'Engine fails mid-air, MGS busy enjoying scenery through window pane'

Prominent historian, teacher and writer Muttayil Govinda Sankara Narayanan, commonly known as M. G. S. Narayanan, has left his body for a heavenly abode. He was the former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research, widely considered the sole "creator" of Kerala history.

He came from the school of historians who considered it a crime to write history laced with conjectures and myths. MGS, the nonpareil historian, was also unique in his personal life.

In a very rare anecdote from his life, actor Dominic Alummoodan once talked about MGS in an interview allowed to a magazine. Alummoodan once shared a seat next to MGS on the flight from Coimbatore to Chennai. In mid-air, a message reached passengers about a fire in the engine, leaving many perturbed. Chanting of prayers reverberated inside the flight while Alummoodan was surprised to see a curious MGS enjoying the scenery through his window view in a blasé attitude.

When asked why he was not calling god for help, MGS made a quirky reply to Alummoodan.

“I don’t have anyone to call for help. All the passengers are calling on God to help the flight make a safe landing. If god hears that and helps, I will also be saved. No worries”

Luckily, the plane landed safely that day. MGS once said that if he were to believe in something, it wouldn't be god but luck.

However, he was a man of many shades. Despite not being a staunch believer in gods, MGS vehemently believed that his mother’s spirit was with him throughout his life. His mother died when MGS was just seven years old. He had long believed that the spirit protected him in difficult times and guided him through life's trials. He said that he was afraid to think about the paths he would have taken if not for this superstition.