Justice Gunderao Harkare was a judge by profession in pre independent era in India and was regarded as one of the great Pandits in those days. His many research papers were published in leading Sanskrit Journal. He had even position of examiner in Sanskrit Examination Board in Mysore and Madras state. His reputation carned "vachaspati" award for him in Navadwipa. His had mastery over ten languages with a skill of writing of creative literature in all those languages. His translations of Holy Quran, Some Telugu works, English Dramas in Sanskrit were appreciated by scholars. The present book carries his two unpolished small translation works namely "Pravaasu" (Translation of Travellor) and "Chaitya-vilaapa kaavyam" (Translation of an Elegy). These works are unique illustration for exhibition of the expression power of Sanskrit. Dr. V.Subrahmanyam, who has Ph.D in Sanskrit Education and has been presently working as Dy. Director in Sanskrit Academy, has edited this work with the help of Dr. Hariharantha a Sanskrit Scholar, a direct disciple of the author. Dr. Hariharanath procured the manuscripts of these two works with him.
Justice Gunderao Harkare (1887-1979) was a multifaceted scholar of national repute who was well versed in many languages and Shastras. Born in 1887 during pre-independent period of India in Nizam regime of South India, he got educated in Persian and Arabic in Primary level and studied English in high school. He was also pro efficient in Kannada, Telugu, Marathi and Urdu by childhood days. A Judge by profession, he had a special interest in logic (Nyaya, Meemamsa) Hindu law (Dharmashastra) and linguistics (Vyakarana). He was a good poet by nature. His interest and continuous & tireless efforts to study these Shastras earned him a unique and commanding Scholarship in all these fields. More than 10 titles including Vachas pati and President's certificate of honor show his fame and erudite scholarship. His literary contributions include many trans creation works like Urdu translation of "Mitakshara" a source book of Hindu law, a Sanskrit rendering of Holy Quran, Sanskrit poetic trans creations of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Wordsworth's "An inti mtion to immortality", Gold smith's "Traveller" and many more At the age of 80, he got interested in the development of an electronic machine for studies of Ashtadhyayi Grammatical process. The present work "Pravaasi" by him is a Sanskrit poetic trans creation of the "Traveller" of Oliver Gold Smith in English. This rendering exhibits the expressive power of Sanskrit language as the author himself writes in his introduction. Some modern scholars may think that Sanskrit is a dead language and it cannot be used in modern context any way. To deny such undue assumptions about Sanskrit and to show the expressive power of Sanskrit language this experiment is undertaken. The ideas that are expressed in unique fashion and that are of different and very distant culture are expressed in a beautiful and rhythmic metre of Sanskrit language, which could make equal impact on the reader of original poem. The poetic conventions of English poets differ from that of Indian poets, in many aspects and that makes rendition difficult. However, such efforts done by Sri Harkare has proven the feasibility of cross culture poetic cultivation with equal weightage added with slight difference in tastes. Only such efforts will be the testing bed for Sanskrit language writers. This metrical rendering is being published for the first time on the basis of the only manuscript written by the author himself, which was available with Dr G Hariharanath his direct disciple. We are thankful to Dr.G.Hariharanath, for his kind support in bringing out this edition. Another work "Chaityavilapakavyam" by the same author is also being published for the second time. This was published by the author in 1930 on his own. I am also thankful to Dr. V.Subrahmanyam, Dy.Director, Sanskrit Academy, for his efforts in bringing out this book. The Sanskrit Academy owes grateful Prof.R.V.Tripathi, V.C., Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi and Prof.T.Tirupathi Rao, V.C., Osmania University and Sri C.S.Kaniyal and other staff of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi for their kind support and valuable suggestions.
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