Heritage Management – how it differs from Conservation, reconstruction, maintenance etc.,

Heritage Management – how it differs from Conservation, reconstruction, maintenance etc.,

Dr T. Satyamurthy delved into different issues connected with “Heritage management.”

elite audience

View of the audience…

More elite audience came….

January 2024 – first Monthly Meeting on Heritage Management: RSN, Memorial Library and Indology Research Institute was inaugurated on October 28th, 2023[1]. Dr Subramanian Swamy inaugurated and many other dignitaries were there at that time[2]. At that time, it was decided to hold every month, a special lecture to be organized and addressed by a historian, an archaeologist, a numismatist, and similar expert on Indology. Accordingly, on 28-01-2024 (Sunday) the first monthly lecture was delivered by Dr. T. Sathyamurthy on “Heritage Management”[3]. I was expecting him for the inaugural function, but he could not attend, because of his preoccupation. So it was a happy occasion that he delivered the fist lecture here gracing the juncture. He is an archaeologist with the Archeology Survey of India and Founder of the Reach Foundation, with 50 years of experience in excavation, reconstruction, etc. He explained with examples how to preserve, restore and transform ancient Indian buildings, temples and other structures without affecting the traditional factors and features.

The dilapidated condition of the Siva temple, Uttiramerur……

How modern technology was also used for restoration[4]: The short film also explained how a dilapidated Shiva temple in Uttramerur was gradually rebuilt with the stones and bricks available there itself. The walls, roof etc. and the relief sculptures were completely restored carefully with the available materials with careful restoration. For that, he also explained how the method of connecting granite stones, weight-bearing strength, and other details were technically tested in the IIT Chennai laboratory, and then the restoration, preservation and conservation works were successfully completed using that technology. Some important modern techniques were used to restore the heritage structure, thereby bridging modern techniques to save ancient marvels! After a year full of research and consultations, testing and recording the stitching of granite using Stainless steel rods and proving their strength while being used as a stitching material along with a binder material made of epoxy, stones which lie below and the foundation level have been successfully retained without being rooted away, thus saving crores of rupees and time in removing all the stones used to build the temple! I.I.T Civil Engineering department Prof. Mathews and his PG research student Ms. Anupadma, and the company which provided the drilling and filling materials M/s.HILTI deserve our thanks and appreciation for their co-operation and services.

How the stones were stitched: Cracks appearing at the bottom most part of the foundation, were ‘stitched’ using grooved Stainless rod thus the cracked granite stone is put back to a single repaired stone thus becoming integral using epoxy based grouting compound to bond the stainless steel rod with the granite core.

1. Drilling holes diagonally so that the hole passes through both halves of the broken granite…
2. 2) After which the holes are cleaned to remove all the powdered granite chips and slurry..
3.  Then comes the pumping in of the epoxy putty grouting material
4. And the insertion of the grooved Stainless steel rod,
5. filling the holes with the same ground granite powder..and
6. The crack is stitched

According to Dr Mathews, the technique itself is very simple and not very expensive. But he says that when dealing with ancient monuments, it is important that care is taken over the materials used[5]. “High-grade stainless steel rods with a high percentage of chromium were used so that they didn’t corrode for at least another five hundred years,” he says[6]. Both Dr Sathyamurthy and Dr Mathews say that in India there are many temples and monuments in danger of total collapse or partial collapse and that these are causes for concern[7]. Dr Mathews says that further research in the laboratory in stone stitching and other reversible interventions is needed. This could allow the technique to be used to conserve other monuments in future[8]. With the basement safely secured, the team started conserving the super-structure, including the huge dome using a newly created lime plaster based on the old formula[9]. The conservation team now says that a weight of around 30,000 tonnes can safely rest on the basement and the plinth of granite rocks[10].

Inscriptions buried were revealed after removing debris.

From the Pallavas to 2013: The temple was built during Pallava King Nandi Varman’s period and reconstructed during Chozha period with stone up to Adhistanam. Latter patronized by Chozha Kings Parataka Chozha_I, Rajaraja-I, Rajendra Chozha-I and Vijayanagara Kings, especially Krishnadevaraya. The inscriptions mainly record about donations made to this temple in terms of Land, Gold, Goats, Cow, etc for the regular poojas and functions. In one of the inscriptions it was mentioned that if anybody obstructs the normal functioning of the temple poojas and lighting of lamps received through gifts ( By way of gold, Land, cows ) to the temple, it will be equivalent to killing their father and mother and Killing a cow on the banks of river Ganga[11]. There is a measurement scale marked at the base of the temple in two lengths of each 11 feet with Vijayanagara Kings Royal emblem of Kattari and Sun. The Kumbhabhishekam was performed in 2013 after renovation by the  Reach Foundation.

Mullavar Shiva Linga – before and after restoration work.

Conservation, reconstruction, maintenance etc., are not building anything new: He concluded by describing that conservation, reconstruction, maintenance etc. is not a method of demolishing existing buildings and building new ones, rather, it is the work of keeping the existing construction, walls, sculptures, etc., unchanged, so that its longevity could also be increased. During the reconstruction of an ancient Shiva Temple at Uthiramerur villagers 565 gram gold was discovered under the steps of the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple[12]. The Government authorities reached the spot after being informed about this and claimed the rights on the gold[13]. The villagers however raised the objection[14]. The villagers stated that, ‘the gold found is the wealth of the Temple and it will be restored in the sanctum sanctorum itself after the reconstruction of the Temple.’[15] After the little scuffle between the villagers and the Government authorities, the Police were called[16]. The Police seized the gold under the Government treasury. The agonised villagers have started agitating to get back the gold[17].

Heritage talk ended with heritage: Attendees and students were also benefited by asking some questions and getting clarifications. For many questions, T. Satyamurthy directly answered with examples. The elite audience included S/Sri Vedantam, Vishwa Hindu Vidya Kendra; Shekhar Reddy, Tirumala-Tirupathi Devasthanam; Viswanathan, Registrar, Anna Technical University; R. Chellamuthu former IAS Officer, many dignitaries, professors and students. K.V. Ramakrishna Rao, Visiting Professor, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, Madras University highlighted the importance of Indology and “Traditional Management”. Dr. Ravichandran thanked the meeting and concluded. On behalf of Tirumala-Tirupathi Devasthanam, Lattu Prasadam was also given to everyone. Thus, “Heritage Management” was maintained, perhaps, in all aspects.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

28-01-2024

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[1] K.V.Ramakrishna Rao, Inauguration of RSN Memorial Library and Indological Research Institute at Chennai, Posted on October 29, 2023.

[2] https://kvramakrishnarao.wordpress.com/2023/10/29/inauguration-of-rsn-memorial-library-and-indological-research-institute-at-chennai/

[3]  November and December witnessed heavy rains, floods etc., and therefore, the lecture could not be conducted.

