Inviting Nominations for THT - Prof. Swaminathan Award 2024

Dear friends, 

We are inviting nominations for the THT - Prof S. Swaminathan Heritage Award 2024

As a lover of Indian heritage, you will have come across someone who is doing great work in this area. He or she may be contributing in one or more of the following ways:

a. Preserving our heritage - through conservation, documentation etc.,
b. Disseminating knowledge and information about our heritage - through writing books, articles, giving public lectures, conducting heritage walks, workshops etc.,
c. Deepening our understanding of our heritage - through academic research, fieldwork, etc.

In 2020, Tamil Heritage Trust instituted the THT-Prof S. Swaminathan Heritage Award to recognise the contributions of such "heritage heroes".

If you know someone who you believe should be considered for such a recognition, we invite you to nominate them for the award.

Please read below for details of the award, who is eligible, and for information on how to nominate.

The last date for receiving nominations is August 18th, 2024.

Please note that we will be including nominations that were received last year for consideration for this year’s award. If you have nominated someone last year and would like to update your nomination please use the new online nomination form to submit any additional information. 

How to Nominate ­

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.   1. An individual can either be self-nominated or by another individual. 2. Nominee's age should be between 20 and 50 years as of July 15, 2024. 3. The individual must be a citizen of India and ordinarily resident in India. 4. Nominations must be submitted through this online form and should reach us before August 18th, 2024. FAQs: THT-Prof. S. Swaminathan Heritage Award What is the award? The THT-Prof. S. Swaminathan Award consists of a citation and a prize of Rs 25,000 Who is eligible to apply for the award?  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. Do note that this award is for nominees who are between 20 and 50 years of age as of July 15 th , 2024.   What are the criteria for selection? The work done by the nominee 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 English or Tamil on a topic of her/his choice.    When will the winner be announced? The winner will be announced shortly before the Award Ceremony and the Award Lecture in Sep/Oct 2024.   When and Where is the Awards Ceremony? The Ceremony will take place in Sep/Oct 2024 in Chennai. Details of the ceremony will be announced later.    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. For any clarifications, please contact us at: Mail: admin@tamilheritage.in Ashwin Prabhu, Ph: 98407-18533

Non-Divine Female Figures in Medieval Temples - By Rekha Rao - July 6, 2024

 

The sculptures of non-divine females in Indian temples reflect women's rich and diverse roles over the ages, highlighting their presence in the cultural, spiritual, and secular realms. Celebrated as models of beauty and fertility, these female figures were an integral part of Indian temple architecture. In her Talk "Representation of Non Divine Female Figures in Medieval Temples", Rekha Rao showcases some stunning images of such female figures in medieval temples, emphasizing not only aspects of their social status but also the artistic excellence of their depiction. About The Speaker: Rekha Rao, holds a master’s degree in Indology from the University of Mysore. In 2000, she took up independent research work in Indology under Dr. S.R. Rao, former Deputy Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Her interest in temple sculptures has led her to study various temples in India and abroad, focusing on sculptures of Apsarases. Her other interests are Buddhist architecture, and deciphering Indus Seals symbols. Ms Rao has authored 16 books and numerous journal articles. Her works, published in renowned international publications as well on online sites, have not only enriched academic discourse but also made her expertise accessible to a wider audience, reflecting her commitment to sharing knowledge. She has also delivered lectures at various universities and institutions. Rekha Rao is also an accomplished classical dancer.

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 6: Harappan Civlization. June 15, 2024. Dr Jeewan S Kharakwal. Dr D P Sharma

About The Speakers:

Dr Jeewan Singh Kharakwal heads the Department of Archaeology and is also the Director of Sahitya Sansthan, JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur, Rajasthan.  Dr Kharakwal received his Ph. D from Deccan College, Pune, on the Archaeology of Central  Himalayan Region. He has participated in a number of archaeological excavations ranging from Stone Age to Iron Age in Karnataka, Maharashtra, M.P. , Gujarat and Uttarakhand. He spearheaded a multidisciplinary Indo-Japanese archaeological research project at Kanmer, a Harappan site in Kachchh, Gujarat 2005 to 2012.  He has co-authored three books  besides publishing 60 papers in various journals published from Asia and Europe. 

