Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates the 10th International Annual Meeting of the Kerala History Congress along with KHC President V. Karthikeyan Nair at the Government College for Women in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
History should be disseminated in a more accessible manner to the general public to counter the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to twist historical narratives for its own political ends, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He was inaugurating the 10th International Annual Session of the Kerala History Congress at the Government College for Women here on Saturday.
“We live in a time when it is necessary to spread the true lessons of history to the wider society. In today’s India, history is being used as a weapon to spread hatred and divide people along religious lines. The Sangh Parivar is using the same methods used by the British Empire to divide people. Those in power are aiding and abetting such attempts. In Kerala too, there are heinous attempts to spread such mental practices and to eradicate them again. by providing historical education the masses can resist these attempts,” he said.
Contribution of leaders
He said that the interventions of numerous social reformers, including Sree Narayana Guru, had transformed Kerala into a progressive society from the depths of a regressive mentality. However, it should be noted that several other states with stronger renaissance movements are now plagued by caste oppression and inequality. On the other hand, Kerala could be transformed into a model society due to the politico-social interventions of leaders like P. Krishna Pillai, EMS, AKG, TK Madhavan and C. Kesavan who built on the foundations provided by the Renaissance movements.
Lessons on the Mughal Era
Mr. Vijayan said Kerala has decided to keep sections in school textbooks that were recently deleted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), including lessons related to the Mughal era and history of the section. 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. His resolution on literacy in history for the general population was taken up by the Kerala State Literacy Mission.
The day’s events began with a panel discussion on Kerala historiography that touched upon the contributions of historian MGS Narayanan and the new avenues he opened for others. Kerala Council for Historical Research Chairman KN Ganesh; KCHR Executive Committee Member PP Abdul Razak; and Assistant Professor of Shibi Sanskrit University spoke. A panel discussion on how cinema helps historical studies featured speakers such as filmmaker Madhupal and historian Sebastian Joseph. One of the highlights of the day was a special session on ‘Thiruvananthapuram in History’ where 18 invited papers were presented. Writer Rajesh Erumeli delivered a memorial lecture to KK Koch and Chentharassery.
Published – 27 Nov 2025 20:49 IST
