Pechchu Kutcheri 2012: First Two Days

Pechchu Kutcheri 2012 organized by Tamil Heritage Trust has started. The first two days have been visual feasts.

Last year was a talkathon. You could actually make complete sense of what went on during the speech by simply listening to the audio. But not so this time. This is completely picture driven.

Tatvaloka auditorium is quite nice that way with an excellent large screen.

Day 1 happened on Christmas day. The crowd was somewhat thin. KT Gandhirajan, an Art Historian and excellent field researcher. He has worked on various projects but his specialty is Rock paintings. He and his team has discovered many rock painting sites in Tamil Nadu. He has created photographic documentation for multiple rock painting locations all over Tamil Nadu. he has been a guest lecturer in Fine Arts College, Chennai.

(I will be able to post audio and video only next week for all the talks.)

Gopu introduced the activities of Tamil heritage Trust to the audience.

Gopu introducing Tamil heritage Trust

Badri Seshadri introduced the speaker Gandhi Rajan.

Then Gandhi Rajan made his presentation on Rock Paintings of Tamil Nadu. Gandhi Rajan took around 20 sites across Tamil Nadu (out of nearly 60 or so) and showed the pre-historic rock art, their significance, what one can make of them and so on. Note that some of these places were discovered by him. Some of these places are most difficult to reach even today. They are anywhere between 5-10 km interior in forest from the nearest village, which will be several km from the nearest town.

Researcher and art historian KT Gandhi Rajan

Day 2 (today) was about an overview of painting across India. Arvind Venkatraman, a software engineer by profession, culture enthusiast by hobby made an excellent presentation covering Tamil Nadu, whole of India, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Burma, Sri Lanka and China where Indian painting tradition had spread. Gopu did the introduction to the event while Bhushavali introduced the speaker Arvind.

Gopu on the 6 day Pechchu Kutcheri event

Bhushavali introducing the speaker Arvind Venkatraman

Arvind started where Gandhi Rajan had left - from rock art of Bhimbetka. From there he moved to Indus Valley paintings to the historic period covering Satavahana, Gandhara, Kushana, Gupta, Vakataka, Chalukya, Pallava, Pandya, Chera, Chola, Pala, Vijayanagara, Nayak, Mughal miniature paintings, miniature paintings in North and Deccan influenced by Mughal, paintings found around the modern Indian state (Afghan, Central Asian, Chinese, Burmese, Sri Lankan - almost all Buddhist). The coverage was really breathtaking.

Arvind starting off from rock paintings and moving onto more evolved frescoes

Day 3 onwards, we move to specifics. Day 3 will be Prof. Swaminathan talking about Ajanta. In the light of today's talk, the focus on Ajanta will be sharper. Day 4 will see two speakers presenting Pallava (Sivaramakrishnan) and Pandya (Chandru) paintings - both speakers from Fine Arts College, Chennai, one a former Principal and the other a current faculty. Day 5 will see Vijaya Kumar, an arts enthusiast from Singapore (poetryinstone.in) presenting the magnificent Chola paintings in the Brihadisvara Temple. Day 6 will be Prof. Balusamy talking about Vijayanagara and Nayak paintings.

Don't miss them.

Tamil Heritage Kutcheri: 25th-30th Dec 2012

Tamil Heritage Trust invites you to

25-30 Dec 2012, 10 AM - 12 Noon. Tatvaloka Auditorium,  76, Eldams Road, Chennai 600018

