Sanskrit scholar KT Pandurangi dies at 99

BENGALURU: Renowned Sanskrit scholar K T Pandurangi died on Friday at his residence in Jayanagar here. He was 99.
He was surrounded by close ones during his final moments and his death was sudden but peaceful, said his daughter Sudha Pandurangi Jayaram. “We hoped that he would reach the milestone of 100 years,” Sudha said, adding that he did not suffer from any ailments.
Born in 1918 in Dharwad, Pandurangi studied at Maharaja’s College, Mysuru and at Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Banaras Hindu University.
After starting his academic career at Karnataka College, Dharwad in 1948, he joined Bangalore University as professor and head of the postgraduate department in 1968 and worked there until his retirement in 1979.
‘The living legend’ as his fans and students described him, received the Rashtrapati award in 1989, Mahamahopadhyaya title in 1997 and several other state and national honours. Pandurangi’s works on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Chandrika Mandana have been lauded across the world.
He has written radio plays and an anthology of poems, Kavyanjali, and has translated Ravindranath Tagore’s plays, Ravindra Poopakani and Purandara Vachanani, into Sanskrit. In Kannada, he has written Kavya Shastra Vinoda, Samskruta Kavayatriyaru, Kalidasana Soundarya Dristi.
Padma Shekhar, vice-chancellor, Samskrit University, said, “He would always try to attend every function at the university, the last being the convocation held a month ago. We hope we will be able to do as much justice to Sanskrit as he has, keep up the love for the subject, and uphold the tradition and legacy of Professor Pandurangi.”