[4] Reach Foundation, Uttaramerur Kailasanadhr temple restoration, 2000.

https://conserveheritage.org/index.php/temple-revivals/uttaramerur-temple-restoration/uttaramerur-kailasanadhar-temple-restoration-update/

[5] DNA Web Team, ‘Granite stitching’ saves 1,250-year-old Indian temple from collapse, Updated: Mar 11, 2018, 03:50 AM IST

[6] https://www.dnaindia.com/technology/report-granite-stitching-saves-1250-year-old-indian-temple-from-collapse-1496290

[7] BBC, Ancient temple stitched back together, Published: 17 January 2011

[8] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12127154

[9] OneInda, ‘Granite stitching’ saves 1,250-yr-old Indian temple from collapse, By Ani | Published: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 12:20 [IST]

[10]  https://www.oneindia.com/2011/01/18/granitestitching-saves-1250-yr-old-indian-temple-fromco-aid0121.html

[11]  Generally, in most of the iscriptions, this phrase would be found indicting that the temples were under attacks by others and thus, indirectly, it was recorded in that manner.

[12] India Today, Gold found during temple renovation in Tamil Nadu, India Today Web Desk, New Delhi, Published On: Dec 14, 2020; UPDATED: Dec 14, 2020 06:02 IST, Published By: Snigdha Choudhury

[13] https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gold-found-during-temple-renovation-in-tamil-nadu-1749252-2020-12-14

[14] Times of India, Villagers near Chennai find gold during temple renovation, TNN / Updated: Dec 14, 2020, 07:08 IST.

[15] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-500g-gold-cache-discovered-at-300-year-old-temple/articleshow/79712965.cms

[16] The Hindu, Tension in Uthiramerur as residents refuse to hand over gold to officials, December 14, 2020 03:13 am | Updated 03:13 am IST – CHENNAI.

[17] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/tension-in-uthiramerur-as-residents-refuse-to-hand-over-gold-to-officials/article33322729.ece

Artificial Intelligence – can it be useful for archaeology, anthropology, history and related subjects?

Artificial Intelligence – can it be useful for archaeology, anthropology, history and related subjects?

What is artificial intelligence?: Simply, it is the “intelligence,” that is “artificial,” virtual and imaginary and thus, not real. When, “intelligence,” brainpower and acumen become artificial, man loses his mental power. Then, who is acquiring that “intelligence other than man? Machine, man-created machine only replaces. However, again, man only controls the computer giving inputs to create such AI. However, the man knows how even another man is controlled through “brain control, brainwashing” etc., either by inducement or threat. A master-slave example is applied for many exigencies with positive and negative connotations and applications. Accordingly, the application of AI is subjected to limitations.

Doing a job, again and again, mechanical and robotics: A robot is considered as human substitute that could do some specific work, as per the computer software program. In industries, wherever, repetitive processes were there, they were controlled to be carried on again and again by man-operated machine, switch, timer and later with computer. Gears and continuously rotating parts are replaced with software programs, where, many processes are repeated. Thus, profile cutting machines have already been used in electrical, electronic and mechanical industries. Slowly, more processes were brought under the computerized control. In the design and development processes of many industries, they are frequently used. In Textiles, garments and related industries, they become essential, as they do such jobs easily with software manipulation. For FMG, its role becomes far and wide. Now, the film, media and ad-companies exploit the maximum.

AI could bring more profits to Internet-dependent companies: Artificial intelligence leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind[1]. However, it is not simply man-created robots imitating man, but, more than that in many cases.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines or software, as opposed to the intelligence of humans or other animals. It is a field of study in computer science that develops and studies intelligent machines.
• AI technology is widely used throughout industry, government, and science. Some high-profile applications are: advanced web search engines (e.g., Google Search), recommendation systems (used by YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix), understanding human speech (such as Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa), self-driving cars (e.g., Waymo), generative and creative tools (ChatGPT and AI art), and superhuman play and analysis in strategy games (such as chess and Go).
• The companies involved in the Internet business directly or indirectly, are very much interested in this field, as the more time man spends on it, the more usage and the more income and profits to them (manufacturers and service providers).

What will happen to the buyers, users and consumers?: With the internet, many of students (from pre-KG to PhD) stopped reading books and just “google” and get prepared for exams. For project work etc., they just copy Wiki[2]. With the rise of mobiles, they virtually become slaves and affecting the human relations. More Internet usage, more men turning to cyber, cyber crimes have also started increasing. Of course, money has been the target, for that all ethics and morals are sacrificed. Thus, unimaginable crimes are committed affecting humanity. It is not that one community, nation, country or continent, but, the whole world gets affected.

India required “demythologization” and not more mythologization through AI: What is important in Indian/Bharat history today is not further mythologization, but the retrieval or recovery of science and technology from such myths. Such a method is called demythologization. At Somnathapuram, the linga was floating, and it was a scientific technique. Here, historically, there is no myth or falsehood. Though, even historians like Romila Thapar have mentioned it, they could not explain the scientific aspect, as they do not know it. Magnetic levitation refers to the floating of an object without the aid of any other object, but only by the magnetic force of like poles repelling each other. It is noteworthy that this technology has now extended to trains as well. German trains called Maglev (derived from magnetic levitation) fly like this. A magnetic levitation or floating train is a train that can float without the help of wheels through magnetic levitation technology. When it starts crawling, not all of its parts hit the ground. The speed of these trains going on the magnetic track can exceed 580 kilometres per hour. In the same way, the science and technology behind the Indian material culture can be explained.

The demythologization of Indian history is more important than AI-sponsored pictures: In ancient India, the process of rewriting the epics was started by various vested groups, before the various impacts caused by foreign invasions in Bharat. Jains-Buddhists in particular had rewritten them with many interpolations to show off their antiquity. In other words, they added a narrative of Tirtankaras and Buddhas made available in every yuga[3]. This is why there are so many slokas in Ramayana and Mahabharata increasing from one recension to another. Again the slokas were added when those who learned and realized the legends and tried to remove them, i.e. to change the matters which had already come into prevalent, known and recorded in the manuscripts. First, they tried to give a proper explanation so that such contradictions were understood and ignored. Rewriting, expurgation and editing processes were involved in such correcting processes. Such interchanges ranged from the Jain period to the medieval Muslim and 19^th century colonial periods.

Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence cannot create new myths by putting on a scientific mask and technical masquerade in methods like pseudo-science, and alchemy. Already now scientific researches like DNA and genetics have been diverted by ideological delusions[4], hybrids with their likes and dislikes. In graphics, models, pictures, films etc. have already been realistically captured and available in circulation. Although somewhat reflective of the real situation, more fictional characters were created. But artificial intelligence is turning real historical heroes into fictional characters. Gods, who are already worshipped as idols, as deities in sanctum sanctorum, are transformed by artificial intelligence into some sort of living human beings. Thus, even the remnants of reality that exist today will eventually disappear or be denied by the ignorant one day.

