A. Sreedhara Menon
Encyclopedia
Professor Alappat Sreedhara Menon (18 December 1925 – 23 July 2010) was a distinguished historian
from Kerala
. He received the Padma Bhushan
for Literature & Education in 2009, India
's third highest civilian honour.
He was a noted academic, having taught history across the universities in Kerala. He served as the Registrar of the University of Kerala and authored the official history of the University in two volumes. Menon edited eight volumes of Kerala Gazetteers and served on the editorial board of prestigious journals including the Journal Of Indian History and Journal of Kerala Studies, both published by the Department of History, University of Kerala.
His Padma Bhushan citation describes him as
from the Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
winning the Karimpat Rama Menon Gold Medal and the Rama Varma Shashtiabdapurthi Memorial Prize for English. He then continued his Master of Arts (postgraduate)
at Madras University completing it in 1948 with a First Rank in history.
From 1944-49, he worked as a teacher in St. Thomas College, Thrissur
and subsequently joined the University College, Thiruvananthapuram in 1949 as a member of the teaching staff in the departments of History and Politics. In 1953 he was granted the Smith Mundt Scholarship and the Fulbright Travel Grant by the US Educational Foundation in India for higher studies at Harvard University
where he obtained his Master's Degree in Political science
, specializing in International Relations
.
From 1968-1977, Menon functioned as the Registrar of Kerala University
. He worked as a visiting professor in the Department of History, University of Calicut
under the UGC scheme from 1977-78. From 1979-81 he served as a professor in the Institute of Public Administration (now the Institute of Management) under the Government of Kerala
.
Menon was a member of several academic bodies like the Senate, Academic Council, Board of Studies, Board of Examiners etc. in universities in South India. Among the endowment lectures he delivered, the most important was the Bhaktavatsalam Endowment Lectures on National Integration and Chitti Babu Thiruvizha Endowment Lectures in Madras University. In 2000 he was elected the President of Vishakappattanam South Indian History Congress. He has served as President of Senior Citizens Association of Thiruvananthapuram for three years and President of Trivandrum District Unit of Kerala State Consumer Protection Council for a few years.
Among his students were former Chief Secretary of Kerala, C. P. Nair.
because he "did not want to be known as a historian of the Congress." The leftist E. K. Nayanar
Government also requested him in 1997 to document the freedom struggle but later refused to publish it due to differences with his stance on the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising
. He remarked on the issue, "It is not an objective historian's job to collect facts to suit theories. A true historian is a judge and not a lawyer... politicians can act only as lawyers."
His book on the history of the University of Kerala was also ignored by the University till Vice-Chancellor Dr.B.Ekbal decided to publish it.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He received the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
for Literature & Education in 2009, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's third highest civilian honour.
He was a noted academic, having taught history across the universities in Kerala. He served as the Registrar of the University of Kerala and authored the official history of the University in two volumes. Menon edited eight volumes of Kerala Gazetteers and served on the editorial board of prestigious journals including the Journal Of Indian History and Journal of Kerala Studies, both published by the Department of History, University of Kerala.
His Padma Bhushan citation describes him as
"a distinguished academician from Kerala who has rendered meritorious service to the cause of education and Literature... (and) left his mark as a teacher of History, author of historical works and educational administrator."
Education
Sreedhara Menon passed the S.S.L.C. in 1940 with First Class and proceeded to the Madras University where he passed the Intermediate Examination in 1942 with distinction in Hindi, Indian History, and Modem History. In 1944, supported by the Maharaja’s scholarship, he completed his Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
winning the Karimpat Rama Menon Gold Medal and the Rama Varma Shashtiabdapurthi Memorial Prize for English. He then continued his Master of Arts (postgraduate)
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
at Madras University completing it in 1948 with a First Rank in history.
From 1944-49, he worked as a teacher in St. Thomas College, Thrissur
St. Thomas College, Thrissur
St. Thomas College, Thrissur is located in Thrissur city, the cultural capital of Kerala State, India. Founded by Mar Adolph Medlycott in 1889, this college played a very important role in the development of Kerala. It gave birth to the thoughts of the communist leader and Kerala's first chief...
and subsequently joined the University College, Thiruvananthapuram in 1949 as a member of the teaching staff in the departments of History and Politics. In 1953 he was granted the Smith Mundt Scholarship and the Fulbright Travel Grant by the US Educational Foundation in India for higher studies at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he obtained his Master's Degree in Political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, specializing in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
.