Dr. D.P. Sharma is an Archaeologist, Museologist and Art Historian. He did his M.A. in Ancient Indian History Culture & Archaeology from Allahabad University and D.Phil from University of Allahabad. He was awarded a commonwealth scholarship and qualified for M.A. Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology University of London. He did excavations at Sussex (U.K.) and Pincenvent (France) under Dr. Mark Newcomer and Prof. Gourhan. During 2003-04. He did excavation at Sterkfontein cave in South Africa, under R.J. Clark, where 3.3 M. old Australopithecus skeleton was discovered. From 1985 to 2005  was head of Harappan and prehistoric collection of National Museum, New Delhi. In 2005 became Associate Professor & H.O.D. Museology in National Museum Institute (Deemed University). Dr. Sharma has published 281 Papers/Lectures and 101 Books. He was working As Director in Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum of Banaras Hindu University and as visiting Professor of Archaeology in other Universities in India.

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 5: Harappan Civlization. June 14, 2024. Dr Mayank Vahia. Dr Cameron Petrie

About the Speakers:

Dr. Mayank Vahia is a retired professor from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He has been working on issues related to the history and philosophy of astronomy and science. He has a special interest in the Harappan Civilisation and Harappan writing. 

Dr Cameron Petrie is a member of the faculty in the Department of Archaeology in Cambridge since 2005, when he became the Research Councils UK Fellow in South Asian and Iranian Archaeology, He conducts research on the archaeology of India, Pakistan and Iran.  He received his PhD from the University of Sydney.  His research primarily focuses on the rise of complexity, the social and economic aspects of state formation, the impact that the growth of states and empires has on subjugated regions, and the relationships between humans and the environment.  He has extensive field and research experience at archaeological sites dating from the Neolithic up to the medieval period in India, Pakistan and Iran, and co-direct projects in each of these countries.

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 4: Harappan Civlization. June 13, 2024. Dr Jennifer Bates. Dr Brad Chase

About the Speakers:

Dr Jennifer Bates is an Assistant Professor of Archaeological Science at Seoul National University's Dept. of Archaeology and Art History.  Dr Bates is an archaeobotanist with a special interest in the Indus Civilisation of South Asia. She has also worked on material from other regions and time periods.  Dr Bates' Indus research focuses on how we can address broader social, cultural and environmental questions such how societies were internally organised, how villages and cities interacted during periods of urbanisation and deurbanisation, what happens when cultures meet and interact, and how people reacted during periods of climatic instability, through analysis of the basic universal factor of life: food. Her PhD work (University of Cambridge) explored whether village life was affected by the rise and fall of urban centres in northwest India c.3200-1500BC.   

Dr Brad Chase is Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Albion College in the US state of Michigan.  He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.  He has worked closely with archaeologists from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda for over 20 years and is currently continuing research with archaeologists from the University of Kerala.  His research has focused on studies of animal bones and archaeological chemistry from Indus Civilization archaeological sites in Gujarat. 

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 3: Harappan Civlization. June 12, 2024. Speakers: Dr. Greg Jamison. Dr S V Rajesh

About the Speakers:

Dr Gregg Jamison is an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the College of General Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His primary research interests include the Indus Civilization (2600-1900 BCE),  inscribed seal production and use, craft production, experimental and ethnoarchaeology, and the origins of cities and states.  He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in India, Pakistan, Oman, Bahrain, France, Belgium, Poland, and throughout the midwestern United States.

Dr SV Rajesh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology, University of Kerala.  His fields of research interests include Indus Civilization, field archaeology, artefact analysis, ancient technology, thanatology, origin and development of urbanism in South Asia, and Megalithc/Iron Age archaeology.  He is currently directing a multidisciplinary archaeological research project entitled “Archaeological Excavations at Juna Khatiya and Explorations in Gujarat’. 