Commercialization of Science and Technology: Now many people are working to commercialize using the current technologies as how to make money in a short period of time by increasing internet usage. That is, especially in a country like India where there are 140 crore people, even if one crore or just one lakh people become buyers for a product, the manufacturer or seller will get considerable income and profit. So, keeping it in mind, they use their new and novel aggressive campaign tactics. For that, they need advertisement and publicity vigorously. They don’t even bother about quality, standards, efficiency, etc. in such unethical and unspiritual business. Therefore, even when education, textbooks, teachers who teach them; schools and universities come, the idea that anyone should read and study the sources becomes less important in terms of need, status and benefits. That’s why there are so many people who just study and get marks in some subject and qualified, go to work, earn and live comfortably. So in that case, no one seems to care if he says, “Go and read the sources and write with evidence.”

Caution about AI: There is concern about the increase in malpractice in the field of scientific research[5]. As shown by various institutions and studies, institutional, economic and cultural factors have encouraged an increase in cases of professional malpractice including fraud, corruption, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, financial doping, improper attribution, illicit appropriation of ideas, concepts and results, influence peddling, falsification of evidence, data manipulation, exaggeration of results, lack of protection of research subjects, misappropriation or misuse of resources, the commodification of knowledge, use of phantom sources, nepotistic or inbred citation, improper or fraudulent use of information. The researchers have also pointed out that, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a double-edged sword for scientific research. While, on one hand, the incredible potential of AI and the different techniques and technologies for using it make it a product coveted by all scientific research centres and organisations and science funding agencies. On the other, the highly negative impacts that its irresponsible and self-interested use is causing, or could cause, make it a controversial tool, attracting strong criticism from those involved in the different sectors of research…”

Limitations of usage to archaeology, anthropology and related subjects: About the usage of AI for archaeology, anthropology and allied subjects has been discussed and debated, because of the advantages and disadvantages involved[6]. The easy availability of Machine Language (ML) algorithms and lack of expertise on their proper use among the anthropological research community has led to foundational misapplications that have appeared throughout the literature. The resulting unreliable results not only undermine efforts to legitimately incorporate ML into anthropological research, but produce potentially faulty understandings about our human evolutionary and behavioural past[7].

1. Why don’t the AI experts try to analyze and decipher the Indus Valley pictograms, signs or fonts with their artificial intelligence?

2. There are many chronological puzzles in Indian history, why not solve them with their machine language and artificial intelligence?

3. Those who earn money by singing Ramayana and enjoying discourses, can solve the problem of such chronological issues faithfully?

4. Those who are disputing and fighting about Advaita-Dvaitam etc., can bring them under timelines acceptable to commonman?

5. By the application of AI for religious depiction, in an attempt to humanize the gods, they turn them into dehumanized cute cartoon characters only.

6. Therefore, they have to act as a tool to break counter-ideologies and not to be in a position to feed them.

7. What is important in Indian history today is not the mythologization of the existing, but, demythologization, scientifically.

8. But the science and technology contained in the Vedangas, Itihasas, Puranas etc.,  is to be restored and given to the people in an understandable way.

9. There is no need to create new historical problems without solving existing historical and archaeological issues and contradictions.

10. Artificial Intelligence should not become some sort of pseudo-science, alchemy, etc.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

17-01-2024

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[1] https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence

[2]  In fact, I have also referred to Wiki to understand the fundamentals, later to proceed to read other research papers in the context.

[3] Even in Ramayana period, Hains and Buddhists were found. The dates of Titankaras are traced back to Kaliyuga. In Buddhism, buddhas were there in every aeon.

[4]  In spite of “Out of Africa,” theory, Neanderthal exists and the so-called “Aryan-Dravidian” hypotheses and theories continue in India.

[5] González Esteban, Elsa, and Patrici Calvo. “Ethically governing artificial intelligence in the field of scientific research and innovation.” Heliyon 8 (2022) e08946, 2022.

[6] Tenzer, Martina, et al. “Debating AI in archaeology: applications, implications, and ethical considerations.”, 2023.

[7] Calder, Jeff, et al. “Use and misuse of machine learning in anthropology.” IEEE BITS the Information Theory Magazine 2.1 (2022): 102-115.

History, Science and Technology of South Asian Ceramics – The Proceedings of the Third International Conference in Commemoration of Iravatham Mahadevan 2024 (5)

History, Science and Technology of South Asian Ceramics – The Proceedings of the Third International Conference in Commemoration of Iravatham Mahadevan 2024 (5)

Today, the last day of the conference had two sessions VII and VIII with the following papers.

09.01.2024, Tuesday – 10.00-11.30 AM Session – VII: Microscopy and compositional study:  this session was chaired by Dr. Mudit Trivedi and the following papers were presented.

Scientific Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics – K. Krishnan: The first compositional analysis of ceramics from the Indian sub-continent dates back to the 1920s. Those were wet chemical analyses that led to the identification of the elemental composition. The 1960s witnessed the application of petrographic methods to study ceramics. However, interpreting those results was difficult and offered many challenges. Therefore, the results of those early studies were presented as additional information in the respective excavation reports or as research notes. Though isolated, problem-oriented studies on ceramics using scientific techniques in recent years have brought out several interesting results that benefitted the scientific discipline and archaeological studies. This paper will present the applications and limitations of scientific analyses of pottery and its relevance to cultural studies through reviews and case studies. For this, studies on ceramics from different Harappan settlements in Gujarat will be presented. He focussed on understanding general issues such as provenance and clay paste preparation techniques. He also elaborated on the applications and limitations of the methods employed and how a balancing interpretation was made to satisfy the archaeological goals

Northern Black Polished Ware: An Ancient Science  – Alok Kumar Kanungo: Ancient sciences often denote to traditional knowledge systems, when the practices involved in the production cycle of the artefact are situated and contextualized to particular geo-cultural zone. When a knowledge system stands apart from its contemporary and remains in action only for a particular time period, that leaves behind more questions than answers. Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) is one such pottery type of India. The paper will deal with this ware’s history, science and technology by mapping the distribution trends of NBPW, and microscopic and elemental composition analyses of a selected sherds.

Some Aspects of NBPW Manufacturing Technologies  – Sidharth Shankar Rai: Potteries are the most fascinating artefacts for archaeometric investigation because separate pottery tradition represents distinct cultural tradition and the development of pottery manufacturing technology indicates societal innovation for producing a better product. Ancient Indian Glazed ware commonly known as Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) in archaeological literature is the iconic black glazed pottery produced in early Historic India from 7th century BCE to 1st century CE in the Ganga Valley. The NBPW has been manufactured in such a way that the gloss of this pottery has remained unaffected after passage of more than 2,500 years. . The production of glaze is a major achievement of ancient craftsmen. It is a result of different processes including the melting and solidification of a variety of vitreous compounds. Seven black coloured NBPW sherds and one ancient brick sample from archaeological site of Kausambi are analysed in order to understand the composition of clay, firing process and nature of the surface of the pottery. The samples are analysed through SEM, EDS and XRD. It is reported that locally available clay is used for pottery manufacturing and pyrolysis of clay minerals is responsible for the sparkling beauty of the NBPW.

