Islamic Architecture in India: A Visual Presentation by Ravishankar

Tamil Heritage Trust
presents

Islamic Architecture in India: A Visual Presentation

by 
Ravishankar

at 5.30pm on Saturday, July 4th, 2015
at Vinoba Hall, Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya, T Nagar.

About the topic:

Despite having its genesis in a country with no known architectural tradition, Islam has left indelible footprints across the nations and regions it had spread, by way of grand, lofty and incredibly beautiful monuments, especially mosques and mausoleums, characterized by ‘unique’ architecture.  It is amazing that a religion, which appears to be perpetually striving to maintain its purity of ideology and practices, assimilated some of the best traditions in regions known for their architectural accomplishments before its introduction, yet created an idiom that is unmistakably ‘Islamic’.

About the Speaker:

Ravishankar’s presentation is an attempt by a bewitched admirer, to trace the evolution of Islamic architecture, specifically of mosques, elsewhere and in India.  Growing up hearing tales and history of Moguls, his affinity for Islamic structures grew into passion during his long stay in Hyderabad working for a leading Housing Finance Company in India. A Chartered Accountant by education, he lives in Chennai now, alternating his dalliance between Mandirs and Mosques and Temples and Tombs with occasional sallies into study of Jain, Buddhist monuments and Stepwells.  

RSVP:
S. Swaminathan - sswami99@gmail.com; 2467 1501
Badri Seshadri - Kizhakku-p-padippakam - badri@nhm.in; 98840-66566
A. Annamalai: Gandhi Study Centre - gandhicentre@gmail.com;
S. Kannan - musickannan@gmail.com; 98414-47974
R. Gopu - writergopu@yahoo.com, 98417-24641
T. Sivasubramanian - siva.durasoft@gmail.com, 98842-94494

2000 Years of Mamallapuram - R. Gopu

தமிழ்ப் பாரம்பரியம்
(Tamil Heritage Trust)
presents

மாமல்லபுரம் - 2000 ஆண்டுகள் 
(2000 Years of Mamallapuram)

by
 
ர. கோபு 
(R. Gopu)

at 5.30pm on Saturday, June 6th, 2015
at Vinoba Hall, Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya, T Nagar.

About the topic:

"Since 1788 when the first modern account of Mamallapuram was published, numberless visitors and scholars have written on it.  They include men of learning and charlatans, poets and tourists, sensitive men and crass itinerary fillers, nearly every kind and description of human being visiting an exceptional site of Hindu religious art." So N. S. Ramaswamy begins his bibiliographic magnum opus "2000 Years of Mamallapuram."
From being a remote village with monuments buried under the sand, to revelation as a gallery of Pallava Art, launching an era of historical fiction in Tamil and still concealing mysteries and puzzling historians, the history of Mallapuram's rediscovery is as fascinating as the history of its construction and its influence on Dravidian temples.

This lecture will take a broad sweeping look at the recent canvas of archeology and history: Periplus and PerumPanaRRuppadai, Daniell's paintings, Ptolemy's and MacKenzie's maps, Babington's and Hultzsch's epigraphy, theories of Rea, Havell, Dubreil, Longhurst, Heras, Minakshi, T.N. Ramachandran, K.R. Srinivasan, Nagaswamy and Lockwood, and the latest disclosures, some forgotten epigraphs.

About the Speaker:
R. Gopu studied Computer Science & Engineering and earned a Master's degree from Texas A & M University.  He worked at Microsoft in Seattle, USA and in the Silicon Valley. Gopu's interests include Astronomy, Science, Heritage, Literature, Music, Food and Writing.  He has given a number of lectures on Astronomy and Heritage related topics, especially on Pallava Art. He is also an avid student of Sanskrit. You can learn more about him at http://varahamihiragopu.blogspot.in/

RSVP:
S. Swaminathan - sswami99@gmail.com; 2467 1501
Badri Seshadri - Kizhakku-p-padippakam - badri@nhm.in; 98840-66566
A. Annamalai: Gandhi Study Centre - gandhicentre@gmail.com;
S. Kannan - musickannan@gmail.com; 98414-47974
R. Gopu - writergopu@yahoo.com, 98417-24641
T. Sivasubramanian - siva.durasoft@gmail.com, 98842-94494