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 2: Harappan Civlization. June 11, 2024. Speakers: Dr V N Prabhakar. Dr Dennyz Frenez

About the Speakers:

Dr V N Prabhakar is Associate Professor (Archaeology) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, since September 2020.  He specializes in the Protohistoric Archaeology of India, Field Archaeology, Heritage Management and the Application of Sciences in Archaeology.  He is the Archaeological Sciences Centre Coordinator at IIT Gandhinagar, fostering the application of sciences in archaeology.  He was formerly, Director (of Exploration & Excavation and Institute of Archaeology) at the Archaeological Survey of India.

Dr Denny Frenez received his Ph.D from the University of Bologna (Italy) in 2011. He is currently researching commercial and cross-cultural interactions between urban-level societies in South and Western Asia during the Bronze Age, with a particular focus on the Greater Indus Valley and Eastern Arabia.  He has directed archaeological excavations in India and Oman, worked on collections with museums and expeditions in India, Oman, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.  He teaches graduate and post-graduate courses about the Indus Civilization at the University of Padova (Italy) and IIT Gandhinagar (India).  Since 2017, he has been working as a consultant for archaeology and heritage at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman. 

THT IndoFest 2024 Day 1: Harappan Civlization. June 10, 2024. Speakers: Dr R S Bisht and Dr P Ajithprasad

About the Speakers:

Dr R S Bisht, a recipient of the Padma Shri Award,  is a former Joint Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He is best known for excavating and interpreting the internationally renowned Harappan site of Dholavira,  which brought to light many new facets of Harappan Civilization.

Dr P Ajithprasad retired as Professor and Head of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, where he had joined as a Faculty member in 1990.  He has worked on Harappan archaeology from the 1980’s onwards and has been a part of the M.S. University excavations of the Harappan sites in North Gujarat, Kachchh and Saurashtra. He is currently involved in the study of Early Harappan and Harappan cultural development in Gujarat along with Palaeolithic investigations in Western India, especially in Kachchh.

On September 20, 1924, The Illustrated London News published the first images announcing the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization. In the accompanying article Sir John Marshall, Director General of Archaeology of India, wrote a little breathlessly: "The two sites where these somewhat startling remains have been discovered are some 400 miles apart – the one being at Harappa, and the other at Mohenjo-daro. 

At both these places there is a vast expanse of artificial mounds evidently covering the remains of once flourishing cities, which must have been in existence for many hundreds of years.  A week later, in his Letter to the Editor of the same publication, Professor A.H. Sayce, a famous Assyriologist, wrote that “the remarkable discoveries of which Sir John Marshall has given an account are even more remarkable and startling than he supposes.  He explained that the seals in the pictures of the newly discovered cities were identical to those found in Sumer at layers from around 2600-2300 BCE.  “The discovery opens up a new historical vista and is likely to revolutionise our ideas of the age and origin of Indian civilization”,  he prophesied.  And so indeed it has turned out. Today, over 1400 sites of this ancient yet sophisticated urban civilization have been discovered, spread over a vast geographical region including Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Over the last century, archaeologists and scholars from across the world have contributed richly to the understanding of this great civilization that existed in various phases of maturity between 3300

BCE and 1300 BCE.

Tamil Heritage Trust Indology Festival 2024, "Harappan Civilization: A Century of Discovery celebrates the Centenary of the discovery – more accurately, of the announcement of the discovery – of the Harappan Civilization.

From June 10th to 15th, 2024, we bring you a series of Talks by archaeologists and other

experts on various fascinating aspects that have been uncovered so far as well the mysteries

that remain buried in the sands of time.

In #THTIndoFest2024, we will learn:

 What the Harappans ate and how they grew their food

 Who they traded with and what was their marketing strategy 

 How they viewed family and kinship 

 Their advanced technology and  skills in crafts and metallurgy

 How Gujarat was a hub of the Harappan Civilization

 Their script and what the experts have been able to understand so far seals and more..

