The accidental historian

Visitors who arrived at the Government Museum for the exhibition of inscriptions in November met with a very special guide. Dressed in his BMTC uniform, with a smile that never left his face, was K. Dhanapal, who gave visitors an in-depth tour of inscriptions collected from across the city. Dhanapal, whose interest in history began back in 2005, is fascinated by inscriptions and historic graves – He has, over the years, earned the support of eminent historians and helped restore the graves of Sajjan Rao and Sir Mirza Ismail. He talks to Aksheev Thakur about how his passion for history has led him to uncover forgotten bits of history and led to authorities’ efforts at preserving our glorious heritage.

The Bengaluru Darshan bus winds to a halt at the Government Museum on Kasturba Road and K Dhanapal, its amiable driver, lets go of the steering wheel and reaches for a microphone. He proceeds to relate, with enviable ease, the history of Cubbon Park and the museum, to his enthused visitors. The inside of the bus is covered with photographs of Bengaluru, both old and new – Dhanapal has been responsible for many of the latter.

He joined BMTC in 1987 as a driver and never imagined at the time his role in unravelling Benglauru’s history. In 2005, the state transport department launched its Bengaluru Darshan, an initiative that takes tourists around the city. Dhanapal, who speaks seven languages, was the obvious choice. As they drove through Bengaluru, he would listen, transfixed as a senior colleague narrated the city’s history and Dhanapal, a naturally inquisitive man, wished he could learn more.

His turning point came almost by chance: As he explained the relevance of Sankey Tank on one of his tours, a tourist asked him the story behind the name.

“I had no answer,” he says. “It was at that point that I decided to delve into local history, so my passengers can have all their questions answered!”

It was nothing short of a metamorphosis. Dhanapal had studied only upto Class X and was now spending every free moment in the library. His considerable knowledge base extends far beyond the local tourist spots and he developed a unique interest of his own – locating historic graves! “I trace the authors of the books I read,” he smiles. Historians Vemagal Somashekhar and Suresh Moona, fascinated by his natural curiosity, started lending him books. “There’s so much to read but I barely find the time after a hectic day,” he says, with great excitement.

On his days off, Dhanapal accompanies historians on their rounds and even bought himself an SLR camera three years ago. It’s the graves that fascinate him, however. “There are burial grounds of renowned people that are totally dilapidated today. I discovered the tomb of Sajjan Rao, which I reported to the media,” he says. The burial ground of Sir Mirza Ismail, the visionary Dewan of Mysore was in similar condition. Dhanapal, who caused a storm in the media and the historian community, compelled authorities to clean the areas.

In 2016, the author in him was born. He worked tirelessly with his mentor historian, Somashekar, to publish a guide for tourists. That’s when he came across Epigraphica Carnatica, the famed compilation of inscriptions by renowned historian and Kannada scholar Benjamin Lewis Rice. The book makes for difficult reading and needs a trained eye but he persevered, nonetheless. He also found epigraphist and historian Professor K.R. Narasimhan. “I approached him saying I wanted to write a book on Yelahanka. Professor Narasimhan had asked me to call him everytime I found an inscription in the area. With his help, we managed to track down the locations and restore about 30 inscriptions,” he says.

Another one of his supporters is R. Gopal, regional director of the Archaeological Survey of India. Every Thursday, the two of them set out to the inscription sites.

After having discovered over 30 inscriptions around Yelahanka, Dhanapal proudly says, “Out of 30, around nine inscriptions have not been mentioned in the records of BL Rice. My dream is to either restore the inscriptions to the original sites or to bring them to the museum. We cannot afford to lose these important pieces of history.”

Pulling out the laminated explanations of the inscriptions, which are placed either at the museum or at different sites, Dhanapal says the archaeological department and local historians have been huge sources of support.

His knowledge, enthusiasm and general good cheer have earned him many a well-wisher and Dhanpal, whose face will with pride, says that he is still in contact with his teachers from school. “My friends and I opened the Pinnakini School Trust, which sponsors uniforms and stationery for children who are studying at my school,” he says.

Recently, on the birth anniversary of Kempegowda, Dhanapal wrote a forward for a book written by his colleague on the founder of the city.