T’puram: Knowledge is not confined to a single place but travels across regions, enriching diverse cultures and societies, said Dr Mohanan Kunnummal, vice-chancellor of the University of Kerala.He was inaugurating an international seminar on ‘History and Evolution of Arabic Studies in South India’, organized by university’s Arabic department on Wednesday. Highlighting historical role of Arabs in knowledge transmission, he noted that disciplines such as astronomy, mathematics and biology were disseminated to the wider world through Arabic scholarship. He also pointed out that classical Indian works like the Panchatantra, originally composed in Sanskrit, were preserved and later recovered with the help of Arabic translations during a period when the originals were lost. He further observed that India’s relationship with Arab world has been enduring and distinct, unlike its interactions with later European powers.The seminar also underlined that Arabic in South India has developed through a rich history of intellectual exchange, cultural interaction and scholarly traditions.