From the East to the West: Investigating the Presence of South China Sea Ceramics in South Asia – Aude Favereau: Research on the movement of people and goods from the Mediterranean world to China via South- and South-East Asia aroused a great deal of interest, particularly on cultural exchanges that occurred by the end of the 1st millennium BCE and the beginning of the 1st millennium CE. Evidence of contact between communities in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea basins during this period highlighted complex cultural interactions involving the exchange of artefacts but also the dissemination of technologies and styles. But what about the circulations from East- and South-East Asia to South Asia? Were there imported ceramics or vessels used to carry commodities? Are South China Sea ceramics known in South Asia? This paper proposes (1) to review the ceramics of South Asia reported in the literature as being potentially linked to the East and to assess what is known about these vessels in South-East Asia; (2) to introduce a selection of ceramic types that circulated widely in the South China Sea and that are also found at sites facing the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar to question whether these types travelled up to South Asia; and (3) to make inferences about interactions and exchange activities during pre- and protohistoric times.

Provenience Unveiled: Exploring Torpedo Jars through Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis – Ritvik Balvally: The regions of West Asia, Arabia, Eastern Africa, and Roman-Byzantine territories had trade connections with China, and India in the 1st millennium CE. Western India was a hub for Indian Ocean trade, especially between 3rd to 10th centuries CE and ceramics; glazed and un-glazed were a major part of this exchange. Torpedo Jars are West Asian transport vessels used for overseas exchange during this period lined with bitumen. But the provenience of these ceramics has so far eluded us. Although attempts have been made to study the bitumen and petrographic analysis of Torpedo Jars separately, the picture is still unclear as to where the Torpedo Jars are exactly manufactured. Thus, this study emphasises a two-pronged approach to bolster data further and infer it to understand the provenience of these ceramics. The geochemical data comprising biomarker and carbon isotopes on chromatographic fractions of the bitumen lining of these Torpedo Jars is compared to oil seep references from different areas in southern and southwest Iran. Data on bitumen collected from numerous Iranian archaeological sites has been used as proxies to complete the investigation. On the other hand, thin-section petrographic studies would help in determining the petro-mineral profile of the ceramics.

The Elemental Composition of Late Medieval Glaze on Ceramics from the West Coast India – Laure Dussubieux: Glaze is a thin layer of a vitreous material fused at the surface of a ceramic. It is applied either for decorative purposes, adding colours and shine to the ceramic paste, or for practical reasons, as it improves the impermeability of the ceramics to liquids. Glazes often have compositions very similar to glass and are either silica or lead-based, with the addition of different alkali or alkali-earth rich ingredients depending on when and where it was produced. Metals and oxides are added to modify the colour or opacity of the glazes. Being able to determine the elemental composition of the glaze is important as it is a way to obtain information about the dating and provenance of the ceramics. In west coast of India, there are several medieval sites which have given evidence of glazed ware of Monochrome variety, and the epicenter of production evidence comes from the Gulf of Khambhat during 14-16th c. CE. This paper will illustrate the study of glaze on ceramics with the case of artefacts found at the site of Bhagatrav in Gujarat, dating from the 14th to 17th c. CE. Several types of glazes were identified based on their compositions: a Celadon from China, two samples possibly manufactured at or around Bhagatrav, two samples possibly produced in Khambhat, Gujarat and two samples with a likely Indian origin, although a more precise place of manufacture cannot be proposed. These results indicate a connection of Bhagatrav with the long-distance trade of the Indian Ocean as revealed by the presence of a ceramic sherd from China, contrasting with more local or regional exchange networks that connected Bhagatrav to Khambhat and possibly other localities nearby.

India was not depicted properly in her slides….

Marine Seismics and its use in Marine Archaeology  – Rajesh Nair: Marine seismic technology is pivotal in underwater archaeology, particularly in exploring submerged ancient civilizations resulting from historical climatic shifts. Given that more than two-thirds of our planet’s surface is covered by vast water bodies, traditional survey methods prove inadequate for visualizing sedimentary layers, human-built structures, and lost cities concealed beneath. Fusing marine seismics with sophisticated seismic interpretation techniques yields a profound advancement in marine archaeology. Seismic attribute analysis adeptly identifies nuanced data variations, hinting at the presence of shipwrecks, submerged edifices, and artefacts. Seismic inversion, in turn, refines data, offering insights into the archaeological site’s age and the preservation status of its relics. Incorporating 3D visualization provides multifaceted perspectives, facilitating meticulous excavation planning. The amalgamation of seismic inversion methodologies with multi-point geostatistics, as exemplified in the Mumbai offshore region (Ambati et al., GGGG, 2021), serves to model subsurface structures and pinpoint anomalies in sedimentary deposits. This comprehensive approach fosters non-invasive investigations, mitigating the need for destructive physical excavations. Not only does it unearth archaeological features, but it also supplies vital information about their attributes and geological context.

Discussion: The questions may be written down and sent to the paper presenters, s announced by the organizers. . In the slides shown by Laure Dussubieux, India was depicted in the truncated form. The organizers could have noted to avoid such depictions. When asked about the holes found in the tripod type ceramics, the paper presenter could not answer, but explained away mentioning that was only hypothesis. In fact, she went to teacher / guide telling that she would better explain. Suggestion was also made to compare the tripod pottery with that of South India. Perhaps, the Thailand researchers my not be knowing about the tripod ceramic potteries fund in the South India.

2.30-4.00 PM Session VIII: Pyrotechnology: The session was chaired by Prof. Ajithprasad P.

Chemical-technological Analysis of the Li People Ceramics of Hainan Island: The Problem of Preserving Pottery Traditions  – Ekaterina Girchenko and Oleg Kardash: This paper investigates the pottery traditions of the Li people of Hainan island in southern China. The Li people till recently, lived isolated in mountainous areas for a long time, so they have preserved many ancient traditions up to the present day. It is a matter of principle for our respondents from the Donghe village not to use modern tools and containers in the ceramic crafts, but to make all the necessary attributes from bamboo, wood and shells. All stages of pottery-making were recorded in the study. Eight samples of clays and ceramic fragments, both fired and unfired, were selected for Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence analysis, in order to reconstruct the structure, mineral composition and chemical properties of clays that according to potters were suitable and unsuitable for pottery-making. The chemical research has made it possible to establish temperatures that are quite high for firing over an open fire, which means that the complex structure of the fire pit with coconut shells and branches made it possible to achieve reducing roasting parameters for ceramics over an open fire as if they were fired in a kiln. The results of the experiments are correlated with the archaeological materials, so it is possible to recreate the specific characteristics of ancient pottery.

More ideas on Harappan Stoneware Bangles  – Massimo Vidale: The presentation summarizes what is presently known about the complicated pyrotechnology of Harappan stoneware bangles based on discoveries at Mohenjo-Daro and following important experimental studies during the excavation at Harappa. He went into the technical details of how the bangles were manufactured with the furnace etc. We propose critical considerations of what has been published so far and some new possible interpretations about the firing technology of this amazing and unique class of personal ornaments. He has already published papers and books on the topic individually and also with his colleagues.

