that you are leaving. But perhaps it is good you are leaving this JNU ( Prof. Mohan Rao, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU)

Let me put on record that your contribution not only as the Kannada Chair but also as an active colleague who took a lot of interest in almost all kinds of activities on the campus has been extraordinary. I didn't have too many occasions to interact with you, but your contributions to the promotion of Kannada language, literature, and culture would remain etched in the history of JNU for all times to come. While we will miss you in the coming months, I join the entire fraternity of teachers and students to wish you all the very best in the coming times. Of course, your dedication and interests would continue to benefit as an academic like you never retire ( Prf. Sachidanand Sinha, Professor of Geography, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, JNU).

What you have managed to accomplish in spite of the times, is awesome. A privilege working with you. I retire end-November and I hope to have achieved in my forty odd years here what you have in four (Prof. GJV Prasad, Centre of English Studies, JNU ).

It is disheartening to know that you have superannuated and will be leaving soon.
Though, you had been a little over four years in JNU yet the ethos & ethics you epitomized is exemplary even to people like us who have spent over four decades here. JNU was fortunate to have you as the first Prof. Kanada language ( Prof. Balbir Singh Butola, centre for the study of regional development JNU)

JNU was good as long as you were around ( Prof. Indrani Mukherjee, Centre of Spanish,Portuguese, Italian & Latin American Studies, JNU )

I could not believe that you were in JNU only for 4 years the way you reflected the critical component in understanding various aspects of human and social life ( Prof. Narendra Kumar, Centre for Political Studies, JNU)

Your presence seems much longer than it has been because of the impact you made( Prpf. Sadhana Naithani, Centre for German Studies, JNU)

It is, indeed, a phenomenal work. You laid a formidable foundation for the Chair. Many congratulations. Wish JNU had extended your tenure as per rules. However, that did not happen. Loss to JNU Kannada Chair and Kannada fraternity. ( Prof. Venkatachala Hegde, Professor of International Law, JNU)

I highly regard you as an excellent academician, humanitarian and your contribution in tremendous works i.e. language, culture, folklore & different types of literary research. We will really miss you in the centre. ( Prof. Ramachandra, Hindi Professor, JNU)
You have completed your tenure as an efficient Professor of the Kannada Chair. Your leadership and management skill inspired me a lot to go ahead and do more for the Odia chair. ( Prof Udayanath Sahoo, Odia Chair, JNU).

I find it very difficult to say you good bye. I can't. In a very short span, you became so popular and a source of inspiration for the colleagues in the centre. Your hard work to bring Kannada Language, literature and culture in to the mainstream of JNU will always be remembered. (Prof. Anwar Alam, Urdu Professor, JNU )