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DIGITISING THE DIARIES OF LATE PROF. T. I. POONEN

Posted 8 years ago       Comments

PERPETUATING THE MEMOIRS OF A HISTORIC ERA
– DIGITISING THE DIARIES OF LATE PROF. T. I. POONEN

The personal diaries of late Prof. T. I. Poonen, former teacher of Union Christian College, Aluva were handed over to Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) by the College. The gesture was as part of a special collaborative academic assistance from UC College for KCHR’s flagship project ‘Digitizing Kerala’s Past’. Dr P J Cherian, Director, KCHR received the diaries (1921 – 1976) from Dr. P. Thomas Mathew, Principal of the College in the presence of Commodore T. I. Punnen, Prof. Poonen’s grandson, on 8th January 2016.

Prof. Poonen, an eminent historian and a gold medalist from Madras Christian College, served the college from 1924 to 1947. His expertise in the field of the Portuguese and Dutch periods in Kerala history is widely acknowledged. He has authored influential works like Dutch Hegemony in Malabar and its Collapse AD 1663-1795, A Survey of the Rise of the Dutch Power in Malabar 1603-78  and Dutch beginnings in India Proper 1580-1615. He was awarded the ‘Doctorate’ after his retirement from the college.
‘Digitizing Kerala’s past’ envisages conserving the historical, cultural and intellectual legacies of the people of Kerala. The Principal expressed the willingness of the UCC community along with the Department of History to actively involve in the transcription project. He opined that this would be a befitting tribute to Prof. Poonen, along with aiding the enrichment of the heritage of the institution.   The digital version of these diaries will be made available to the public by KCHR at the website www.dkp.kchr.ac.in. The originals will be available at UC College archaeological museum.

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