On the importance of Technical Ceramics: Archaeometric Analyses and Historical Interpretation of Crucibles, Furnaces, Moulds and Tuyères and a Case Study from Southern Thailand  – Thomas Oliver Pryce: In a traditionally constituted archaeological team, ceramic artefacts fall under the purview of the ceramicist, while metal artefacts lie within that of the metallurgist. However, while the former is usually chiefly concerned with huge amounts of pottery, the latter is often asked to consider technical ceramics, or all ceramics that are not pottery or fragments thereof. This category can include materials from a wide variety of sources: ceramic building materials like adobe, bricks, clay flooring, cob and tile, as well as crucibles, furnaces, hearths, moulds and tuyères from a range of high-temperature industries. Of course, such division of specialist labour is rarely planned as such, and rather it results from the uncertainties implicit in discoloured, degraded, fragmentary and/or vitrified artefacts as they come out of the ground.

And such evaluation must be initiated as they are excavated, as passage via the pot wash can destroy vital information. With this paper, I will give the case study of Khao Sam Kaeo, a 4th-1st c. BCE entrepot and proto-city state in peninsular Thailand, which has produced exceptional evidence for exchanges of raw materials, techniques and even artisans across the Bay of Bengal. In Southeast Asia, there is a class of metal artefacts called ‘Indian high-tin bronze bowls’, due to comparators from the subcontinent with a particular configuration of typo-stylistic, technological, elemental and lead isotopic characteristics. Applying a ‘technological approach’ to these bowls, demonstrating how, where and by whom these artefacts were produced depends upon the associated technical ceramics, in particular vitrified and slagged fragments and globular vessels with a nippled base.

Live potters (Handmade Naga Pottery and Black Pottery of Azamgarh) workshops and kilns for hands-on experiments will be available throughout the conference at KV Ground, adjacent to TTJ Auditorium. Nagaland  – Mrs. Chahang Phom and Ali Phom with Interpreter Mr. Pangtuk Phom and Uttar Pradesh  – Mr. Ramjatan Prajapati and Sohit Kumar Prajapati explained the process. The participants and delegates carefully noted the manufacturing activities carried on for the purpose. The artisans came here for the purpose.

After the paper presentation, the certificates were distributed to some of the participants ad delegates. Alok Kumar Kanungo thanked all who participated and attended the conference and as well as the organizations helped them accommodating to host by providing all facilities. Rajan also thanked all hoping to meet again on some other conference. The Five-day deliberations concluded with the National Anthem.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

09-01-2024

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31st to November 2nd 2023 (4)

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities  (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31^st to November 2^nd 2023 (4)

The CAG Report and the response of the ASI: On 02-11-2023, after lunch Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras talked about her subject, as detailed above. Then, the certificates were distributed to the participants and mementoes were given to some. Now, I discuss about some issues involved in the documentation of monuments and antiquities. As I worked in the GST (formerly Customs, Central Excise, Narcotics – indirect taxation) department, mostly in the Judicial, adjudication and legal sections for more than 38 years from 1980 to 2018, the CAG Reports on the various departments, institutions and others were periodically read, along with the judgments. Here, before coming to the workshop, I have read the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India Follow-up on the Performance Audit of Preservation and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities. The issues related to the documentation, workshop conducted etc., were pointed out therein.

The NMMA caught in the web of politics: The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has released draft heritage bye-laws for the supposed site of the Palace of Asoka in Patna, Bihar. The site, located in the Kumrahar area, is being protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The draft bye-laws aim to conserve and develop the site and have been released based on a field survey conducted by the competent authority. The NMA is responsible for the protection and preservation of monuments and sites, as well as granting permissions for construction-related activities in the prohibited and regulated areas. The Congress party has accused the Modi government of attempting to weaken a law that protects monuments and archaeological sites in India. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh praised the National Monuments Authority (NMA) for releasing draft heritage bylaws for the conservation and development of protected monuments in Bihar. Ramesh stated that the Congress and other parties have successfully resisted the government’s attempts to weaken the law so far. He also emphasized the need to strengthen and maintain the professional character of the NMA.

2015 to 2022 no workshop conducted: The CAG pointed out that, “Since March 2015, no workshop was held to facilitate documentation work, rectify mistakes or to provide clarification to agencies involved in the process. As a result, there was absence of a system for regularly up-grading the technical capability of executing agencies, which affected the work process.”

The documentation process carried on by NMMA: The CAG  pointed out the lacunae in the documentation of the monuments[1].

NMMA has given these figures to the CAG.

Issue of “Non-antiquity” certificates by the ASI: ASI (respective circle) issues a certificate of non-antiquity for the exportof art-objects, arms. Here, who issues such certificate, after analyzing the “non-antiquity” nature of te object. Otherwise, millions of Indian antiquities would not have been illegally exported out 0f India after 1947 or 1976.

2. To facilitate Custom Authorities in allowing non-antiquities to be exported, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has established Expert Advisory Committees to issue non-antiquity certificates.

India’s rich cultural heritage, bureaucratic apathy and poor implementation of antiquities protection law has made India a fertile ground for loot and smuggling of antiquities for sale in the International market. In recent years, there has been growing concerns over antiques being smuggled and sold to fund terrorists’ activists.

According to the Antiquities (Export Control) Act, 1947 [Act No. 31 of 1947]  – “antiquity” includes-

(i) any coin, sculpture, manuscript, epigraph, or other work of art or craftsmanship,

(ii) any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave,

(iii) any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, craft literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages,

(iv) any article, object or thing declared by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette to be an antiquity for the purposes of this Act,

Provenance (origin, attribution, derivation) includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker’s possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner. However, here in the workshop, it is taken as “Province”!

Most of the exports of antiquities take place from north India from airports: According to Section 2(1) (a) of the Antiquities and Art Treasurers Act, an antique is defined as an article or object of historical interest that has been in existence for not less than one hundred years.

The import and export of antiques is covered by the prohibition imposed under Section 11 (c) of the Customs Act 1962, specifically referred to as The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972.

Similarly, exports are also under the prohibition category. The export of antiques can only be done by the central government or any authority or agency authorised by the central government.

 The law does not permit any private person to export antiques. If any private person exports antiques, there are penal provisions to confiscate the material and impose monetary penalties or prosecute the person.

