Eminent historian M G S Narayanan dies at 93

M G S Narayanan, an eminent historian, academic and former chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), died at his residence in Malaparamba, Kozhikode, on Saturday due to age-related ailments, family sources said.

He was 93. He is survived by wife, son, and daughter.

One of India’s most reputed historians, he headed the department of history at University of Calicut from 1976 to 1990 and served as ICHR chairman from 2001-2003.

In his condolence message, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said the noted historian, writer and columnist had left a deep imprint on the field of historiography.

His commendable contributions as the former chairman of the ICHR will always be remembered, he said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Narayanan, saying it was a great loss at a time when organised efforts are being made to misinterpret and rewrite history for narrow interests.

“MGS adopted a different path from the traditional historical writing by comprehensively analysing documents and interpreting them scientifically,” the CM said in his message.

The CM said Narayanan did not try to completely reject myths, but analysed the social role they played and made them a part of our history.

“Narayanan played a major role in shaping history and historiography as a form of knowledge and contributed writings to society that could be studied and analysed again,” he said.

While at one point he expressed strong disagreement with the Left, he later strongly resisted the right-wing pressure to subordinate history writing to narrow interests, the CM said.

“In 2015, he protested in strong language along with other historians against the growing intolerance under the Sangh Parivar rule in the country,” Vijayan recalled in his message.

Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, in his message, said MGS had always stood against the rigid theory that history should be constructed in accordance with the interests of rulers.

“He fought against everyone who distorted or fabricated history. Bidding farewell to the country’s most courageous and authoritative historical researcher,” Satheesan said.

Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer said Narayanan had made unique contributions to historical research in Kerala.

“His style of openly expressing his positions on political and social issues was always notable,” Shamseer said in his message.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in his message, said Narayanan had left an indelible mark on the study of Indian and Kerala history through his fearless intellectual integrity and scholarly contributions.

“A towering academic, he leaves behind a rich legacy of intellectual courage, scholarly depth, and a lifelong dedication to truth in history,” Chandrasekhar said.

In a message, Wayanad MP and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi expressed her condolences on the demise of Narayanan. His scholarship and contributions to the field of history were exemplary, she said.

She also said that his fearlessness and wisdom will always be remembered in the cultural and literary spheres of Kerala.

Narayanan, who left a deep imprint on the field of Indian historiography, his PhD thesis, ‘Perumals of Kerala’ examined Kerala’s socio-political history from the 9^th to the 12^th centuries.

From 1976, he was active in the Indian History Congress and led multiple historical research projects in collaboration with ICHR. He also worked as a visiting professor at several universities in India and abroad.

Narayanan focused on Kerala history, the history of Tamilakam, ancient Indian history and the methodology of historiography.

He mentored over a thousand students and supervised many postgraduate research projects. With more than 200 published articles in Malayalam and English, he made historical scholarship more accessible through his literary flair.

He had served as a Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and as visiting fellow at the University of Moscow and the Institute of Oriental Studies in Leningrad.

Born Muttayil Govinda Menon Sankara Narayanan on August 20, 1932, Narayanan, commonly known by his initials as MGS, had been a major cultural presence in Kerala for more than six decades.

He was educated at the University of Madras where he earned a master’s degree in History with first rank. He taught at the Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode, before moving to the post graduate department of History of the University of Kerala, then located in Kozhikode.

The centre was later incorporated into the University of Calicut and on its inception, Narayanan became the head of the history department, where he taught for nearly 15 years. During this period, he brought in a major shift in the way history is studied and taught in Kerala.

He was closely associated with the Indian History Congress, where he served in various capacities. He also served the ICHR as its first member secretary and later its chairman.

Narayanan had received training in epigraphy and was proficient in Malayalam, English, Tamil, and Sanskrit, as well as Brahmi, Vattezhuthu and Grantha scripts.

Besides his contributions in the field of history, Narayanan had also made his presence felt in Kerala as a poet, literary critic, political observer, critic, and social activist.

He did not hesitate to openly express his views on history, politics, and society. The positions he had taken at times led to criticism and controversy, but the steadfast approach also earned him admirers.

India