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General Introduction to the University
The Government of Karnataka through the Kannada University Act 1991 established
Kannada University, Hampi in 1991. Though the University was established in
1991, the demand for such a University was there since mid 1980's. The
Government of Karnataka established a commission under the chairmanship of
Sadashiva Wodeyar. The Committee after consulting various intellectuals,
education experts, political thinkers, social activists, literary personalities
and representatives of people came out with a report and recommended the
establishment of much needed Kannada University.
In Karnataka we hardly find any research institute working exclusively on the
issues related to Karnataka and Kannada. The primary objective of the University
is to conduct multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research on various
aspects of Karnataka and Kannada. It also encourages comparative studies with
other regions and languages.
Kannada University is a unique institution. It doesn’t have any regional
jurisdiction unlike other Universities, which cater to the educational needs of
a particular region. The knowledge produced by other Universities is more or
less in English and this has created a chasm between the vast majority of our
population, which is alien to English language and higher education that is
exclusively in English. The colonial history of our region has erected language
barriers to knowledge and has created a knowledge gap between the English
knowing elite and others. This kind
of diaglossia has had its social toll. The University aims to bridge this gap by
producing knowledge in Kannada and also make available the knowledge that is
produced in other languages to Kannada knowing people.
This is not a new situation that Kannada culture is facing today. Every culture
has to live in a matrix of relationship with other cultures and Kannada is no
exception to it. A Culture survives
only through a meaningful interaction with other cultures.
But what is objectionable is that if this interaction happens on an
uneven plane. Kannada had this kind of uneven interaction with Sanskrit earlier.
And Kannada culture has made efforts to negotiate it. Now English, a colonial
gift, has replaced Sanskrit. We need to negotiate this hierarchical interaction
to bridge the socio-academic gap in our society.
Establishment of Kannada University is a major step in this direction
since the establishment of Unified Karnataka in 1956.
But to negotiate with mighty cultures we need to equip Kannada
intellectually, and the task of it is on the shoulders of Kannada University.
Address :
Kannada University, Hampi
Vidyaranya,
Tq: Hospet, Dist : Bellary
Karnataka, INDIA
Telephone : 08394-241337
Fax : 08394-241335