Latest news with #KozhikodinteKatha
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
MGS wrote about Kozhikode and had an active life here
Most history textbooks tell us that Portuguese traveller Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad near what was then Calicut on May 20, 1498, heralding the advent of colonial powers on Indian shores. However, historian M.G.S. Narayanan, who passed away here on Saturday (April 26, 2025), often termed it an outright lie. Quoting the chronicles of the courtiers of Portuguese kings, MGS, as the historian was popularly known, used to say that such an incident had never happened. He often ridiculed the Archaeological Survey of India for installing a memorial stone for the traveller at Kappad. According to MGS, though Gama and his team could have anchored their ship off the Kappad coast, they did not land there. He used to say that Gama could have landed at Panthalayini near Kollam in Koyilandy because of a port there. Kappad did not have one. MGS not only discovered such historical nuggets about Kozhikode, but was also a part of the city and wrote about it extensively. Calicut: The City of Truth Revisited and Kozhikodinte Katha are among the notable ones. The late historian's connection with Kozhikode started in 1947 when he joined the Zamorin's Guruvayoorappan College as an intermediate student. MGS developed an interest in history after listening to the lectures of historian K.V. Krishna Ayyar, the author of Zamorins of Calicut. After completing his masters in History from Madras Christian College in 1953, he returned to his alma mater in Kozhikode as a faculty member. From then on, for MGS, a native of Parappanangadi, Kozhikode was home. According to his close associates, MGS shared a deep personal bond with the major writers of the time, such as M.T. Vasudevan Nair, and other cultural activists, as he was also interested in literature and painting. Old timers recall the lively debates and discussions they used to organise in various parts of the city. When the University of Kerala set up a postgraduate centre at Guruvayoorappan College, he was appointed there in 1965. When the centre became part of the University of Calicut in 1968, he joined there as a lecturer. He retired in 1992 as Professor and Head of the Department of History, and also Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences. As modern-day Kozhikode has few historical structures, MGS wrote repeatedly about the need for a proper museum to showcase the city's past. He was among the first to criticise the demolition of the Hajur Kacheri at Mananchira, the administrative headquarters of Malabar and a specimen of the Anglo-Indian style of architecture. He was active in socio-political spheres as well. M. P. Vasudevan, a member of the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee, recalls that MGS was elected its president when the forum was set up in 2012. 'Without his involvement, the road-widening work would not have reached its present advanced stage. He was part of all the agitations that we took up,' Mr. Vasudevan says. MGS also associated himself with some cultural groups as their patron until recently.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Renowned historian Dr MGS Narayanan passes away at 93
KOZHIKODE: Eminent historian Dr. M.G.S. Narayanan passed away at his residence in Malaparamba, Kozhikode, on Friday. He was 93. A respected scholar and former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), Dr. Narayanan was widely regarded for his significant contributions to the historical and cultural studies of Kerala. A native of Ponnani, Dr Narayanan was known for his outspoken views and pathbreaking research. He had been suffering from age-related ailments. The funeral will be held at the Mavoor Road crematorium on Saturday at 4 pm. Dr Narayanan's authoritative research on the Chera dynasty culminated in his acclaimed book Perumals of Kerala, a landmark work in the state's historiography. He also made notable discoveries, including stone and copper plate inscriptions, which opened new avenues in Kerala's historical research. His scholarly papers earned international recognition, and he served as a visiting professor at universities in the United Kingdom and Russia. Born on August 20, 1932, as Muttayil Govinda Menon Shankara Narayanan, he completed his graduation in economics and post-graduation in history from the University of Madras, securing first rank. He began his teaching career in 1954 at Zamorin (Guruvayoorappan) College, Kozhikode, later joining the Kozhikode centre of the University of Kerala in 1964 and the University of Calicut in 1968. Dr Narayanan earned his PhD from the University of Kerala in 1973. He was an active member of the Indian History Congress from 1974 and retired in 1992 as the head of the history department at the University of Calicut. He went on to hold several key positions, including member secretary of the ICHR and chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Kerala State Archives (2004–05). An editor of numerous research publications, Dr Narayanan authored several important works, including Kozhikodinte Katha, Kalaripayattu Nighandu, Kavitha Communism Vargheeyata – M.G.S. Thoughts, 10 False Stories in Kerala History, and Chirithri Viyavaharam – Kerala and Bharatavum. His autobiography Jalakangal was published by Current Books in 2018. He is survived by his wife Premalatha, son Vijayakumar, and daughter Vinaya Manoj.
