# Examine the position of K.K. Handique as a Sanskrit scholar.
Answer: K.K. Handique, full named Krishna Kanta Handique
(1898-1982), was a world renowned Sanskritist, Indologist and visionary
educationist. He is one of the most respected names in the literary world of
Assam. K.K. Handique wrote a large number of scholarly dissertations, reviews,
surveys, introduction, prefaces, articles and many prestigious publications. He
was mostly famous for a classical scholar especially in the field of Sanskrit
Scholar. His three main publications were “Naisadbacarita” (1934), “Yasatilaka” and
“Indian Culture” (1949).
“Naisadbacarita” and “the Setubandha” were model specimens of translation of ancient Sanskrit and Prakrit texts. Yasatilaka is a rare example of what one classicist has called a cultural commentary. These translations, Handique undertook were path-breaking and trail-blazing works of its kind. Naisadha and Setubandha have both inaccessible and intractable which remained popular till now. Through his Sanskrit Pieces raised his status from just a scholar to a scholar par excellence. K.K Handique was a polymath who grounded in the bedrock of Sanskrit and Indian culture.
# How does Munin Barkotoki try to establish K.K. Handique the ‘Scholar
Par Excellence’?
Answer: In his essay, “K.K. Handique: Scholar Par Excellence”, Munin Barkotoki tries to establish K.K. Handique the ‘Scholar Par Excellence’ through introduction to the different literary works of Handique. He was Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University. Munni Barkotoki mentions that as Nirad C. Caudhuri, Max Mueller was the ‘Scholar Extraordinary.’ In this view Munin Barkotoki compared ‘K.K. Handique’ as ‘Scholar Par Excellence’ who accomplishment of a multifaceted and extremely human personality.
Munin Barkotoki informed that he was mostly famous for a classical scholar especially in the field of Sanskrit Scholar. His three main publications were “Naisadbacarita” (1934), “Yasatilaka” and “Indian Culture” (1949). “Naisadbacarita” and “the Setubandha” were model specimens of translation of ancient Sanskrit and Prakrit texts. Yasatilaka is a rare example of what one classicist has called a cultural commentary. These translations, Handique undertook were path-breaking and trail-blazing works of its kind. Naisadha and Setubandha have both inaccessible and intractable which remained popular till now. Besides these, Handique produced a large variety of highly scholarly dissertations and surveys, numerous articles, learned reviews of journals, contributed greatly prized introductions, and prefaces too many prestigious publications at home and abroad en English and European languages, delivered a number of very valuable keynote addresses. He also delivered orations as chairman of various oriental and educational conferences and institutions like the Research Institute and The Bhandarkar Oriental Institute, and provided invaluable chapters in several Indological and other Asian and foreign bodies.
# Distinguish between ‘Scholar Extraordinary’ and ‘Scholar Par
Excellence’.
Answer: According to Munin Barkotoki, between ‘Scholar Extraordinary’ and ‘Scholar Par Excellence’, there are some distinctions. Nirad C. Chaudhuri called Max Mueller as ‘the Scholar Extraordinary’. In this view, Munin Barkotoki compared ‘K.K. Handique’ as ‘Scholar Par Excellence’ who accomplishment of a multifaceted and extremely human personality. Between ‘Scholar par excellence’ and ‘Scholar Extraordinary’, there can be some distinction without a substantial difference. ‘Scholar Extraordinary’ carries the hint of much more besides scholarship. On the other hand, ‘Scholar par excellence’ somewhat straitjackets the accomplishments of a multifaceted, extremely human personality like that of Krishnakanta Handique’s. Which however, it is beyond the immediate concern.
# ‘As per popular
notion, Krishnakanta Handique would hardly qualify for being described as a
scholar’. Explain your understanding of this statement.
Answer: Munin Barkotoki informs that the popular notion is that the more the books or treatise as they (The authors) are called in scholarly parlance. In this view, Munin Barkotoki says that there are to one’s credit, the bigger the scholar, prima facie, Krishnakanta Handique, who has authored not more than three major works (“Naisadbacarita” (1934), “Yasatilaka” and “Indian Culture” (1949)) in his fairly long lifetime.
Barkotoki mentions that it would hardly qualify for being described as a scholar, far less a scholar par excellence if the number of books written was all that mattered. Indeed, we do not in fact lack people in our midst who tend to look askance and wonder how Handique managed to acquire a nearly world-wide reputation as an Indologist and Sanskrit on the strength of only three expository and analytical books, none of which really was a tome as tomes go.