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.