Kittel considered service to common man as service to God, says filmmaker

Filmmaker Prashant Pandit, who has made a film on Ferdinand Kittel titled ‘The Word and The Teacher’, said that Kittel who produced the first modern Kannada lexicon, considered service to the common man as service to God.

Filmmaker Prashant Pandit, who has made a film on Ferdinand Kittel titled ‘The Word and The Teacher’, said that Kittel who produced the first modern Kannada lexicon, considered service to the common man as service to God.

He was speaking at a discussion after screening his film on Kittel under the auspices of Gandhian Centre for Philosophical Arts and Sciences (GCPAS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, in Manipal, recently. Kittel continued his work facing opposition within the organisation. He also produced more than 40 scholarly works which transcend the boundaries of religion, language and geography, Mr. Pandit said.

The first person narration in the film uses the personal letters written by Kittel to his children living in Germany along with professional letters and reports written to his superiors. The scholarly works he authored and the theological references in his writings help build the stream-of-consciousness narrative and give a glimpse of that era to the viewers, Mr. Pandit said.

Centre professor K. Phaniraj and Director Varadesh Hiregange said much research has gone into making the film, ensuring it is a sensitive and scholarly film. Writer Muruleedhara Upadhya, social activists B.C. Shetty and Mamatha Rai, filmmakers Sumanth Bhat and Shishirraj Mohan and others participated in the discussion.