E-Paper
Renowned historian KN Panikkar dies at 89
Panikkar served as professor of history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he also functioned as the dean of the School of Social Science
Renowned historian and academic KN Panikkar passed away at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. He was 89.
He was suffering from age-related health complications and is survived by his two daughters Ragini and Shalini.
Panikkar served as professor of history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he also functioned as the dean of the School of Social Science. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and the chairman of Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR).
Born in Guruvayoor in present-day Thrissur district of Kerala in 1936, Panikkar completed his education at the Victoria College in Palakkad and Rajasthan University. He taught at various institutions including Rajasthan University and Indian Institute of Public Administration before joining JNU in 1972 as professor of history. His teachings and work led to him chairing the Archives of Contemporary History at the prestigious university in Delhi.
His principal research area was cultural and physical history during the colonial period.
Also Read:Eminent playwright Jatinder Singh Brar passes away at 81
His writings documented the history of the struggle of ordinary people, farmers and labourers against imperialism. One of his notable works was his book on the Mappila Rebellion in Kerala through which he doggedly analyses the religious and peasant uprisings in the state between 1836 and 1921.
His other books are ‘A Concerned Indian’s Guide to Communalism’, ‘Culture, Ideology, Hegemony - Intellectual and Social Consciousness in Modern India’ and ‘Colonialism, Culture and Resistance.’
His academic expertise prompted the then Kerala government to appoint him as chairman of an expert committee on content in school textbooks. The committee headed by him submitted the report in October 2008.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan paid condolences to Panikkar, terming his demise an irreparable loss for Indian secular and democratic movements.
“Through his writings, teachings and speeches, he constantly reminded people that India’s pluralism was shaped by the course of history and that its collapse would lead to the collapse of the country itself. His words were like light in the minds of people at a time when Indian secularism was shrouded amid the dark clouds of communalism,” the CM said in a statement.
“His life was a constant struggle against attempts to revive the four-varna system with all its decaying elements and against replacing historical facts with myths and speculations. He ranks among the finest historians on the international stage,” the CM added.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan called Panikkar a guardian of Indian secular ideals.
“The country will not forget the strong contributions of KN Panikkar as a historian, intellectual and a proponent of secularism. He opposed those who tried to distort history and use it as a shortcut to power,” the CPI(M) leader said.
