Historian M.G.S. Narayanan has donated the reference documents in his possession to the history department of the University of Calicut. The History Library at the university will now have an ‘MGS Collection’ comprising the Kozhikode-based historian’s entire collection.
The reference documents were collected by Mr. Narayanan during his historical pursuit stretched over five decades.
Pivotal role
He had played a pivotal role in the setting up of the university’s history department in 1963 at the Zamorin’s Guruvayoorappan College, Kozhikode.
When Calicut University was formed in 1968, the department was further expanded.
Reference section
A large number of documents on ancient Indian history, archaeology and Kerala history are part of the reference section donated by Mr. Narayanan.
Among them are historical records of great value such as Travancore Archaeological Series, Ramavarma Research Bulletin, Indian History Congress papers, documents collected by historians of Japan, China and Europe, and compilations of T.V. Mahalingam and Noboru Karashima.
Mr. Narayanan also handed over several records of the British government throwing light on modern history and several reports of the Indian National Congress meetings.
A team of historians from Calicut University led by head of the history department P. Sivadasan accepted the collections from Mr. Narayanan at his house in Kozhikode.
Dr. Sivadasan said that the MGS Collection would be a great motivation for potential researchers in history.