Port	Location	Value (INR Million)
Pakwra	Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh	34..567
Kolkotta Air cargo	West Bengal	27.151
Nhava Sheva sea[2]	Raigad district, Maharashtra	20.475
Mundra[3]	Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, Gujarat.	11.141
Chennai sea	Tamilnadu	7.381

The ASI blaming the Customs department: When Arun Raj said that the Customs department was not co-operating, I pointed out that it is not that the Customs department did not cooperate with the ASI officials, but, the ASI officers only many times did not turn up, when they were requested to come and identify the objects of antiquity were seized at the airports. Moreover, they have to go by the certificates issued by the ASI only and in many cases, the Customs officers could get genuine doubt that older antiquities were taken out of India, instead of recent artefacts. Sreelakshmi responded that the ASI officers were asked to verify the import of Indian artefacts. Then, I clarified that it was different, because, the art-smugglers had been adopting a modus operandi, as if such antiquities were imported legally so that they could again export. That is why they sought the help of the ASI for the identification of the objects[4].  There have been several reports urging the ASI to co-ordinate with the RI, Customs etc., but, they are not doing so[5]. As the certificates issued by the ASI are / have to be relied upon and whenever, the Customs officers have any doubt about the object for antiquity, they used to seek the help of the ASI officers, but, they hesitate to come.  The famous VJA Flynn case also pointed out by me[6]. Here, VJA Flynn had contacts with many historians and archaeologists, but, caught red-handed in smuggling artefacts out of India[7].

The illegal import and export of Tipu Sultan’s sword: The classic case of Vijay Mallya in 2005, imported Tipu Sultan’s famed sword to India and exported it without any license[8]. Mallya was served a show cause notice by the Customs Department for exporting without informing the government, and not paying the duty for it[9]. However, the tycoon felt that since the sword was a matter of national pride, he should have been exempted. Thus, the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972, have been amended to do away with several lacunae in the Act, commonly recognised as the Customs Act. As per the Act, any private buyer that buys an antiquity of Indian origin and brings it to India must first acquire a license. This is granted on the basis of several factors, including the experience of the person in the art trade, the place of exchange of the art object, the name and the number of people involved, etc. Domestic trade of antiquities is currently unregulated, as the Act is silent on it. The statutory authority of the Act is usually the Director General of the ASI, who decides what an antiquity or art treasure is. As per Section 2 of the Act, any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph, artwork, object from a building or cave and object of historical interest that is over one hundred years old, is defined as an antiquity. In circle offices of the ASI around the country, where the DG is usually not present, the Act cannot be implemented by any officer below the position of a director. “Yet, several circle officers have been flouting the rule, declaring several antiquities as invalid leading to the thriving of the smuggling of art objects,” said the official.

All departments of GOI should work together: The CAG has been part of the GOI and all other departments also have been parts of GOI. The CAG has been auditing the accounts of different departments and trying to advise to implement the Act and Rules under which they work. All have been working with the Public Finance and the government is responsible to account for every rupee that collected from the citizens. As our country has been handling more than 100 crores population, now 140 crores, we have more responsibility than other countries with less population. Moreover, our government and democratic polity have been so open that everybody can appreciate and criticize also, unlike other countries. Thus, the ASI has been having the most noble duty, virtuous responsibility and righteous accountability in handling thousands of years of monuments and temples; sculptures and coins; palaces and buildings; ghats, and others. It can invite the officers of the other departments for discussion to sort out the practical problems. After all should work for the progress and development of our country creating awareness about culture, tradition, heritage and civilization.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

05-11-2023

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[1] Report No. 10 of 2022; https://cag.gov.in/uploads/download_audit_report/2022/Chapter 6-062f0de36c49e05.39285992.pdf

[2] Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as JNPT and Nhava Sheva Port, is the second largest container port in India after Mundra Port. Operated by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Authority (JNPTA), it is located on the eastern shores of Arabian Sea in Navi Mumbai, Raigad district, Maharashtra.

[3] Mundra Port is India’s first private port (adani) and largest container port, located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, Gujarat.

[4] Press Release dated 24-07-2023, Three Hundred Forty Eighth Report on the subject „Heritage Theft – The Illegal Trade in Indian Antiquities and the Challenges of Retrieving and Safeguarding Our Tangible Cultural Heritage,” Sansad News.

[5]https://sansad.in/getFile/rsnew/Committee_site/Committee_File/Press_ReleaseFile/20/173/656P_2023_7_12.pdf?source=rajyasabha

[6] K. V. Ramakrishna Rao, Historians involved in smuggling also – The historical case of Prof. V.J.A. Flynn, a friend of many Indian historians – arrested for smuggling, jailed and deported to Australia for further proceedings!, February 17, 2022.

[7] https://kvramakrishnarao.wordpress.com/2022/02/17/the-historical-case-of-prof-v-j-a-flynn-a-friend-of-many-indian-historians-arrested-for-smuggling-jailed-and-deported-to-australia-for-further-proceedings/

[8] DNA India, ASI for easier norms for private import of antiquities, Amrita Madhukalya, Updated: Nov 02, 2016, 07:05 PM IST.

[9] https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-asi-for-easier-norms-for-private-import-of-antiquities-2269587

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31st to November 2nd 2023 (3)

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities  (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31^st to November 2^nd 2023 (3)

The third day proceedings of the NMMA Workshop for the Southern Region: The following speakers delved upon their respective topics and specialized areas. Though, the topic has been documentation of the objects, the speakers mostly discussed about their findings with their valuable experience with important points.

• Prof. Deivanayagam, Tamil University , Thanjavur
• Shri Nishant Zodape and Shri Yash Gupta, on utilisation of open-source software for creating databases,
• Dr. Muthu Shankar, Head of GIS Applications, French Institute, Pondicherry ,
• Dr Arun Raj.T on strategies for stopping illicit trafficking of antiquities” and ultimately
• Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras talking about INQUA Database on Global South

Prof. Deivanayagam, Tamil University, Thanjavur: speaking on identification of Chola Bronzes. He explained with photographs pointing out the nuances of the bronzes. To understand his speech, one should know other subjects also, as because of his versatile experience, he explained many details about the icons and sculptures.

Cholas’ bronzes: Chola bronzes were typically of deities, royalty and the politically powerful people of the day-all in a distinctive Chola style, classically representative of the human form, and perfectly proportioned. The sculptures are recognizable by the way the bodies are posed. They are always graceful, elegant and sensuous, particularly if a sculpture is that of a couple, such as Siva and Parvati. The bronzes also depict the “mudras” or gestures derived from classical dance. Chola master sculptors created their works with the cire perdue, or lost wax process, which is still in use today.

There are two methods of casting metal images-solid and hollow casting. The required image is fashioned by the stapathi in bees wax. Then the wax model is given several coats of fine clay. The clay mould is then carefully dried under the sun. After a few days the clay mould is ready for casting. When the wax model is prepared and is ready for the preparation of the clay mould, arrangements for the preparation of the alloy are made. The five metals to be used in the alloy and they are -copper, silver, gold, brass and lead popularly known as panchaloha. In actual practice by chemical testing we have found the percentages of the metals as follows:

How manufactured – alloying technique[1]: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Normally bronze is a composite alloy of metals-copper, tin, lead, silver and gold in varying proportions. However analysis of South Indian bronzes reveals that they invariably consist of copper, tin, lead, zinc and iron. Trace elements such as arsenic, antimony, Bismuth etc., have been detected. Above l% is considered as a major element and below 0.1% is considered a trace element, e.g. Copper: 79%: Tin 5%, Lead: 13% Zinc 1%; Iron 1%; Trace elements arc arsenic, antimony, nickel and silver and no gold is Present. Manipulating the alloying elements, different shades of metal were produced. This shows tin has been used. Therefore, the alloy is predominantly of copper, tin and lead. The presence of gold and silver is rare or trace. The clay mould with the wax model inside it is baked skillfully over all the wax. When the alloy is ready, it is poured through the orifice into the empty mould in a thin, even and continuous stream. The molten metals allowed for cooling. Then the mould is broken open and the solid metal image is obtained. The image is given finishing touches by the sthapati. This part, the opening of the eyes of the image is what imparts the exquisite expressions on the faces. This is done under some sort of spiritual inspiration. Sometimes, Stapathis are known to take even weeks to open the eves. The science of Image making is dealt with in the ancient Indian science of Silpasastra (Sculpture Science).

