An order dissolving the KCHR was issued on September 22 2001.Chief Minister A.K. Antony, who announced the Cabinet decision a few days earlier, said that the KCHR was being dissolved because there were complaints about "procedural and financial irregularities" and about its "approach to the writing of history".."
P.J Cheriyan, KCHR Director told Frontline: "The government could have been misled as well. I wish the Chief Minister read our Memorandum of Association and the Annual Action Plan of the Council. It is unfortunate that merely by raising the 'Marxist bogey' people can undo such noble ventures. The primary aim of the KCHR was to further the cause of first-class scholarship in historical research. But the mainstream media, in their over-enthusiasm to support the allegations made by one or two historians with Hindutva connections, interpreted it as the promotion of Marxist historiography, which the myopic political establishment took as the promotion of Marxist political interests. That seems to be the reason that ensured the death of the KCHR."
It is very unfortunate that the government should have gone ahead to order the dissolution of the Council without looking into the vision behind the KCHR, how it was constituted, or the nature of its activities," Cherian concluded.(Frontline Volume 18 - Issue 21, Oct. 13 - 26, 2001)
Re-enact Muziris voyages, KHA tells Navy
ReplyDeleteK.A. MARTIN & S. ANANDAN
(THE HINDU 21/I/12)
Defence Ministry told to take the lead in rebuilding such a vessel at Beypore
The Kerala History Association (KHA) headed by jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer has urged the Indian Navy to join hands with the Departments of Cultural Affairs and Tourism to re-enact the voyages of ancient trade vessels from the ancient port of Muziris to the Red Sea around 2000 years ago.
In a key resolution, passed early this month, the association asked the Union Defence Ministry to take the lead in rebuilding such a cargo vessel at Beypore, a historical boatbuilding hub in northern Kerala renowned for its esoteric technology adept at building ‘urus' [cargo sail yachts] using locally available timber and coir.
The association felt that recreating a cargo vessel that plied the seas from Muziris to link ports in the Red Sea on the Egyptian and the Yemeni coasts would highlight the strong historical links between the two important regions of the world besides bringing to the world's attention their cultural exchanges.
Historian K.N. Panikkar endorsed the idea when he told The Hindu on Friday that it would be good if the Navy undertook such a mission.
He recalled that such efforts had been made in other parts of the world, including in the recreation of journeys along the old Silk Route.
It must have taken 40 days to reach Muziris from Egypt by sea in the olden times, said George Menacherry, a church historian, who piloted the resolution at the association's meeting.
He, however, added that the ‘Jewel of Muscat,' a replica of the late first-millennium trading vessel that sailed around the world jointly created by the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of Singapore, had shown that the journey would take just 27 days now.
Approached for its comments, the Navy said although it had not received the proposal yet, it would study the merits of the project before taking a call on that.
“While the Navy has always taken a keen interest in understanding, conserving, and contributing to build upon the rich maritime history that India boasts, collaboration in such ventures require decision at the highest-level,” said Navy sources.
In the State, the Navy has earlier assisted the archaeological excavation team at Pattanam (where vestiges of Kerala's trade with the Mediterranean countries were exhumed) by sending its deep-sea divers to conduct underwater surveys.
It sustains a chair on maritime history at Calicut University and the local chapter of the Maritime History Society is headed by the Southern Naval Command's Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST).
When the ‘Jewel of Muscat', currently installed as a maritime history museum in Singapore after a historical sail along the ancient Middle East and the Far East, was constructed in Oman on the lines of a shipwrecked ninth-century cargo vessel, uru-builders of Beypore were called in to build it.
Built without nails or screws and with planks sewn together using coconut fibres, the sail yacht was made by over a dozen carpenters and rope-makers from Beypore.
“There was a time when the boatbuilding industry here had its hands full, building about 60 urus simultaneously. Even now, they build about six to seven urus for foreign customers who use them for tourism promotion. They recently constructed one for a French customer. Exponents of the esoteric technology of uru-making are not many now. But still there are a few and scores of workers are employed by them to carry out the job. They can create mock-ups of ancient ships as well,” said M.P. Padmanabhan, INTUC national leader and an authority on the subject.