While most Christian missionaries came to India with the idea of spreading their religion and bringing natives into their fold, Rev Dr Herman Moegling, a German missionary, was more a soldier of Kannada than a missionary. While his contribution to Kannada is well documented, more can be learnt about contemporary Karnataka in the 18th century by going through his travelogues, said B A Viveka Rai, former VC, Kannada University.
Inaugurating a two-day seminar, Rev Dr Herman Moegling Innurara Nennapu organized by Karnataka Theological Research Institute, Karnataka Sahitya Academy and Kittel Foundation here on Thursday, Rai said: "Moegling did not fully fit the bill of a missionary and the primary role of religious work attributed to them. His role and contribution to society goes beyond the loose framework of work normally attributed to missionaries of those days," he said.
A fraction of Moegling's life and achievements have actually come to light and more can be learnt by undertaking further study of his dairies and correspondence available both in India and Germany, he said. While Mangalore and its surrounding areas was primary work area of Moegling, his travels to places such as Hubli-Dharwad and Dharmasthala and photographs of the places taken will shed more light on these places as they existed then, he said.
FUll report here Times of India
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