Kolkata’s ‘Barefoot Historian’ Passes Away

KOLKATA, (IANS) – Parameswaran Thankappan Nair, who passed away on June 18 in Chendamangalam, a small town in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, will forever be remembered as the “barefoot historian” of Kolkata. Nair arrived in the city in 1955 from Alwaye in Kerala and remained until 2018, when he left at the insistence of his extended family back home.

Graduating from the University of Calcutta, Nair began his career as a typist for a small publication. He became deeply fascinated by the city’s storied streets and started delving into their history. This led him to uncover previously unknown aspects of British social life in Kolkata and the city’s South Indian diaspora. His research produced a wealth of information on the Calcutta High Court and the Kolkata Police.

Although established historians did not take him seriously, Nair was beloved and revered by the people of Kolkata. His reputation was such that in the early 1980s, Umesh Anand, a young journalist at the time, was told by a municipal official that Nair possessed encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s sewerage system. Anand, now the publisher and editor of ‘Civil Society’ magazine, recalls this as the beginning of his acquaintance with Nair. He learned how Nair tirelessly traveled throughout the city to uncover its hidden history, conducting thorough fieldwork for his research.

Nair authored 61 books, with ‘A History of Calcutta’s Streets’ being the most famous. His subjects ranged from mangoes to the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, and from the peacock to Indian national songs and symbols. If anyone had a question about Kolkata and beyond, Nair likely had the answer.

Despite initial skepticism from the academic community, Nair was eventually appointed senior research professor at the Asiatic Society and awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Burdwan University. Anand noted that Nair, who began his career as a typist, used his old Remington typewriter to write his books. Known for his unassuming style, he would walk around in a bush shirt and cotton trousers. Even after his wife returned to Kerala, Nair continued his work from his small house in Bhabanipur, surrounded by books.

Nair was also known for his health and diet consciousness. Recognizing the physical demands of his extensive fieldwork, he maintained a simple, self-cooked diet, typically consisting of rice, lentils, and one vegetable dish.

After a 63-year relationship with the City of Joy, Nair returned to Kerala in November 2018 due to concerns about his health and well-being from his extended family. Before leaving, he visited the National Library to personally thank those who had assisted him in his research. His many books included a biography of B. Kesavan, India’s first National Librarian.