SANTHOSH CHANDRAN

DOHA RENOWNED Indian historian and former vice-chancellor of Calicut University in southern Indian state of Kerala KKN Kurup said that a detailed research has to be done on social and cultural relations between the Indian sub-continent and Arab countries.

Kurup was speaking at a press conference on Monday held in connection with the Kerala Arab Cultural Conference being organised by the Qatar chapter of Jamia Zahra Arabic College at MES Indian School in Doha on March 22.

“The northern region of Kerala has contributed a lot to Arabic literature and culture.

Centuries-old manuscripts found and published by late Panoor Thangal have revealed the strong historical and cultural bonds between Kerala and the Arab region. A number of manuscripts discovered recently by historians in India provide further evidence of this link,” Kurup pointed out.

“The lifestyle, food habits and the patterns of dressing in India and the Arabian peninsula have strong similarities.

The traditional marine technology used in Arab region was the contribution of India to this region.

The traditional headscarf used for ‘Kathakali’, an Indian classical dance form, is derived from the Arab region.

We can find such similarities everywhere in the life of people living in the northern region of Kerala and the Arab region,” KKN Kurup added.

Kurup, who is also director- general of Centre for Heritage Studies and Cultural Affairs Department of Kerala government said, “A number of calligraphies found in different parts of India also shed light on Indo- Arab relations. We, the historians, doing research in this field will meet the concerned ministries in India and Qatar to hold a calligraphic exhibition in Qatar.” The Kerala Arab Cultural Conference in Doha will help the people in this region to know about such developments in the academic field in India.

A book titled Panoor Thangal (a short history) written by KKN Kurup will be released on the occasion.

Also present at the press conference were EA Samad, Kurungott Mooza, Thundiyil Abdulla, M Usman, VC Abdul Aziz and Basheer Ahmed, all office-bearers of Kerala Arab Cultural Conference.