Book on history of DK released

Historian Kesavan Veluthat released the book ‘Dakshina Kannada After 1947- Some Reflections’ on Monday.

This book is brought out by the Department of History, St Aloysius College. Veluthat described the book as a document that opens the door to a detailed study of the history of South Canara.

Addressing the gathering, Veluthat, who delivered a special lecture on ‘Tulunad: aspects of Historiography,’ said that the attempts of studying the history of Tulunad was made by B L Rice and John Feat during the intersection of the 18th and 19th century.

Veluthat said, “Even though, primarily they were studying the history of Mysore, the duo did study some inscriptions in this region (Tulunad).” He stated that Britishers who arrived in Canara misconstrued the culture and tradition of the land that was reflected in their reports to the higher ups.

Referring to ‘Bhootharadhane’ and ‘Bhootha Kola’, Veluthat said that it was misinterpreted by the British as ‘devil worship’ and ‘cruelty’ respectively. He informed that these, in reality, reflected the culture and tradition of the land.

“They rejected readily available knowledge, and instead portrayed Canara as less civilised. They also failed to recognise the historical significance,” lamented Veluthat.

Delineating on the division of Canara, Veluthat said that Canara was divided as north and south Canara during the middle of the 19th century. He informed that while the north came under the rule of Bombay presidency, south Canara was ruled by Madras.

St Aloysius Institutions Rector Rev Fr Dionysius Vaz described the book as the amalgamation of rich heritage and rich history, chronicling the struggles and movements after 1947. Fr Vaz revealed to have been inspired by a particular chapter in the book that gave a lot of insight into the erstwhile Canara.

Faculty of History Head of Department and Convener of the programme Vishal Pinto said that the book was a result of deliberations and discussions, that was followed by a detailed analysis. He also mentioned of receiving Rs one lakh grants from Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), besides philanthropists.