C I Issac
A Kottayam historian and writer who has served on the Indian Council of Historical Research since 2015, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
C. I. Issac is a historian and writer from Kerala and a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of literature and education, from Kerala [1].
A teacher of history
Issac was born on 14 December 1952 in Chelakombu village in Kottayam district [2]. After his schooling there, he studied history at NSS Hindu College, Changanacherry, and took a master’s degree from Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram [2]. In 1978 he became a lecturer at CMS College, Kottayam, earned a PhD from Mahatma Gandhi University in 1995, and retired as head of the history department in 2008 [2].
Research and public roles
Since retiring he has concentrated on research in history and literature [2]. He has been a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research since April 2015 and has chaired a national committee on social science education within an NCERT programme [2]. Since 1980 he has also worked with the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, a forum of writers and thinkers in Kerala, serving it as general secretary, vice-president and working president [2].
He has published 25 research papers in Indian and foreign journals and 12 books, six in English and six in Malayalam, on social, literary and historical questions [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2023: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2023: citation for C I Issac — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
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