Germany and Karnataka - associations over centuries

On this day, the first of November, in 1956 the people from the regions speaking Kannada came together to form the state of Karnataka in South West India. It just seemed apt to write this article today. It is an attempt to seek associations in history and today between the two regions of Karnataka and Germany.

In 1843, Herrmann Friedrich Moegling, a German missionary from the Basel Mission, became the publisher of the first ever newspaper in the Kannada language called as 'Mangalooru Samachara'. He is also credited towards the translation of several literary works between Kannada and German. The archived article from the Karnataka newspaper Deccan Herald presents some interesting details. The Moegling Institute of German Language established in Mangalore, Karnataka is named after him.

In 1894, Ferdinand Kittel, also a German missionary from the Basel Mission, became the first person to produce a Kananda-English dictionary that included over 7000 words. To this day, he is revered and remembered in Karnataka for his numerous contributions to the Kannada literature. A part of Bangalore city, the capital of the state of Karnataka, has a significant locality named as 'F. Kittel Nagar' (formerly known as Austin town). I remember as a child in school and a student of Kannada, that we had a chapter in our text books dedicated to him. He is someone who is remembered and honored more as a linguist in Karnataka than a missionary which was his primary objective for being in Karnataka. This definitely might have earned him some rebuke from his superiors during his times. This thought seems apt for the title for this interesting book 'An Indian to the Indians? - On the Initial Failure and the Posthumous Success of the Missionary Ferdinand Kittel (1832-1903)' edited by Reinhard Wendt. In my opinion, this book would hold insights to answer the question - 'Were the linguistic activities of Reverend Kittel with Kannada merely in the interests of it being an instrument for his missionary work or were they an end in itself?'.

Today, Modern Indology courses are being taught at universities (e.g. LMU) in the state of Bavaria, Germany. These courses are mainly focused on southern India, namely the language, literature, religions and culture of Karnataka. This is a result of the agreements between the states of Bavaria and Karnataka and also due to the initiatives of the Kannada Development Authority. A Deccan Herald archive titled 'Mother Kananda makes inroads into the Fatherland' talks about the scope of the agreements in 2007.

Professor Dr. Robert J. Zydenbos from the Institute for Indology and Tibetology at LMU, University of Munich posts details about the basic course in Kannada taught at LMU here. During  2007, he has attended the grand 'Mahamastakabhisheka' a ceremony in the beautiful and benevolent temple town of Dharamasthala, Karnataka along with with Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade (pictures are posted here).

Some interesting trivia

• Common holiday days in both the states of Bavaria and Karnataka
• August 15th  - Mariä Himmelfahrt , Indian Independence Day
• November 1st - Allerheiligen , Kannada Rajyothsava (State formation Day)
• The unofficial flag of Karnataka and the flag of Germany have some resemble in color and structure (Thanks for the observation Donny)

Germany and Karnataka - associations over centuries