Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, also called Malayalam University, is a

state university A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State univers ...

Tirur Tirur is a Municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of . It is one of the business centers of Malappuram district and is situated west of Malappuram and south of Kozhikode, on the Shoranur–Mangalor ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India.

History

It was established by the

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

and inaugurated by

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy, , (born 31 October 1943) is an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Chief Minister of Kerala for two terms, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative ...

on 1 November 2012 in a function held in the premises of Thunchanparamba, the home of Thunchath Ezhuthachan in

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

K. Jayakumar K. Jayakumar (born 6 October 1952) is an Indian civil servant, poet, and author. He is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Kerala who retired as the Chief Secretary of the Government of Kerala. He has also worked as lyricist, ...

, a civil servant of the

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services along with the Indian ...

cadre, who retired as the Chief Secretary of Kerala on 31 October 2012, prepared the Project Report of the university. He is the first

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of Malayalam University. The university is named after

Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan (, ) (Malayalam: തുഞ്ചത്ത് രാമാനുജൻ എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ) ( ''fl.'' 16th century) was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist from Kerala, south India. ...

, a 16th-century CE

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

litterateur An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or as ...

e whose writings helped develop Malayalam as a

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

with a script of 51 letters, vocabulary, and literature. Thunchath Ezhuthachan was born at Trikkantiyur in

Thunchan Parambu Thunchan Parambu or ''Thunchan Memorial Trust and Research Centre'' is a place in Tirur, Kerala, South India. Location It is located 2 km south west of Tirur railway station and 28 km west of the District Headquarters city. It is a re ...

, in the state of Kerala. At the time of its inauguration Malayalam University had no infrastructure in the form land and buildings. According to the newly appointed vice-chancellor the university offices will start functioning in temporary structures erected in the premises of Thunchan Memorial Govt College, Tirur.

Objectives

According to its website, the objectives of the university are as follows: * To implement programmes concerning the mother tongue and to encourage studies among

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...

es. * Imparting education at the post graduate level on

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...

, science, humanities, social science and technology through Malayalam Medium,

language and linguistics, comparative literature, Malayalam criticism, antique, ancient record, evolution of South Indian language scripts, history of scripts, tribal language study, regional language study, the study in the categories of

Poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

Short Story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

Novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, Study of Kerala Renaissance History, Science, Science and Technology and Social Sciences,

Epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

Museology Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

, and

Translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

into and from Malayalam; * Imparting education on the Kerala's culture particularly in the areas of folklore and Written and unwritten cultural heritage, performing arts, traditional architecture, folk tales, classical and contemporary music, theatre, art of engraving, study of folklore and martial arts. * To offer courses of study on Kerala's heritage, traditional knowledge systems, cultural

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

and media studies with modern technical knowledge; * To undertake research programmes on Kerala's culture, heritage, language and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, for making Malayalam script more adaptable to computer technology and to equip Malayalam to express advanced knowledge in science and technology; * To publish in Malayalam the literary composition regarding the culture, heritage and language of Kerala. * Taking up projects for collection, documentation, preservation and inventorisation of cultural expressions of

including valuable manuscripts using modern technology

Academic programmes

Postgraduate courses

* MA Journalism & Mass Communication * MA Linguistics * MA Malayalam Literature Studies * MA Creative Writing * MA Cultural Heritage Studies * MA / MSc Environment Studies * MA Local Development * MA History * MA Sociology * MA Film Studies

Diploma courses

* New Media Studies * Writing for Television and TV Presentation * Advertising and Copywriting * Heritage Tourism * Script Writing and Videography * Project Preparation and Evaluation

Research programmes

M.Phil. & Ph.D. programmes are offered in * Linguistics * Malayalam Literature * Cultural Heritage * Media Studies

Other projects

* On-line Malayalam Dictionary * Heritage Survey * Linguistic Survey Museum Project A study centre — Ezhuthachan Padana Kendram — is preparing an Ezhuthachan Lexicon and bringing out books on Ezhuthachan with a view to encouraging research on the great poet.

Administrative structure

The General Council is the supreme authority of the university. This body consists of 26 ''ex officio'' members, 10 nominated members, and 10 elected members. The chief executive body is the Executive Committee consisting of six ''ex officio'' members, three elected members and three nominated members. The

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the university is the

governor of Kerala The governor of Kerala is the constitutional head of state of the southern Indian state of Kerala. The governor is appointed by the president of India for a term of five years and holds office at the president's pleasure. The governor is ''de j ...

and the pro-chancellor is the minister of education of Kerala.

Powers and functions

The university website specifies its powers and functions: * to provide instruction in Malayalam language, literature, translation, comparative literature, folk, classical, ritualistic arts of Kerala and tribal culture, Kerala's traditional knowledge systems, folk tales, folklore studies, martial art studies, cultural studies, and media studies; * to take up research in the areas of Malayalam language and linguistics, Malayalam literature, Malayalam diction comparative literature, other forms of cultural expressions particular to Kerala, contemporary cultural issues; * to project and popularize the correct pronunciation of words and purity of Malayalam language; * to protect the dialectal difference of Malayalam language which was used and being used in various regions of Kerala and to make the subject related to the same as part of the curriculum; * to undertake research for making Malayalam script compatible with computer technology and to enrich Malayalam for expressing new ideas in science and technology; * to institute degrees, diplomas, post graduate degrees and research degrees and other academic distinctions; to give provide opportunity to conduct graduate and post graduate degree courses in modern subjects on science and technology, social science, humanities and vocational subjects in Malayalam medium and to provide opportunity to submit research thesis including Ph.D. in any subjects written in Malayalam and to confer degrees by evaluating them; * to institute courses of study and hold examinations and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions; * to confer honorary degrees, and other distinctions; * to co-operate with other universities and other institutions within the state, within the country or any other country for the furtherance of the objects of the university. * to establish schools of study in areas such as Malayalam language studies, Malayalam literature, comparative literature, translation, performing arts, inscription arts and vasthu vidya, cultural studies, media studies with modern technical knowledge, Malayalam film studies, traditional knowledge systems, philosophy etc.; * to publish books, which can promote the language, culture and history of language in Kerala; * to arrange study and research activities necessary for making available resourceful books in Malayalam at graduate and postgraduate levels; * to establish a university library; * to establish a cultural museum; * to create posts for teaching and research and other academic activities; * to create administrative posts; * to institute and award fellowships, scholarships and prizes; * to institute Chairs in the name of past personalities who had made contributions to Malayalam languages, literature and art; * to set up endowments for conducting specialized lectures, studies and projects; * to appoint Emeritus Professors and to invite writers and artists within the country and outside India as writer/artist/scholar in residence;

Chairs

The university has instituted a Herman Gundert Chair at the Tübingen University, Germany.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Public universities Language education in India Universities in Kerala Universities and colleges in Malappuram district 2012 establishments in Kerala Educational institutions established in 2012