Academic career
On his return to India, he was appointed by the Government of Kerala as the State Editor of Kerala Gazetteers in 1958. During the next ten years, Menon compiled eight volumes of Gazetteers (out of nine districts of Kerala) - Thiruvananthapuram (1961), Thrissur (1961), Kozhikode (1962), Kollam (1964), Ernakulam (1965), Alappuzha (1968), Kannur (1972), Kottayam (1975). The speed with which the work was done and the quality of the contents of the gazetteers won praise from all quarters including the Central Gazetteers Unit, Government of India.From 1968-1977, Menon functioned as the Registrar of Kerala University
Kerala University
The University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is an affiliating university located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India. It was established in 1937, long before the birth of the state of Kerala in India...
. He worked as a visiting professor in the Department of History, University of Calicut
University of Calicut
The University of Calicut is an affiliating university in the southern state of Kerala in India. It is situated in Thenjipalam, in the district of Malappuram with a number of off-campus centres in neighbouring districts. The University conducts courses and examinations for the students of the...
under the UGC scheme from 1977-78. From 1979-81 he served as a professor in the Institute of Public Administration (now the Institute of Management) under the Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
.
Menon was a member of several academic bodies like the Senate, Academic Council, Board of Studies, Board of Examiners etc. in universities in South India. Among the endowment lectures he delivered, the most important was the Bhaktavatsalam Endowment Lectures on National Integration and Chitti Babu Thiruvizha Endowment Lectures in Madras University. In 2000 he was elected the President of Vishakappattanam South Indian History Congress. He has served as President of Senior Citizens Association of Thiruvananthapuram for three years and President of Trivandrum District Unit of Kerala State Consumer Protection Council for a few years.
Among his students were former Chief Secretary of Kerala, C. P. Nair.
Views
Sreedhara Menon stayed away from ideological leanings towards any organization or political party. He refused to write a history of the freedom struggle for the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
because he "did not want to be known as a historian of the Congress." The leftist E. K. Nayanar
E. K. Nayanar
Erambala Krishnan Nayanar was a prominent Indian political leader of the Communist Party of India . He held the post of Chief Minister of Kerala three times; during 1980-81, 1987–91 and 1996-2001. He is the longest serving Chief Minister of Kerala, having been in office for a total of 4009 days,...
Government also requested him in 1997 to document the freedom struggle but later refused to publish it due to differences with his stance on the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising
Punnapra-Vayalar uprising
The Punnapra-Vayalar uprising was a popular people's uprising in the Princely State of Travancore, British India against the Prime Minister, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer and the state...
. He remarked on the issue, "It is not an objective historian's job to collect facts to suit theories. A true historian is a judge and not a lawyer... politicians can act only as lawyers."
His book on the history of the University of Kerala was also ignored by the University till Vice-Chancellor Dr.B.Ekbal decided to publish it.
Awards
- 1990: INDIS award from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
- 1999: Senior Fellowship ICHR
- 2000: National Fellowship ICHR
- 2007: P Thomas Foundation Award for outstanding work in Kerala History
- 2009: Padma Bhushan for Literature and Education
Selected list of works
Menon wrote nearly 25 books in English and Malayalam, which have been accepted both by the reading public and the academic community as works of very high standard.- A Survey of Kerala History
- The Legacy of Kerala
- Cultural Heritage of Kerala
- A Political History of Kerala
- Social and Cultural History of Kerala
- Kerala History and its Makers
- A Concise History of Modern Kerala (1885–1957)
- Modern India - A History Since 1707
- Kerala Charithram and Samskaram
- Kerala Charithra Shilpikal
- Triumph and Tragedy in Travancore: Annals of Sir CPs Sixteen Years
Sources
- B. Sobnahan, "Prof. A Sreedhara Menon, Profile of a Historian", in A Panorama of Indian culture - Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume, K. K. Kusuman, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 1990
- Kerala Council for Historical Research - Catalogue of Publications - District Gazetteers