Saga of a commitment
G.S. PAUL
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`Kerala Samskara Charitra Nikhandu' by S.K. Vasanthan recounts the cultural history of the State.
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UNWAVERING DETERMINATION: S.K. Vasanthan.
"It is a life-time commitment; I cannot think of undertaking any other literary work for the rest of my life."
S.K. Vasanthan, a prolific writer, has no other words to describe the enormity of his latest work: `Kerala Samskara Charitra Nikhandu.' The first of its kind in any Indian language, the unique dictionary was published by Kerala Bhasha Institute recently.
Having completed the first two volumes, Prof. Vasanthan candidly said, " I feel ashamed that teachers like me were totally myopic to the cultural history of Kerala all these years."
It was only political history that mattered, both in the syllabus and discussions at university, he added.
Scarce reference materials
True, the idea was born out of compulsion, he explained. During his stint as a visiting professor at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, he spent sleepless nights to find answers to queries regarding the cultural past of Kerala aired by the post-graduate students of the Department of Malayalam. Reference materials were scarce.
Fortunately for him, the then Vice-chancellor of the university R.Ramachandran Nair encouraged him to take it (cultural dictionary) up as a project. But soon a change in the administration of the university turned disadvantageous to him.
Although, the university's support for the project vacillated, Prof. Vasanthan could not afford to give it up. So in the absence of any assistance - financial or personnel - from the university, he took it up as a one-man project.
The P.G. Nair Foundation scholarship awarded by U.C. College, Aluva, was a blessing. He made optimum use of Kerala Sahithya Akademi library and Appan Thampuran Memorial Library. He collected information for six years.
Seven thousand titles arranged in alphabetical order delve deep into the hoary past of Kerala, bringing out the facets of its esoteric culture.
Interesting anecdotes
There are interesting anecdotes like the one that occurred in a government school in Kollam. When Ezhava students were admitted there, all the children belonging to the Nair and Namboodiri communities collected their transfer certificates. But strangely enough when children from the Scheduled Castes were admitted later, all the Ezhava students also chose to leave the school.
Descriptions about the European rulers and their exploits are vivid.
For instance, what had amused the Portuguese visitors was the `leaf-eating' (pan chewing) habit of the local rulers!
Coverage of the vintage costumes, coins, measurers, alphabets and so on make interesting reading.
Prof. Vasanthan had to run from pillar to post to find a publisher. Finally, The Bhasha Institute volunteered to do the job.
For Prof. Vasanthan, the hunt for information about Kerala's past is never-ending. The third volume is already on the anvil, he said.
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