One mind, many talents

Dr. Syed Muhammad Hussain Nainar (1899-1963), was a researcher, professor, publisher, printer, polyglot and a devoted family man.

Born in the south Indian temple town of Palni, Tamil Nadu, my grandfather studied in Bodinayakanur, Madurai, Madras, Aligarh and finally, in Britain, to create an enormous body of work whose value is still to be properly explored in its historical context.

Though he was a professor of Oriental languages, more often than not, Dr. Hussain Nainar’s studies took him deep into history and social anthropology.

He was also deputed as Research Scholar to Indonesia by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 1953, and stayed there on his own initiative after his ICCR assignment, until 1960.

After a short stint in All India Radio’s External Services Division following his return to India, he was appointed as professor at the Department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu, Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, in 1961. He passed away while in service, in 1963.