Talk: Exploring Prehistoric Tamilnadu – Aug. 12, 2020
By Prof. Shanti Pappu & Dr. Kumar Akhilesh
6.30 p.m. | Online Lecture (In English)
Zoom ID : 885 8499 7905
Organised by Roja Muthiah Research Library & Foundation for South Indian Studies
Prof. Shanti Pappu, is the founder/secretary, Sharma Centre for Heritage Education (SCHE), India. She obtained her Ph.D. from the Deccan College, researching the prehistoric archaeology of northern Tamil Nadu, and is a former Homi Bhabha and Charles Wallace Fellow, and served as Professor of Prehistory at the Deccan College, Pune. She has over 20 years of experience in prehistoric archaeology, directing (along with Dr. Kumar Akhilesh) multidisciplinary research projects at Attirampakkam, Sendrayanpalayam and other prehistoric sites in Tamil Nadu, under the project, Prehistory and Palaeoenvironments in SE India. She has recruited and coordinated international teams from Spain, France, the USA and Sri Lanka to work in India, and has established collaborations with key research institutions in India. She is researching the life and work of R.B.Foote and is interested in the issues related to the history of archaeology in India. She has published 2 books and over 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature (2018) and Science (2011). She is on the advisory board, INQUA-HaBCom and executive committee, IPPA, and is Joint-Secretary, ISPQS, Board of Studies Members of Institute of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology. She has organized and participated in conferences/workshops in India and abroad, and along with K.Akhilesh has organized workshops on prehistory under the R.B.Foote Memorial series in India, and currently the Down Ancient Trails, online lecture forum. She is responsible for developing the public archaeology and outreach programs at the SCHE and in developing the children’s museum. Her interests lie in prehistory and Quaternary studies, history of archaeology, ethno-and experimental archaeology.
Dr. Kumar Akhilesh, is the Director, Sharma Centre for Heritage Education. He received his Ph.D. from the Deccan College, Pune, under the guidance of the late Prof. V.N. Misra, researching the prehistory of the Damin industries, Jharkhand. He is also a Homi Bhabha Fellow (2016-2018), and worked on a project of experimental archaeology and implications for hominin cognition. He is joint-director of the research program at Attirampakkam and is directing the project Prehistory and Palaeoenvironments in SE India, including research at the site of Sendrayanpalayam and prehistoric sites of southern Tamil Nadu. He is an expert knapper and currently directing a program on experimental knapping to replicate lithic technologies documented at Attirampakkam and other prehistoric sites in south India and elsewhere, and is currently expanding into the field of lithic microwear studies. He has extensive field experience in southern and eastern India and has published in Nature (2018), Science (2011) and other peer-reviewed journals. He has also worked in the field of satellite remote sensing applications for prehistoric research in this region, utilizing GIS and other techniques for both research, culture resource management and predictive modelling to locate new sites. He has organized several workshops on South Asian prehistory and lithic technology, running the R.B.Foote Memorial series for several years now. In addition, he has presented his research at conferences and workshops in India and abroad. He is secretary, INQUA-HaBCom. He has been conducting programs in public archaeology and outreach for children, teachers, ECRs, local stakeholders and the like in the field of archaeology and is involved in developing the children’s museum at the Sharma Centre for Heritage Education.