Fifth International Congress on Kerala Studies: 200-member Organising Committee Constituted

Thiruvananthapuram: A comprehensive 200-member organising committee has been constituted for the Fifth International Congress on Kerala Studies, to be organised by the AKG Centre for Research and Studies in early February in Thiruvananthapuram.

CPI M General Secretary M A Baby, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI M Polit Bureau member A Vijayaraghavan, and State Secretary M V Govindan have been named as patrons of the Congress.

At a meeting held at the AKG Centre for Research and Studies, Minister V Sivankutty was elected Chairperson, while MLA V Joy was chosen as General Convener. The meeting was chaired by S Ramachandran Pillai and attended by C S Sujatha, M Vijayakumar, T N Seema, Anavoor Nagappan, Dr T M Thomas Isaac, and others. The dates of the Congress will be announced shortly. Registration will begin soon with the launch of the official website. Speaking at the meeting, Dr. T M Thomas Isaac said the Fifth International Congress on Kerala Studies would focus on creative explorations aimed at building a New Kerala and identifying new pathways for its development.

Seminars will be organised under 36 themes, with around 180 research papers to be presented. The Congress will also incorporate ideas gathered from seminars already conducted in various districts.

The Congress is a continuation of earlier studies congresses that played a decisive role in shaping Kerala’s development trajectory. Dr Isaac criticised the Congress party for maintaining silence in the face of attempts by the BJP government to undermine Kerala’s development achievements.

He also remarked that figures such as Shashi Tharoor make public statements without adequately understanding Kerala’s accomplishments and the academic studies that underpin them.

Dr. Isaac added that ideas that emerged from the four studies congresses held since 1994 have been reflected in the manifestos of successive LDF governments.