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in it the state of Kerala—deserves our attention to no small degree.
In comparison to other Indian states, Kerala can be congratulated on
its high level of education. It is a state striving for progress. Surely
its people would be capable of maintaining meaningful contacts
with the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on the cultural as
well as on the economic plane.
For us, this is not only an occasion to look back on the life
and work of Hermann Gundert. We are also concerned with the
present and with the future; we envisage cooperation and mutual
stimulation. Surely there will be areas of interest to both Indians and
Germans where their talents can meet, where they can complement
each other and learn from each other. It is in this spirit that I hope
the present conference will act as a pace-maker for future exchange.
An example has been set recently by the successful cooperation of
two scholars-one from Kerala, the other from Germany - in
preparing the monumental edition of the works of Hermann
Gundert in India. Similarly, the substantial volume accompanying
the Gundert exhibition in Germany contains contributions of many
scholars from both countries. I am particularly happy to announce
a further result of the long established cooperation of the university
of Tuebingen with our esteemed colleague Prof Scaria Zacharia from
Kerala. The Tuebingen University Library Malayalam Manuscript
Series will be enriched by the Tellicherry Records, historical
documents collected by Hermann Gundertand now made available
to the students of history. May these examples of cooperation be
followed by many others, so that the bridge between the cultures of
India and Europe which Gundert helped to build more than a
century ago may be crossed more often in both directions.
Tuebingen, May 1993
