3 days ago
Sharanabaswappa Appa passes away at 91
Eighth Peethadhipathi of the Sharanabasaveshwara Samsthan Sharanabaswappa Appa, who was founder-chancellor of Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi, passed away late on Thursday. He was 91.
He is survived by eight daughters and a son, five daughters from his first wife and three daughters and a son from his second wife.
His nine-year-old son Doddappa Appa was crowned as the ninth Peethadhipathi of the samsthan in February 2022 at the age of four to succeed his father.
Appa was suffering from age-related ailments for the last few months. He was admitted to a private hospital in the city on July 25 after developing a respiratory infection and was on life support since then.
At 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, he was taken to his residence at Dasoha Mahamane on the Sharana Basaveshwara Temple premises, where a makeshift ICU was set up earlier in the day.
All care and supportive medications were continued until his last breath, under the care of a dedicated medical team, to ensure his comfort.
By 9.23 p.m., he breathed his last.
Born on November 14, 1935, Appa completed his early education at Mahadasoha Mahamane in the Gurukul tradition, pursued schooling at Nutan Vidyalaya and graduated from the Government College in Kalaburagi.
He earned his MA and Ph.D in Philosophy from Karnatak University, Dharwad, where he was later appointed a Syndicate Member.
He was instrumental in introducing postgraduate studies in Veerashaiva philosophy. He studied under eminent scholar K.G. Shah who had taught at Cambridge and Oxford.
Appa ascended the Peethadhipathi's chair in 1983. A visionary educationist, he transformed the once educationally backward Kalyana Karnataka region into an academic hub.
When political and social systems failed to provide quality education, he opened the doors of higher learning to the masses, focusing on empowerment through knowledge.
He authored Shatashtala Siddhanta and Maha Dasoha Sutra, the latter was translated into English by Judit Kroll of the University of Chicago.
In 2017, he established Sharnbasva University to blend traditional values with modern education and to frame curricula free from bureaucratic constraints, tailoring them to the needs of industry and society.
Under his stewardship, the Sharanabasaveshwara Vidya Vardhak Sangha expanded into a network of schools, colleges and professional institutions. The samsthan flourished as a centre of spiritual guidance, social service and cultural preservation.
Appa's lifelong commitment to moral values, inclusivity, and interfaith harmony earned him widespread respect and numerous honours. His death marks the end of an era for the samsthan and the people of North Karnataka.
