“The Tamil Heritage Trust - Prof. S. Swaminathan Heritage Award 2020 awarded to Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan”
Saturday, September 5th, 2020.
The Chennai based Tamil Heritage Trust (THT) today announced the name of Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan as the winner of the inaugural THT - Prof. S. Swaminathan Heritage Award.
The Award was instituted by THT to honour the work of individuals under the age of 50 who have made significant contributions to deepening the general public’s knowledge of Indian heritage, widening the audience for heritage appreciation, and in the process strengthening our existing knowledge base of heritage assets and resources.
The award is named for Prof S. Swaminathan, retired Professor from IIT-Delhi and co- founder of the Tamil Heritage Trust, whose books, monographs and talks on many facets of India’s heritage continue to be a source of inspiration for heritage enthusiasts. The winner was chosen from a short-list of nominations by a distinguished 6-member jury comprising historians, scholars and public intellectuals.
Accepting the Award, Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan said, "Tamil Heritage Trust has been doing yeoman service in creating interest and awareness in the areas of history, heritage and culture amongst the common public. Instituting an award in the name of its founder, Prof. Swaminathan to recognize an individual's contribution in these fields is a way to encourage more active participation by youngsters. It gives me immense pleasure to be chosen as the first recipient of this prestigious award and makes me realize my responsibility."
“The institution of this award is an important milestone in the history of THT”, said Prof S Swaminathan. “Our vision is to inspire in our audience a life-long interest in India’s heritage with clear and exciting communication which is based on deep knowledge and scholarship. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan’s work reflects the essence of our vision. I hope this Award and its first winner will inspire many in the coming years to make this their life’s work”, he added.
THT was founded as a non-profit Trust in the year 2010 with a vision to put the common man in touch with the beauty, grandeur, and the rich storehouse of knowledge that is Indian heritage. The Trust which is entirely volunteer-driven attempts to deliver this through several initiatives - monthly public talks, annual thematic conferences, site seminars and study tours to places of historical interest, workshops on temple architecture and museum collections and an outreach effort through schools to sensitize young students to Indian heritage.
The award which carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs 25,000 will be presented to Madhusudhanan at a ceremony to be held in October. The winner will deliver the Award Lecture on a topic of his choice at the function.
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Last Date for Nominations – March 31, 2020
The Tamil Heritage Trust-Prof S. Swaminathan Heritage Award (THT-SS Award) aims to recognize exceptional individual contributions towards the understanding, dissemination and preservation of Indian Heritage. By rewarding outstanding work in this area, the Award aspires to encourage interest and involvement of the general public in Indian Heritage, thereby raising the awareness and appreciation of history, literature, arts and culture which deserve our attention and care.The award aims to recognize and reward the efforts and achievements of individuals. Thus, collective enterprises like societies, trusts and Section 8 companies and other interest groups will not be eligible for the award.
The Award is based on a nomination and selection process.
The Award will consist of a citation and a prize of Rs.25000/-
Nomination Process
- Any individual can nominate any other individual whom they believe has done noteworthy work in the area of Indian heritage.
- Individuals can also nominate themselves.
- Nominee's age should be between 20 and 50 years.
- The individual must be a citizen of India and ordinarily resident in India.
- Nominations must be sent by email to awards.tht@gmail.com to reach us before March 31, 2020.
- Please click to download the nomination form from here
- Nominations and accompanying details may be in English or Tamil only.
Selection of Winner
As a part of the selection process, the Judges may choose to have an interaction with the nominee in person or over phone.
Award Ceremony & Award Lecture
The Winner will be invited to present the Award Lecture at the Ceremony. The Winner may choose a topic of her/his choice. The Award Lecture may be in Tamil or English.
FAQs
Am I eligible to enter?
We welcome Nominations from any individual who is a citizen of India and is ordinarily resident in India. Organisations and institutions – like Societies, Trusts, Interest Groups etc – are not eligible.What are the criteria for selection?
The work done must relate to the previous 5 years. The judges will look for, among other qualities and parameters:- New discoveries or insights
- Thoroughness of knowledge in the chosen area
- Scholarly rigour in the individual’s output
- Demonstrable eagerness to share with the public and involve them in a dialog
- Consistency and persistence of the effort
In what language should the Nomination be submitted?
Nominations can be sent in English or Tamil only.Is it necessary for the Winner to deliver the Award Lecture?
Yes, the Winner will be expected to deliver the Award Lecture at the Ceremony, either in Tamil or English, on a topic of her/his choice.What is the Last Date for Nomination?
The last date for entries to reach THT is March 31st, 2020.When will the winner be announced?
The winner will be announced shortly before the Award Ceremony and the Award Lecture.When and Where is the Awards Ceremony?
The Ceremony will take place during May or June 2020 at Tamil Virtual Academy, Kotturpuram, Chennai. The time will be announced soon.Is there an Entry Fee?
No, there is no fee involved.Terms + Conditions of entry
The Award will be made solely at the discretion of the Jury. No feedback or correspondence will be entered into about the results and the Jury’s decision is final.About Tamil Heritage Trust (THT)
THT’s events are conducted by volunteers with a common interest in Indian heritage and a passion to communicate its richness and beauty to as many people as possible. Aṣ a non-profit organization, the Trust is supported by sponsors and donations by heritage enthusiasts. There is no membership or subscription fees. THT’s Monthly Talks and Pechu Kacheri programs are free for all. The Site Seminars, Mamallapuram Study Tours and How to See a Temple sessions are run on an at-cost basis.
Our mission is to get everyone interested in Indian heritage and, if they are already attracted to this subject, provide them a community they can enjoy learning along with.
Towards this end, we conduct a range of events:
- Monthly Talks on various aspects of heritage, conducted on the first Saturday of every month
- Annual Pechu Kacheri (a lecture series) on heritage-related themes in December
- Periodic Study Tours to Mamallapram
- Periodic Workshops on “How to See a Temple”
- Annual Site Seminars – weeklong tours to heritage sites of importance in and outside Tamil Nadu
- Presentations at schools to sensitize youngsters to our heritage
- Coordination with the TN Government’s culture/tourism agencies to support and supplement their efforts
About Prof. S Swaminathan
His interest in India’s rich heritage goes back to his days at IIT-Delhi where he engaged generations of his students in projects and conversations on India’s traditions in art, architecture, music, mathematics and science. After his retirement he made it his life’s mission to educate, inform and inspire interested audiences to discover more about their heritage.
A Professor in Mechanical Engineering in Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi for more than 30 years, Prof Swaminathan also worked in the Centre for Rural Development in IIT Madras, Bharath Gyan Vigyan Samithy, Delhi as the National Coordinator for watershed development and Integrated Rural Technology Centre, Palakkad, Kerala.
Fuelled by an infinite curiosity, his interests range far and wide. He has written a book on the Pallava art of Mamallapuram. His lectures on the paintings of Ajanta are legendary. His talks on an array of topics – 5000 years of Indian Art, The Story of Scripts, the Mathematics of Kolams, the Trees of India and so on - have served as wonderful introductions to awestruck audiences for many years. His erudition makes him equally at home with the fine nuances of Carnatic music, the complexities of Gandhian thought and the refined ideas of Nehru’s scientific temper.
His passion for education, especially of young minds, has led him to work pro-bono with schools and colleges – helping to redesign curriculum at one institution, assisting teachers to bring practical science to the class rooms at another, planting a Sangam-age orchard of tress in a third, and readily sharing his wisdom for the benefit of teachers and students everywhere.
He is the author Mamallapuram: Unfinished Poetry in Stone and monographs on the Paintings of Ajanta, and the Monuments of Pudukottai District.