Hollow casting- In this case, the object is moulded in clay and the core is coated with wax, which in turn is covered with a coating of clay. After draining the wax by heating, the mould is used for casting. This method is usually associated with North India.

Patina and patination: A Patina is a thin layer of corrosion, usually brown or green, that appears on copper or copper alloys as a result of natural or artificial oxidation. Patina is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes).On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides, carbonates, sulfides, or sulfates formed on the surface during exposure to atmospheric elements (oxygen, rain, acid rain, carbon dioxide, sulfur-bearing compounds. The green patina that forms naturally on copper and bronze, sometimes called verdigris, usually consists of varying mixtures of copper chlorides, sulfides, sulfates and carbonates, depending upon environmental conditions such as sulfur-containing acid rain.

Nishant Zodape and Yash Gupta: They explained “on utilization of open-source software for creating databases”. With “access” how the excel can be used for filling up data and create a document.

 Muthu Shankar: He explained about the “South Indian Historical Atlas” with many facilities, but, it is not available to the public. The primary data for the project comprise historical and geographical information collected from a large corpus of south Indian inscriptions besides archaeological data collected from a series of field surveys supplemented with the data taken from archaeological reports of ASI and other institutions.   Workshop/review meetings were held every six months are to evaluate the progress of the work. The atlas was developed as web-browser software allowing different basic GIS display and database querying functionalities necessary for a user-friendly usage of the Atlas. It uses W3C (WWW Consortium) compliant Graphics /Open GIS so that the system can be accessed through the internet. The atlas has a conceptual resilience on how to curate data, compile information from it, and disseminate it through new digital tools available then, even when illustrative examples in the application of data science mehods in historical research was scarce. This resulted in the curation and archival of historical data sets that encourage data-driven inquiries into the past, while integrating data, computational science methods into historical research.

T. Arun Raj, director NMMA, Noida: Talked on “strategies for stopping illicit trafficking of antiquities.” Perhaps, next to Pramod Joglekar, he directly discussed the issue with examples. He pointed out how Alexander Cunningham used to travel on a donkey visiting archaeological and ancient places for collecting details. The ASI at present listed 3697 monuments as protected. He pointed out how the Delhi Iron pillar was brought to the present place and Rajendra Cholas brought sculptures as “war trophy” to Thanjavur. Alexander Rae and others carried on excavations even before the formation of ASI and collected many objects. He left some at Egmore Museum and others were taken to London. Even now, the ASI is struggling to deal and store the smuggled artefacts returned back to India. In Trichy, the sculptures have been lying there for more than 20 years, which were recovered. Though HR & CE recorded more than 36,000 temples and quantified 9,000 bronzes many others appear to be not accounted. However, for the export of antiquities, thousands of applications are filed with the ASI, Chennai and they are pending. Nealy more than 20,000 applications have been pending, because, there are no expert persons to identify the objects mentioned in the applications as “less than 100 years” or not. Thus, the crucial problem comes here. Once the certificate is given, the antique object would go out of India legally. He pointed out that unlike Sri Lanka, India does not have “Heritage Police,” and hence, the illegal export / smuggling out of the antiquities have been going on. He also pointed out as how a lesson has been included in the CBSE syllabus to adopt a monument nearby school, so that awareness is created not only among the school children, but also the public living surrounding the monument.

Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras: Talking about INQUA Database on Global South[2], she explained related issues. Stemming from the PAGES-INQUA supported early-career researcher workshop on “Past Socio–Environmental Systems (PASES)” (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/26972) in 2020, the INQUA-funded project “The whole is not the sum of the parts: building a synthesis database of past human–environmental systems in the Global South (pSESYNTH)” has initiated research collaborations among paleoscientists from, and/or working on, the Global South and other underrepresented regions of the world (e.g. Australia, Southeast Europe). Pursuing the Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) approach (Koren et al. 2022), the overarching goal of pSESYNTH is to establish, articulate and strengthen regional, interdisciplinary teams for studying past socio–environmental systems of the Global South, and to build the first multi-disciplinary paleo database representing its regions.

pSESYNTH primarily focuses on the Holocene (the last 11.7 kyr) because: (i) there is greater spatial availability and better chronological controls of the datasets compared to the Pleistocene, and (ii) the Holocene is characterized by a progressive degree of anthropogenic influence over landscapes, offering ways to explore the evolution of diverse socio–environmental systems. Under the pSESYNTH framework, linking proxies of environmental change with climatic signals and societal processes (e.g. subsistence strategies, growth rates, migrations) will provide baselines to pose and test multiple hypotheses for explaining the trajectories of socio–environmental systems. Specifically, pSESYNTH activities are being developed around three main objectives.

To explore drivers of past environmental change combining a diverse set of proxy information, organized into three themes: paleoecology (e.g. pollen, charcoal, diatoms), paleoclimatology (e.g. biomarkers, stable isotopes, varves, numerical simulations), and archaeology (e.g. radiocarbon dates, phytoliths, archaeobotanical remains, material culture).

2) To quantitatively analyze the links among paleoecology, paleoclimatology and archaeology, with an emphasis on research questions that can be generic across the Global South (e.g. are there connections, or commonalities, between colonial legacies and the evolution of socio–environmental systems in the Global South?) or specific to each subregion (e.g. at what spatial and temporal scales were human–environmental systems coupled or uncoupled to climatic fluctuations?).

3) To share the outputs and products of the project in the form of a database that meets the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles (Wilkinson et al. 2016). pSESYNTH participants will capitalize on existing single- and multi-themed databases (e.g. Neotoma, NOAA, PANGAEA, p3k14c, ArchaeoGlobe) in complementing their data contributions in the novel Global South database. Together, the FAIR–ICON principles will underpin the database organization and will ensure geographic coverage, comparability, and accessibility for time-series data synthesis, which is crucial for mainstreaming paleoscience research from the Global South.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

04-11-2023

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[1] T. S. Sridhar (ed.), The Cholas Bronzes – 1000^th anniversary of Thanjavur Big Temple celebrations Sept 25^th to Oct.4^th 2010, The Tamilnadu State Archaeology Department, Chennai, 2011, pp.12-13.

