Kottayam: Noted educationist, historian, researcher, and academic P K Mathew Tharakan, 89, passed away in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday. He was the director of Centre for Development Studies at the University of Antwerp and was also a visiting professor at several universities and institutions in different countries. He has authored 12 books and also published several articles in leading academic journals. He was the editor of the European edition of ‘The World Economy'.
Tharakan, who was the former student union chairman of Ernakulam Law College, went to the US in 1958 for further studies and later settled in Belgium. His book ‘Profiles of the Parayil Tharakans'on the history of the Parayil family and the Syro-Malabar Church was a notable work.
His siblings include former RAW chief P K Hormis Tharakan and Kannur University former vice-chancellor P K Michael Tharakan. tnn
