A biography on the late Kannada folk poet and scholar Karim Khan will provide an account of the entire 20th century, H.C. Boralingaiah, Vice-Chancellor, Kannada University, Hampi, has said.
He was speaking at the release of Karim Khan’s biography Kannadada Santa Karim Khan Jeevana Charitre at Kannada Sahitya Parishat on Monday.
Mr. Boralingaiah said the story of Karim Khan, a Gandhian, was also the story of the creative success of the Gandhian path before Independence.
“In an era of unbridled growth and development post-Independence, we have forgotten Gandhi and this book can be an excuse to introspect on the path we have taken,” he said.
Mr. Boralingaiah also recounted his interaction with Karim Khan when the two worked together at the Janapada Academy in the late 80s. “Despite the criticism he came under over his appointment to head the Academy at a ripe old age of 83, Karim Khan worked tirelessly for three years and did foundational work in the field of folk arts, along H. L. Nage Gowda, another scholar in the field,” Mr. Boralingaiah said.
A.J. Sadashiva, retired judge, Karnataka High Court, who inaugurated the function, said that in his limited interaction with him, Karim Khan came across as a polymath and a great humanitarian.
“He was a man who believed there was not much of a difference between man and God and if one strove hard, man could reach that holy state. His life was a journey in the direction,” he said.
The biography is written by the late D. Lingaiah. It is published by Godhooli publications.
