The passing of Professor S. Settar on February 28 marked the end of an era of historical research of classical Kannada literature. Though short lived, this era can aptly be described as one man’s mission to unravel the history of the Kannada language — its development and transformation through time — and its relation with other classical languages such as Prakrit, Tamil and Sanskrit. Settar found them to be unfathomable storehouses of historical information necessitating a study in a manner hitherto not attempted by his predecessors either in the disciplines of history or Kannada literature.
The hall mark of Settar’s investigations was an understanding of Kannada literature in all genres with all its ramifications. He would identify the historical significance of each and every word, collating them to fit into innovative uses and arrive at provocative rather than conclusive statements.
Following his passing, many of his well wishers, admirers and ardent readers of his writings paid tribute to his contributions in developing the field of new history of Kannadanadu and its people. His works were introduced by eminent scholars including historians, archaeologists, literary critics and linguists, who did not hide their admiration of his in-depth knowledge of the sources he was consulting, the innovative methods he was devising for each one of the historical themes he dealt with and his concern for authentic sources.
Based on these, Settar stood on firm ground, building a superstructure not so easy to demolish. He was thoroughly informed of the secondary sources that led him to primary sources and reread them. His works at once commanded respect and took many a contemporary by surprise and left them wondering why they were not able to move in similar directions. He has been admired for his eclectic approach and for his interdisciplinary framework of research. He dealt with a diverse variety of themes and focussed on the rank and file of society. For him, the subject matter of death was as important as life. He appreciated art in all forms, from all time periods — for him, the creators of art were as important as the patrons of art.
He was bilingual in the true sense of the term, writing in English and Kannada with equal dexterity and command. He expressed himself in the most intelligible manner, enriching our understanding of the history and culture of Kannada-speaking people. While tracing the antiquity of the Kannada language and its script, he mastered the Prakrit language and its script. As a result, he emerged as a trilingualist — a rare combination in a history scholar. His last publication titled Early Buddhist Artisans and Their Architectural Vocabulary (to be released posthumously) bears ample testimony of his prowess.
Settar was always eager to hear from his critics to improve upon the theoretical frameworks of his investigations. In all humility, he would always end his notes with, ‘My findings are not conclusions, but pathways for future research either to refute or to subscribe to my findings’. Though he did not have a concluding statement, he preferred to end his seminal publications with concluding remarks. He was a holistic historian of Kannada, Kannada Nudi and Kannada Nadu, a polymath par excellence.
Though he passed away at the ripe age of 85 and had been ailing for some time, he desired to live for at least two more years. He mentioned this to be me during his last but one, discharge from the hospital. Unfortunately, he was not destined to see the completion of his ongoing works. To a few of his close associates he had said, “In order to facilitate an easy reading of Halagannada Kavyas I have prepared a glossary. I need to revisit this glossary. My work on Kavirajamarga (the earliest known Kannada text) and editing is half done. My study of the inscriptions of the first millennium is progressing well, its glossary has been completed but needs to be scientifically presented in a bilingual format. My plans for further research on these and other aspects are of Himalayan proportion, I would like to explore the darker areas of Kannada literature, write in Kannada, and incorporate new ideas and themes into Kannada history and live to complete them.”
Perhaps he had a premonition of insufficient time. He had given final shape to the 8-volume Kannada Inscriptions of the First Millennium , each of which is 500 pages long. While the first volume is ready for strike order, the rest are in various stages of completion, will be ready in the next couple of months.
Besides all this, Settar also wrote plays for radio narrations, limericks, short stories, satires and left behind an incomplete autobiography. His obsession with Ashoka the Mauryan Emperor is reflected in his pen name Devanampriya, his first child Priydarshini, and his historical research centring on Ashoka and his edicts. His family’s trust in N. Ravikumar of Abhinava and me will not be in vain. These works will surely see the light of day.
