Take history to the people to counter Sangh Parivar narrative, says Kerala CM

History should be disseminated in a more accessible manner to the general public to counter attempts by the Sangh Parivar to twist historical narratives for its own political ends, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was inaugurating the 10th International Annual Session of the Kerala History Congress at the Government College for Women here on Saturday.

“We are living in times when it is necessary to spread true lessons from history among the wider society. In contemporary India, history is being weaponised to spread hate and divide people along religious lines. The Sangh Parivar is employing the same methods that the British empire used to divide people. Such attempts are also being aided by those in power. In Kerala also, heinous attempts are being made to spread such divisive mentality and bring back regressive practices which we had eradicated. Only by providing historical education to the masses can these attempts be resisted,” he said.

Leaders’ contribution

He said that the interventions of numerous social reformers, including Sree Narayana Guru, transformed Kerala into a progressive society from the depths of regressive mentality. However, it has to be noted that several other States with stronger renaissance movements are now beset with caste oppression and inequality. On the other hand, Kerala could transform into a model society owing to the politico-social interventions by leaders such as P. Krishna Pillai, EMS, AKG, T.K. Madhavan, and C. Kesavan, who built on the foundation provided by the renaissance movements.

Lessons on Mughal era

Mr. Vijayan said that Kerala has chosen to retain in the school textbooks the sections recently deleted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), including lessons related to the Mughal era and the history of the Partition. The Chief Minister also released the book Manushyavakasha Porattangalum Chattangalum by Robinson Jose. Kerala History Congress president V. Karthikeyan Nair, who presided over the function, said that the congress in its past editions had submitted its resolutions to the State government. Its resolution regarding literacy in history for the common population has been taken up by the Kerala State Literacy Mission.

The events of the day began with a panel discussion on Kerala Historiography, which touched upon the contributions of historian M.G.S. Narayanan and the new pathways he opened up for others. Kerala Council for Historical Research chairperson K.N. Ganesh; KCHR executive member P.P. Abdul Razak; and Sanskrit University Assistant Professor Shibi spoke. A panel discussion on how cinema aids in historical studies had speakers such as filmmaker Madhupal and historian Sebastian Joseph. One of the highlights of the day was the special sessions on ‘Thiruvananthapuram in History’, in which 18 invited papers were presented. Writer Rajesh Erumeli delivered the K.K. Kochu and Chentharassery commemoration lecture.