  

#THTIndoFest2024 offers two Online Talks every day starting at 5.30 pm. And they are free

to watch.  To receive your link for ALL the Talks, please register at: bit.ly/THT-Register

 

See you at #THTIndoFest2024!

SPIC MACAY and THT -- STUDENT HERITAGE VISIT

SPIC MACAY's 9th International Convention 2024 hosted by IIT Madras. Tamil Heritage Trust organised a heritage tour for a few thousand children who have come from various parts of India. They visited Maamallapuram and Madras Museum - sculpture and bronze galleries as part of the event on the final day of the convention -26th May 2024. Here are the pictures of the students with the volunteers.

Inviting Nominations for V Venkayya Epigraphy Award 2024

 

V Venkayya Epigraphy Award

Smt Sunitha Madhavan and Tamil Heritage Trust are proud and happy to call for nominations for the Third V Venkayya Epigraphy Award, 2024. The annual award, one of its kind, was instituted in 2022, in the memory of Rai Bahadur Shri V Venkayya, a pioneering Epigrapher who became the first Indian Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India. 

The award was instituted by the great-granddaughter of Shri V Venkayya, Smt. Sunitha Madhavan, who published his biography in 2021, with the encouragement of (Late) Shri R Nagaswamy.

The V Venkayya Epigraphy Award (VVE Award) aims to recognize exceptional individual contributions towards the discovery of unrecorded inscriptions, interpretation of inscriptions from a refreshingly new perspective, dissemination of wealth of knowledge contained in them by conventional as well as digital medium and preservation of Epigraphic resources for posterity.  

By rewarding outstanding work in this area, the Award aspires to encourage interest and involvement of all the stakeholders including the general public in Indian Heritage and Epigraphy in particular, 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, Section 8 companies and other interest groups will not be eligible for the award.  The nominees can be both professionals in the field of epigraphy or independent researchers or enthusiasts who have a substantial corpus of work in furthering epigraphy in India.  The Award is based on a nomination and selection process. The Award consists of a citation and a prize of Rs.20000/- 

V Venkayya Epigraphy Award Winners – 2022 & 2023 

Dr. Y Subbarayalu, one of India’s eminent Epigraphers and Historians was the recipient of the inaugural V Venkayya Epigraphy Award in 2022. Dr Y Subbarayalu has held several academic positions in institutions like Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil University, Thanjavur etc., He also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo and EPHE, Paris. He was a researcher in the Department of Indology for more than a decade at the French Institute of Pondicherry.

He has authored, co-authored, and edited many books, publications and articles. To name a few - authored South India under Cholas; Glossary of Tamil Inscriptions; along with Noboru Karashima and Toru Matsui A Concordance of the Names in the Chola Inscriptions; edited South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. XXXIV, Archaeological Survey of India; co-edited with S Rajavelu Inscriptions of the Vijayanagara Rulers, Vol. V, part I (Tamil Inscriptions)

Dr P V Krishnamurthy (Dr PVK) one of the foremost Kannada Epigraphers was the recipient of the second V Venkayya Epigraphy Award in 2023. An Engineer in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited he earned his D. Litt(PhD) in the year 2000 from Kannada University, Hampi for his study on the inscriptions of Bana Kings. He has been teaching Epigraphy & Manuscriptology under the aegis of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, IGNCA, Bangalore, B.M. Sri. Pratishtana etc., Many Epigraphists and enthusiasts, young and old alike consider Dr. PVK as their guide and mentor.

Dr PVK has authored several books on various subjects such as  Epigraphy, History, Travelogue etc., Some of his well-known books are Baanarasara Shaasanagalu ondu Adhyayana (A Study of Bana Dynasty Inscriptions), Tamilunadina Kannada Shasanagalu (Kannada Inscriptions of Tamilnadu). He has edited 19 volumes of Itihasa Darshana, which are the proceedings of the Seminar and Research Papers, for the Karnataka Itihasa Academy. He has written more than 170 articles/papers in different research Journals, Felicitation, Commemoration, and in Encyclopedia Vols. etc.

