Kenneth X Robbins and Sqdn Ldr (Retd) Rana Chhina. India Jewish Heritage Trail. Aug 2, 2025

 

In their talk "India Jewish Heritage Trails", Kenneth X. Robbins, MD and Squadron Leader Rana Chhina describe the scope of a proposed Jewish Heritage Trail of markers from Mumbai to Kolkata to Chennai and from Trivandrum to Amritsar. The first two markers are in Kerala palaces and they document the centuries old positive experiences of Jews in South Asia. The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, August 2, 2025. 

About The Speakers: Kenneth X. Robbins, MD, has created a huge South Asian archive with everything from commemorative medals to documents. Among his other special interests are the states of maharajas and other local & regional Indian rulers and Africans in South Asia. He has published seventeen books including seven volumes on the history of Jews and curated exhibitions on Indian Jewish communities. He has authored 158 articles in various publications. He has co-curated an African Elites in India exhibition displayed at dozens of venues (ranging from the United Nations to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts) across five continents. 

Squadron Leader Rana Chhina (retired) is a historian at the United Service Institution of India Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research.

Dr Shrinivas V. Padigar - Winner of the V Venkayya Epigraphy Award for 2025.

We are delighted to inform you that Dr Shrinivas V. Padigar, eminent Kannada epigrapher and historian, is the Winner of the V Venkayya Epigraphy Award for 2025.

The one-of-a-kind award was instituted by Smt. Sunitha Madhavan, great-granddaughter of Shri V Venkayya. The Award commemorates Rai Bahadur Shri V Venkayya, a pioneering Epigrapher who was the first Indian Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India.

The annual V Venkayya Epigraphy Award (VVE Award) aims to recognize exceptional individual contributions, in any Indian language, 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.

The recipient was selected by a jury consisting of experts in epigraphy, history, archaeology, and heritage.

Dr Padigar will receive the Award on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at an Award function from the Chief Guest of the occasion, Dr T.S. Ravishankar, Director – Epigraphy (Retd), Archaeological Survey of India, Mysuru.  He will also deliver the Award Lecture on "Beyond the Texts: Insights from Early Chalukya Inscriptions”.

Do join us at 6.00 pm IST on Saturday, July 26th, 2025, for this event at Arkay Convention Centre, Mylapore, Chennai 600004.

About the Winner: 

Dr. Shrinivas V. Padigar is a distinguished historian, epigraphist, and archaeologist whose scholarship has profoundly shaped the understanding of India’s early historical and cultural narratives, especially the Kannada region.  Currently the Director (Academic and Research) at The Mythic Society, Bengaluru, he has had an illustrious academic career spanning over three decades, primarily at Karnatak University, Dharwad, where he rose to become Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ancient Indian History and Epigraphy.

A gold medalist and Ph.D. from Karnatak University (1985), Dr. Padigar has held several prestigious fellowships, including the Infosys Foundation Karnataka Chair at BORI, Pune, a Senior Academic Fellowship from the ICHR, and a Charles Wallace Fellowship in the UK. He has also served as a visiting fellow at institutions like Deccan College and the University of Edinburgh.

His scholarly contributions are extensive and interdisciplinary, encompassing epigraphy, art history, archaeology, numismatics, and religious studies. He has reexamined, edited, and critically reinterpreted over 400 inscriptions, especially from the Early Chalukya period. The result was his magnum opus Inscriptions of the Calukyas of Badami (2010).

His research has shed new light on the Saiva and Vaishnava traditions, educational institutions, temple architecture, and sculptural iconography in the Deccan, often drawing on inscriptional and archaeological evidence.

Apart from Inscriptions of the Calukyas of Badami, his significant publications are Vishnu Cult in Karnataka (1996), alongside several works in Kannada such as "Puratattvashastra Parichaya"  and numerous edited volumes such as Pratnakirti and New Facets of Indian Art. His writings explore themes from narrative sculpture—like the Panchatantra and Jataka depictions—to socio-religious practices and artisanal histories.

He has supervised 13 doctoral theses, delivered invited lectures across India, and presided over national academic conferences. In recognition of his pioneering work, he has received the Rajarshi Dr. Veerendra Heggade Award (2023) and the Dr. B.R. Gopal Epigraphist’s Award (2016).

With a rare blend of methodological precision and visionary insight, Dr. Padigar remains a leading voice in the fields of Indian epigraphy and ancient cultural studies—an enduring influence and a most deserving winner of the V. Venkayya Epigraphy Award, 2025.

Inviting nominations for the THT-Prof S Swaminathan Heritage Award 2025

 

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.

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, blog posts, giving lectures, conducting heritage walks etc.
c. Deepening our understanding of our heritage through academic research, field work, 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.

How to nominate:

1. Any individual can nominate any other individual.
2. Individuals can also nominate themselves.
3. Nominee's age should be between 20 and 50 years as of Aug 25, 2025.
4. The individual must be a citizen of India and ordinarily resident in India.
5. Nominations must be submitted through this online form and should reach us before August 25th, 2025.
6. Nominations and accompanying details may be in English or Tamil only.

7. Nominations that were not considered for the Award in previous years can be sent again this year with up-to-date information.

 

The last date for receiving nominations is August 25th, 2025.

 

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 the last year and would like to update your nomination please use the nomination form to submit any additional information. 

 

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

For any clarifications, please send a mail to  admin@tamilheritage.in or  ashwin.prabhu@gmail.com

Yamini Telkar. "Echoes of Ajanta: Tracing its Influence on Modern Art in India". July 5, 2025

The murals of Ajanta have echoed across generations of artists—from colonial-era documenters to art school students, through ASI-affiliated practitioners and all the way to modern painters. Their influence is visible not only in visual style and technique but also in the very conception of what constitutes Indian modern art. In her Talk “Echoes of Ajanta: Tracing its Influence on Modern Art in India", Art Specialist and Curator Yamini Telkar shares her perspectives why these magnificent murals hold such sway on the artistic imagination since their rediscovery in the nineteenth century. The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, July 5, 2025. About the Speaker: Yamini Telkar is an Indian art specialist with over 30 years of experience in the art industry and academia. She curated the artworks for Terminal 2 of Bangalore International Airport and serves as a senior advisor there. Additionally, she has published a guidance document on integrating art in public spaces, consults for Zinnov's public space initiative, serves as the Director of Sameksha Art Gallery in Delhi, and is the cofounder of ArtKyk—an online platform aimed at making art accessible. Yamini has taught art history at prestigious institutions and delivered numerous talks on art throughout India. She holds an M.Phil. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an M.A. in Ancient Culture from St. Xavier's College, and a BFA from Sir J.J. School of Art.