Dr C Somasundara Rao, born in 1940, is a distinguished historian and epigraphist specialising in Andhra history, epigraphy, palaeography and numismatics. He joined Andhra University’s Department of History & Archaeology in 1963 and became Professor in 1985.
His landmark publication, Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (2014; 2nd ed., 2024), traces Telugu script from Brahmi through Telugu-Kannada, incorporating palaeographical tables, photographs, chronograms and nearly 700 numeral examples with Saka dates. Other major works include Studies in Andhra History and Culture (2019) and South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. XLII (2020), spanning the Mauryan to Vijayanagara periods. He has edited copperplate grants of the Eastern Gangas, the Chalukyas of Vengi, the Kakatiyas, and the Kona Haihayas.
His research has advanced understanding of Satavahana chronology, Khandavalli and Kona Haihaya grants, the Soraikkavur plates, and the Ashtadiggajas. He has identified significant inscriptional features including the Daya-gaja-Kesari legend and distinctive Vaishnavite seal symbols.
In his talk "Lineside: The Origin and Legacy of Railways in Madras", naturalist, photographer and heritage enthusiast 'Poochi' S Venkataraaman explores the beginnings of the railway system and showcases its evolution through vintage photographs and historical snippets. He will also help us understand how the railways developed around Madras and South India with interesting stories about the experiments and innovations unique to Madras.
The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, August 1st, 2026.
About The Speaker:
S Venkataraaman, popularly known as Poochi Venkat, hails from a family of playwrights, editors, artists, and writers, notably R.K. Narayan and R.K. Laxman. His interest in visual arts began after receiving a gift of his uncle’s cartoons and later discovering a hidden film-movie-camera which had been used by his father.
While in school, Venkat started a mini photo lab at home, earning additional pocket money by printing and selling photographs to friends and neighbours. Subsequently, his focus shifted to Sound and Electronics, and he chose to pursue a career as a Sound Engineer, designing and manufacturing audio systems.
In 1991, he returned to photography full-time, combining it with print design.
His early assignments involved Reprography which required macro techniques. In one such assignment, he had to duplicate nearly 200 slides of micro-fauna which led to a photo-scientific research on spiders.
In 1998, during a photo-research assignment in Chennai’s Guindy National Park, the forest officials admiringly called him “Poochi Venkat” to mark his dedication in documenting creepy-crawlies! That name has now become the trademark for Venkat and his macro work!
Over three decades, Venkat has handled various genres of photography like Macro, Perspective, Architecture, Repro, Medical, Corporate, Low-lux to name a few. He has worked as a professional medical photographer for dentists, surgeons, and professors, mainly because of his comfort level with intense surgical procedures in the hospitals.
Venkat also works as a video editor. In the last 18 years, he has worked on 70 short & documentary films, and one feature film. He specializes in the style of Photo-Films which have been screened across the world. His experience in sound-engineering helps immensely in post-production.
