KOZHIKODE: Eminent historian M G S Narayanan, who evaluated history using the microscope of scientific temper and not by popular fables, passed away at his residence in Malaparamba, Kozhikode, on Saturday following age-related ailments. He was 92.
A respected scholar and former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), the native of Ponnani in Malappuram laid the foundation stone for scientific study of history in the country.
A product of human school of thought, MGS often found himself at odds with political parties. Over the years, he clashed with the Left, the Congress, and the BJP in Kerala, unafraid to voice his dissent regardless of the party in power.
His mortal remains were cremated at the Mavoor Road crematorium on Saturday by 4:30pm, after ministers including A K Saseendran paid final respects.
MGS even questioned Modi on ‘plastic surgery’ remark
His seminal contribution was the study of the second Chera dynasty that culminated in his book ‘Perumals of Kerala’, a landmark work in the state’s historiography.
He differed with the legendary Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai on the issue of Chera dynasty but never belittled Pillai’s contribution to Kerala history. He also made notable discoveries, including stone and copper plate inscriptions, which opened new avenues for historical research in the state.
Known for his irreverent approach, the historian successfully demolished many myths associated with Kerala history that were part of the state’s popular imagination.
In his early years, MGS maintained close ties with communist leaders. He has a history of both guiding E M S Namboodiripad to a hideout at midnight and clashing with him in later years.
In one pointed remark, he questioned EMS’s failure to oppose being called a ‘Thambran’ (feudal lord). Later in life, MGS concluded that Marxist socialism was fundamentally incompatible with democratic principles.
MGS joined the ICHR when the Congress was in power. Yet, he did not shy away from criticising the party, emerging as a vocal opponent of what he described the party’s culture of family rule.
It was perhaps this independent stance that prompted the BJP-led Vajpayee government to appoint him as chairman of the ICHR in 2001. However, his tenure was short-lived.
True to his principles, MGS resigned in protest against government interference in the council’s decisions.
Later, he made it clear that had the Narendra Modi government offered him the position, he would have declined.
MGS criticised BJP’s attempts to project mythological narratives from epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata as historical fact.
On one occasion, MGS publicly questioned Modi’s remark at a Science Congress, where the PM claimed the elephant-headed deity Ganesha was evidence of the world’s first plastic surgery. “What nonsense is this? It is inconceivable that those in responsible positions would say such things,” MGS had remarked. He also questioned the claim that Pushpak Vimana, a flying chariot mentioned in the Ramayana, was the world’s first aircraft.
Born on August 20, 1932, as Muttayil Govinda Menon Shankara Narayanan, he completed his graduation in economics and PG in history from the University of Madras, securing first rank.
He began his teaching career in 1954 at Zamorin (Guruvayurappan) College, Kozhikode, later joining the Kozhikode centre of the University of Kerala in 1964 and the University of Calicut in 1968.
MGS 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).
He is survived by wife Premalatha, son Vijayakumar and daughter Vinaya Manoj.
