Deba Prasad Misra
‘‘Honest persons that achieve their tasks silently are rare. Few are also the trees that yield fruit without their flowering being noticed.”
These two lines of ‘Setubandha’ succinctly sum up the erudite scholarly legacy of Prof. Krishna Kanta Handiqui, one of India’s most distinguished scholars, educationists, linguists, Indologists and administrators. Commemorating the 128th birth anniversary of Prof. K.K. Handique is both a privilege and a challenge, given the magnitude of his erudite legacy. Through this ode, I humbly pay my tribute to an extraordinary and illustrious son of our state whose timeless work continues to motivate and guide all classes of readers.
Krishna Kanta Handique was born on 20 July, 1898, at Jorhat in Upper Assam into a family that valued education and culture. Prof. Handique was the eldest son of Rai Bahadur Radha Kanta Handique, a reputed tea planter and philanthropist of Assam. His mother Narayani Handique was the sister of one of the illustrious sons of Assam, Padma Nath Gohain Baruah, the first president of Axam Xahitya Xabha. From an early age, he displayed extraordinary academic ability and an intense interest in classical languages. Handiqui had his early education at Jorhat Govt. High School and passed matriculation in 1913 with creditable success. He passed the intermediate exam from Cotton College, Guwahati. He secured first class in B.A. (Hons) in Sanskrit in 1917 at the premature age of nineteen. In 1919, he got a first class in M.A. Sanskrit at Calcutta University with special papers on Vedic literature. He then proceeded to England in 1920 and earned his M.A. at Oxford University with honours in modern history in 1923. He studied and learnt many languages like Latin, Greek, French, German, Russian, Italian and Spanish. His extraordinary command over Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, English, etc., enabled him to produce research of international significance. One of Handiqui’s most remarkable achievements was his extraordinary linguistic ability. His exposure to both Eastern and Western scholarship enabled him to bridge the traditional Indian knowledge system with modern academic research. The multilingual expertise enabled him to access original manuscripts and conduct comparative research that few scholars of his time could undertake. His research focused on classical Sanskrit literature, ancient Indian philosophy, Indian political thought, Buddhist literature, Jain literature, Indian cultural history, etc. His writings helped international scholars better understand India’s intellectual traditions and significantly contributed to the global study of Indology. His studies covered Indian philosophy, ancient political institutions, cultural history, classical poetry, religion and linguistics. He introduced rigorous academic methods into Sanskrit research, emphasising evidence-based scholarship and interdisciplinary study. One of his greatest achievements was his contribution to higher education. From 1930 to 1948, he served as the founding principal of Jagannath Baruah College, Jorhat, the first non-govt college in the state (now upgraded into a university). Subsequently, from 1948 to 1957, he became the founding vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, the oldest university in the Northeast. Under his leadership as the first vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, strong academic standards were established, research culture was promoted, libraries and laboratories were strengthened, and academic autonomy was protected. His visionary leadership transformed Gauhati University into one of the leading educational institutions in Northeast India. He strongly believed that universities should become centres of research, innovation, intellectual freedom, character building, and national development. In 1952, he was elected president of the Inter-University Board of India and also presided over the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference at Madras University. He was a noted philanthropist and a polyglot.
Among his most important publications that earned him global recognition are the English translation of the Sanskrit Mahakavya ‘Naisadhacharita’ by Sriharsha, published in 1934; Yasatilaka and Indian Culture, his second monumental work; and his translation of Pravarasena’s ‘Setubandha’, published by the Prakrit Text Society, which is considered one of the finest global achievements in the epic genre. Although internationally recognised as a Sanskrit scholar, Handiqui remained deeply committed to Assamese language and culture. He believed that regional languages were essential for preserving India’s cultural diversity while promoting higher education through English and Sanskrit. Although deeply rooted in Assamese culture, he promoted national unity. He believed that every regional language strengthens Indian unity and that cultural diversity is India’s greatest strength. Handiqui valued time to an extent that he would be on time everywhere.
Our state has travelled a long path from the standard set by the internationally acclaimed scholar K. K. Handiqui. His stature was such that even the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a great scholar himself, broke protocol to visit Handiqui’s bungalow as a mark of his spontaneous respect for his great scholarship. While at Oxford, Suniti Kumar Chatterjee and K. K. Handiqui occupied adjacent rooms in the same hostel, Chatterjee recorded that before Handiqui he was always conscious of his own intellectual limitations.
So engrossed was Handiqui in his books that when his wife intimated him of an earthquake, he quipped, “Earthquake may come, ask him to sit in the drawing room.” He was so immersed in his books that even a calamity like an earthquake did not faze him. To add to his accolades, he was the youngest President of Axam Xahitya Xabha. He presided over the Guwahati session of Axam Xahitya Xabha held in 1937.
Undoubtedly, K.K. Handiqui stands among the greatest scholars and educationists in modern India. His remarkable mastery of languages, pioneering research in Sanskrit and Indology, commitment to Assamese literature and visionary leadership in higher education have left an enduring legacy. His life exemplifies the ideals of intellectual curiosity, cultural preservation and educational leadership. Even today, his contributions continue to inspire students, teachers, researchers, policymakers, in fact, the entire academia making him a timeless symbol of scholarship and cultural renaissance in India. This internationally acclaimed scholar passed away on June 7, 1982. Today, on the day of 128th birth anniversary I pay my humblest tribute to this illustrious son of the state.