Tributes paid to Prof Eric Hobsbawm

In the condolence meeting convened by Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) at its library hall, rich tributes were paid to the life and contributions of Prof Eric Hobsbawm by speakers from different walks of life.

 P J Cherian, Director of KCHR, who presided over the function, said Hobsbawm never believed that history belonged just to those who studied the past. Hobsbawm believed that history would help the people at large to understand the present and shape the future. His was a life-long struggle to help humanity from the narcissism of the present, he said.

 John Samuel, adviser to the global governance programme of UNDP, reviewed the ‘Age Series’ of Hobsbawm. He opined that the works of  Hobsbawn, as a public intellectual, will influence the historical understanding and perspective of generations to come.

 The last among the ‘Age Series’, ‘The Age of Extremes’ is a combination of economic, social, political and cultural history of the twentieth century. He not only used Marxist analysis to understand the economic and social underpinning of political process, but also was an activist who dreamt and worked for justice, equality, human rights and peace. Hobsbawm set new milestones for historians of the present and future and set an example of a humane, responsible and responsive intellectual who dedicated his life and work for a mission - to help us to change the world.

 Noted historian Dr V Karthikeyan Nair, social activist Dr Saradamony and research student Shilpa Sundeep also spoke. ENS