THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Remembering how M G S Narayanan would always encourage ideas but seldom endorse them, historian M G Sasibhooshan reminisced how MGS became a critic of precision.
“Often, his smile was the only response we got. But when he truly loved something, he would share his thoughts openly. That approval meant the world for me,” said Sasibhooshan. Speaking of his masterpiece Perumals of Kerala, Sasibhooshan said the work freed Kerala’s medieval history from myths and misconceptions.
“His 1996 work Perumals of Kerala analysed both social and economic history along with political history. It is his masterpiece,” opined Sasibhooshan.
He added that one of his most-cherished memories was when MGS asked him to massage his shoulders the last time he visited MGS at his home in Kozhikode.
“He was not someone who would ask such things. When he made that request, I knew he considered me as somebody special,” he added.
Sasibooshan remembered how once, after he wrote an article, MGS not only praised it but also suggested that it should be turned into a book. “That was precious for me. We share the same initials, so people used to call me “Junior MGS” as if considering me as a successor,” said Sasibhooshan.
Beyond his work as a historian, M G S Narayanan was a remarkable epigraphist and artist, said Sasibhooshan. “He identified that Bhaskara Ravi Chakravarthi and Manu Kuladithyan were the same person, as well as that Godaradi and Vijayaragadevan were the same,” Sasibhooshan noted.
Though MGS was known internationally for his work, serving as a visiting professor at prestigious universities such as Harvard, Oxford, and Moscow, he never compromised on his principles.
Sasibhooshan also recalled M G S Narayanan’s talent for art. “In his younger days, he used to compete with Artist Namboodiri and even win. He was truly an all-rounder. He had a heart of gold, and his smile was one of the best I’ve ever seen. It is a huge loss,” concluded Sasibhooshan.
