KOZHIKODE: In a bid to expose and counter the “vilification campaign against Malappuram”, the CPM is bringing out a book that also explores the pluralistic culture of the district.
‘Malappuram: Myth and Reality’, published by the CPM’s official organ Deshabhimani, is a compilation of papers presented at a seminar organised by the daily in Malappuram in December, 2022. Curiously, Muslim Youth League state president Panakkad Syed Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal has contributed a piece on the Sufi tradition of Malappuram to the book. “Malappuram has always maintained communal harmony at all levels. People from all walks of life have resisted every attempt to distort the history of the district,” Thangal told TNIE.
There have been concerted efforts to paint Malappuram as a hub of extremist activities and religious fundamentalism, said the publishers, adding the myth perpetuated by colonial rulers is now carried forward by communalists. The book is an attempt to counter the slander against the district.
Author M T Vasudevan Nair has written a note for the book in which he stresses the need to protect the secular nature of Thunchanparamb, the memorial for Thunchath Ezhuthachan.
CM to release book on Malappuram on Jan 11
A total of 184 papers were presented at the seminar organised as part of the ‘Malappuram Mahotsavam,’ and 157 of them are included in the book,” said Rajeev C V, the coordinating editor of the book. The papers are on a variety of subjects from the pluralistic nature of the society to the stone-age culture of the area, he said. One paper discusses the lesser- known aspects like iron ore excavation at Karuvarakkundu and while another delves into the lives of the tribals and the people of the coastal area, Rajeev said. Different phases of Gulf migration are discussed in the book.
The Nerchas in Malappuram, which truly reflect the communal amity and the pluralistic nature of the district, also figure in the book, he said. The book also has materials on the presence of the Christian community in Malappuram and the intervention of the Basel Mission. It chronicles the sports activities in Malappuram.
Thangal recalled the intervention of his father Panakkad Syed Muhammad Ali Shihab Thangal when miscreants set fire to the doors of the Tali Temple in Angadippuram. “The development of the district is all-inclusive and no community has been left out,” he said. The book published in two volumes has 1,120 pages. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release the book at a function to be held at the MSP High School Ground on January 11.
Book release on Jan 11
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release the book at a function to be held at the MSP High School Ground on January 11.