About Rai Bahadur V Venkayya 

(Rai Bahadur) Shri V. Venkayya, born in 1864 in the lineage of the illustrious scholar Appaya Dikshita of the 16th century, was one of the pioneering epigraphists of India. His contribution to understanding the inscriptions of Pallavas, starting with Mamallapuram and Cholas with Brahadeeswara Temple, broke new ground in the field of Epigraphy in India. He also deciphered the writing (legends) on coins. 

A chance meeting with Dr. E. Hultzsch, the famous German Indologist and ASI’s first Chief Epigraphist, at Mamallapuram, turned the obscure school teacher into an expert in epigraphy, who eventually became the first Indian Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India.  His stellar effort in unravelling, recording and deciphering hundreds of lithic and copper-plate inscriptions of Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and others through publications like “South Indian Inscriptions” inspired many epigraphists and historians to record, reconstruct and write the history of South India in a new light with clarity and scholarship. 

The ultimate tribute to Shri V Venkayya came from John H. Marshall, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1902 to 1928. ‘From first to last, his life in the Archaeological Department was one of assiduous labour and devotion to duty and his work throughout was characterized by sound scholarship.’

Nomination Process

1. Any individual can nominate any other individual whom they believe has done noteworthy work in the area of Epigraphy
2. Individuals can also nominate themselves. 
3. An individual can send only one nomination. 
4. Nominations received in the years 2022 & 2023 but not considered for the Award in the years 2022 & 2023 will be automatically considered this year. Those nominated in the years 2022 & 2023 need not be nominated again.
5. The nominee must be a citizen of India and ordinarily resident in India. 
6. Nominations must be sent by email to awards.tht@gmail.com to reach us before June 9, 2024. 
7. There is no Nomination Form 
8. A Nomination must consist of the following:
• a. Personal Details: Full Name, Full Address, Mobile Number, Email id, Scanned Passport size Photograph, Brief biodata of the Nominee 
• b. Details of Contribution to Epigraphy: Details of actual work done by the nominee, with particular emphasis on work in the past ten years.  The details may be sent in any one of the following formats:  MS Word, MS PowerPoint or PDF.
• c. Supporting Documentation: Documentary evidence of the work done by the nominee could include copies of papers submitted, articles written in journals, newspapers or magazines, links to any websites or blogs run by the nominee, lists of talks given, courses conducted, links to social media presence etc.
9. Nominations and accompanying details are to be in English only. 

Selection of Winner

A jury comprising experts from the field of Epigraphy, History and Heritage and members of the THT Award Committee will select the winner.   As a part of the selection process, the members of the jury may choose to have an interaction with the nominee in person or over the phone. 

Award Ceremony & Award Lecture

The V Venkayya Epigraphy Award will be presented at a formal ceremony on July 27, 2024 (Saturday) in Chennai. 

The Winner will be invited to present the Award Lecture at the Ceremony. The Winner may choose a topic of her/his choice and will be required to submit the lecture manuscript for publication at least a week before the ceremony. The Award Lecture should preferably be in 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.

Nominations that were not considered for the award in the years 2022 & 2023 need not be sent again this year. Those nominations will be automatically considered for the award this year 

  

What is the Last Date for Nomination?

The last date for the Nomination to reach THT is June 9, 2024. 

What are the criteria for selection?

The judges will look for, among other qualities and parameters:

• New epigraphical 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 dialogue
• Consistency and persistence of the effort 

In what language should the Nomination be submitted? 

Nominations can be sent in English only. 

Is there an Entry Fee? 

No, there is no fee involved. 

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 on July 27, 2024, at Arkay Convention Centre, Chennai. The time will be announced later. 

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, in English, on a topic of her/his choice. 

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.

For any clarifications, please contact us at:
Mail:  awards.tht@gmail.com
Phone: Ravishankar: 95000 74247 (ravithyag@yahoo.com)