Submerged Ancient Cities on the TamilNadu Coast

Tamil Heritage Group - Chennai
 
You and your friends are cordially invited to 
the programme for the month of December
which features a talk, titled
 
Submerged Ancient Cities on the TamilNadu Coast
by
S Balasubramani B+
 
on 5th December (Saturday) 2009 at 05.30 pm
at Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya Campus,
58 Venkatanarayana Road,
T.Nagar, Chennai 600 017

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About the speaker and the programme
Thiru Balasubramani B+ is a very different kind of person, whose enthusiasm for his work and for his culture could be infectious. Starting with maintenance of numerically-controlled machines to searching for lost cities along the Tamil coast is a long way. He crossed boundaries of professional fields with ease and crosses social barriers with equal felicity. He is also highly creative, not in art, but in approaching matters of human interest. His interaction with the Tamils around when he travels outside Tamilnadu, which he has been doing very frequently and his establishing rapport with the coastal community and learning form the people, are a few examples of his novel approach. That he could attract the attention of Orissan royalty and the resulting friendship with it is another dimension of his personality. Adding B+ to his name to make people apprecte the need for blood donation is born out his this creative trait of his.
Let us only site a few aspects of this multifaceted personality. A graduate of physics, through self-study a bachelor in engineering and also in library science, his moving to Orissa in 1989 was a turning point for him, for it kindled his interest on the Orissan culture. He felt that the region had a long and intensive cultural intercourse with the Tamil culture. Researching into the Kalinga-Tamil relationship was the beginning which became his passion for research into the Tamil history. His weekly news-letter, Kalinga-Tamil, exploring the 2500-year of Tamil history in Orissa and vice versa, became an excellent medium for a healthy discourse on the subject. This, as well as, almost all his research is self-funded, and this indicates his passion for knowledge, for research and for regional understanding.
His present research area could be a new beginning of ‘Culture through Geography, as his calls his work. Going beyond the emotional approach to the existence of Lemuria, Balasubramaniam B+, in addition to the study of literary references, conducts experiments on the Tamil coast making use of the traditional knowledge of the coastal community. He claims, which is important, that the fishermen have a lot to contribute towards our knowledge of kadal-kol and how transgression and regression in the Tamilnadu coast had affected history, society and livelihoods.
He has been regularly interacting with research students, orienting the students for developing import substitutes in earth science equipment which will be ultimately help for archaeologist to redefine our cultural heritage.
His another favourite ‘pastime’ is ‘capacity building’, creating a number of groups who participate in socially relevant activities, for which, he says, he is ‘carrying Gandhi along with him’.
A little more detailed information about the speaker is included as an attachment. 
The programme will be anchored by Nirmalaa Shrethar, a member of the Tamil Heritage group.


RSVP:
A. Annamalai: Gandhi Study Centre - gandhicentre@gmail.com; 94441-83198
Badri Seshadri: Kizhakku-p-padippakam - badri@nhm.in; 98840-66566
TK Tamachandran, IAS : TN Slum Clearance Board - tkramachandranias@hotmail.com; 99406-41144
S. Kannan: (98414-47974)
S. Swaminathan: Marg Constructions - sswami99@gmail.com; 2467 1501