25 December Tuesday	Rock Paintings by Gandhirajan Rock art -a global phenomenon, started about 40,000 years ago, covers paintings carved into or on the rock surfaces and figurines engraved into the ground. India has the third largest concentration of Rock Art in the world featuring rich thematic and artistic styles and clues to ancient life-style and the mysticism. Gandhirajan will discuss various rock art sites of Tamil Nadu, their idea, artistic treatment, composition and symmetry. He will also do a stylistic comparison of rock art in South India. Gandhirajan is an Art historian, Researcher and Guest lecturer, well known for discovering many ancient rock art sites in Tamil Nadu. He has conducted extensive documentation of rock art and mural paintings and organized many photography exhibitions. He has co-directed films on History and Anthropology.
26 December Wednesday	Panorama of Indian Paintings by Arvind Venkataraman Painting pre-dates history. Cave men festooned their walls with scenes of daily life, hunting and valour. The themes may be simple, but their depictions show a spirit and force, that speak to the soul of the viewers. With the advent and progress of civilization, both theme and technique dramatically improved, though we only have rare examples in Ajantha and Bagh that still survive. The spirit of Ajanta pervaded the region and its neighborhood, adapting locally for narrative and flavor. The continuity and transformation of paintings through time and space will be explored by Arvind. Arvind Venkarataraman is a software professional and a serious culture enthusiast. Out of his passion we have an encyclopaedic documentation of hundreds of temples and thousands sculptures indexed from across the country.
27 December Thursday	Paintings of Ajanta Caves by Swaminathan Painting pre-dates Ajanta is an unparalleled treasure house of art, spanning eight centuries. They display costumes, jewellery, the musical instruments, social order, court etiquette, conceptions of beauty and morality, elegance and majesty, and every emotion from joy to despondence to humour. Experts have gleaned aspects of the painting techniques, such as preparation, perspective, balance, coloring and shading, revealing a level of sophistication rarely matched and never surpassed. Swaminthan, an engineering professor, has been fascinated with Ajanta since childhood. His extensive reading of literature on the paintings and his infectious and approachable presentation of the Ajanta heritage, has delighted novice and connoisseur alike.
28 December Friday	Pallava Paintings of Kanchi and Panamalai by Sivaramakrishnan Few paintings survive in Kanchi and one mural at the Panamalai temple, to showcase the Pallava painting repertoire. But they are bewitchingly beautiful and hauntingly delicate. The contrast of the vigor of Shiva's dance and the delicacy of a watching Parvati's pose are a testament to the Pallava artist's skills. Prof Sivaramakrishnan, of Fine Arts College, Chennai, will present a native appreciation to the arts in a disarmingly earthy narrative style, that charms as much as the topic. His analysis from the artist's point of view will help the listener revel, revalue what he sees.
	Paintings of Jaina Cave Temple, Sittannavasal by Chandrasekharan The paintings of the Jaina cave shrine in Sittannavasal, or what survive have been an enigma. If the dancing damsels portrayed here are that of some of the best dancers in Indian, the lotus tank scene anticipate modern techniques of composing. Artist Chandru (Chandrasekharan), a well-known authority in arts and a former principal of the Fine Arts College, Chennai, will present the paintings in his inimitable style.
29 December Saturday	Chola Paintings of Brihadiswara Temple, Tanjavur by Vijaya Kumar The multi-facetted emperor, Rajaraja, the great has adorned the inner walls of the sanctum of the Brihadiswara Temple with religious lore from the Saiva tradition. Discovered only in the 1920s, and photograph in the last decade, the last surviving paintings of the Cholas are a visual treat not to be missed. These paintings are not open to public viewing, and this is an excellent opportunity to experience them with narration. Vijay, known all over the art world interested in Indian culture, through his blog, Poetry in stone, is another enthusiastic amateur, whose passion and dedication makes him an excellent communicator.
30 December Sunday	Paintings of Vijayanagara and Nayak periods by Balusamy Following the Muslim interregnum, the Vijayanagar Empire brought in fresh air of religious fervour, which manifested in exuberance in temple architecture, arts and festivals. The narrative paintings on the walls and on the ceilings by the Vijayanagara Kings and their successors, the Nayak, is a reflection of contemporary mood and practices. Dr S Balusamy, Professor of Tamil, Madras Christian College, famous for his research on the grand Arjuna's Penance panel in Mamallapuram, is an authority on the Vijayanagara-Nayak paintings, which he has documented extensively.

Tamil Heritage Trust 2nd floor, 30, D'Silva Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600004    Phone: 044-24671501, 98842-94494, 98840-66566   Website: www.tamilheritage.in