[2] Charuta Kulkarni and others, pSESYNTH project: Community mobilization for a multi-disciplinary paleo database of the Global South, https://pastglobalchanges.org/publications/pages-magazines/pages-magazine/137240

Analysis of Archaeological Material Remains through Geoarchaeology, Geo-Micro Fossils and Literary Sources of South India (4)

Analysis of Archaeological Material Remains through Geoarchaeology, Geo-Micro Fossils and Literary Sources of South India  (4)

The second day academic proceedings started with the paper presentation by different scholars. The papers presented on 18-08-2023:

Dr. N. Preetha, Assistant Professor S. Kokila Maya, M.Phil. Research Scholar Department of History, Meenakshi College for Women (A) Kodambakkam,  Chennai – 600 024.	Spatial studies on Jain Beds – A Petrological analysis
Dr. Jinu Koshy, Excavation in-charge Dept. Of Ancient History and Archaeology,  Madras University, Chepauk, Chennai – 05.	Evidence of Micro-Archaeological remains from Naduvirapattu, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
Dr. K.Vengatesan, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Institute of Distance Education, University of Madras., Chepauk, Chennai – 05.	Thiruvakkarai: Geo-Archaeology Study
Dr. P. Ramesh, Guest Faculty Dept. Of Ancient History and Archaeology,  Madras University, Chepauk, Chennai – 05.	Highlights of Archaeological vestiges in Sangam Literature.
Dr. J. Vijaya Ratna Kumar Dr. B. Jishamol Dr. R. K. Maya	Gleaning the Socio-Political History and the Significance of Fort St. George through Material Remains
Dr. J. Soundararajan, Asso. Prof & Head i/c K. V. Ramakrishna Rao,  I.R.S (Retd) Guest faculty, University of Madras	From Khambat to Kaveripumpattinam to Poompuhar – The archaeology of exploration and excavation on land and underwater!

Linguistic interpretation of “original”: Gaesan Ambedkar gave a special lecture about “Original” in linguistic interpretation. Taking “alva,” he started his discourse, Tirunelveli Alva, original Tirunelveli Alva, authentic Tirunelveli  lva, Iruttuk kadai Tirunelveli Alva, etc. He proceeded to original Talappak katti, Tindukkal Talappak katti, etc. He described how –

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by north Indians in north India;

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by north Indians in South India;

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by South Indians in north India;

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by South Indians in South India;

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by north and south  Indians in north India;

“Chapattis” are made with wheat by north and south  Indians in south India;

Of course, such narratives could be made with atta, maida, ragi etc. It is not known as to he proceed with other examples of idly, doas, vadai etc. with “milagu rasam,” he tried to link with archaeology, as “milagu” was exported to foreign countries and Roman coins found in India and so on.

How to identify geologically, archaeologically, whether a “chapatti” was manufactied by north or south Indian!

Highlights of Archaeological vestiges in Sangam Literature: P. Ramesh in his paper described the, “Highlights of Archaeological vestiges in Sangam Literature.” The occurrence of natural, man-mde and processed glass, Agate, Carnelian, Jasper, coral, and seashells at different places are attesting the existence of a brisk local industry dating between 3^rd cent.BCE to 3^rd cent.CE, “Sangam period”.  100 years since Alexander Rea conducted thefirst excavation at Adichanallur in the present district of Tuticorin in 1920. The sangam literature indicates clearly that sepulchral monuments were raised in memory of heroes and subsequently nadukals or standing stone were planted as part of the burial more than 25 poets have described it. The sangam works like Tholkappiyam, Akananuru, Purananuru, Malaipadukadam, Aingurunuru and Pattinappalai speak about hero stones in detailed manner. The sangam poet sittalai sattanar speaks about this hero stones as “viluttodai maravar vill ida vilntor elutrutainadukal” meaning ‘ the hero stone with letters (eluttutai nadukal) raised for the hero (maravar) who died pierced with arrows.” The ancient Tamils classified their land into five existential territories or landscapes in relation to the human life. They are Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neythal and Palai. Kurinji is the mountain and the mountainous region, Mullai is the forest and forestry region, Marutham is the river and riverside areas, Neythal is the sea and seashores and finally, Palai is the dry land and desert areas. This classification that goes with the name Tinai is not merely geographical or geological, but describes the nature of people who live in the respective lands, their naturally conditioned occupations, culture and religion that emerge out of their pre-occupational conditions and attitude.

Morphological analysis of formed stone tool types: J.. Soundararajan, Jinu Koshy and seven others presented a paper, “Morphological analysis of formed stone tool types from Vadamathurai, Tiruvallur Distict.” Rosilo Joseph explained with statistical data converted to graphs and displayed through a PPT. In archaeology, lithic analysis is the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts using basic scientific techniques. At its most basic level, lithic analyses involve an analysis of the artifact’s Morphology (archaeology), the measurement of various physical attributes, and examining other visible features (such as noting the presence or absence of cortex, for example). The term ‘lithic analysis’ can technically refer to the study of any anthropogenic (human-created) stone, but in its usual sense it is applied to archaeological material that was produced through lithic reduction (knapping) or ground stone. A thorough understanding of the lithic reduction and ground stone processes, in combination with the use of statistics, can allow the analyst to draw conclusions concerning the type of lithic manufacturing techniques used at a prehistoric archaeological site. For example, they can make certain equation between each the factors of flake to predict original shape. These data can then be used to draw an understanding of socioeconomic and cultural organization.

Fort St. George through Material Remains: J. Vijaya Ratna Kumar,  B. Jishamol and R. K. Maya presented a paper on “Gleaning the Socio-Political History and the Significance of Fort St. George through Material Remains,” describing the existing structures, tombs, barracks, churches and other buildings built by the colonial forces. The magnificent white building that stands tall along the shores of the Bay of Bengal in Chennai, houses within itself a rich history of not just the then city of Madras but the overall history of colonial rule in India. Established in the year 1639-1640 CE, Fort St. George is seen as the first English fortress in India. What began as a trading post for the British East India Company, after enduring numerous wars, plagues, and hostility, led to the birth of the colossal city of Madras. Today, the fort serves as the administrative headquarters of Tamil Nadu’s legislative assembly as well as a base for military troops in transit to several areas of Southern India.

Vestiges of Fort St.George: The initial construction of the fort was concluded on April 23, 1644 CE, which is also celebrated as “St. George’s Day” in several nations. Hence, this auspicious name was conferred on the fort. However, numerous constructions and reconstructions were carried out after 1644 CE as well. The Fort St. George we see today is considerably different from the one built in 1639-1644 CE. After independence, the fort was declared as a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). St. Mary’s Church is regarded as the oldest Anglican Church in the whole of Asia. Its foundation stone was laid on March 25, 1678 CE. Governor Streynsham Master collected 800 Pagodas from each house in the White Town to build the architectural marvel. It took 2 years to complete the construction and was it duly christened on “Lady Day”, i.e., March 25, 1680 CE, from which it earned its name. In 1790 CE, the Fort Exchange was established within the fort – a place used for the exchange of goods and commodities by the merchants. It was completed in 1795 CE. It was later converted to the Fort Museum. Another important remnant of the British rule in India is the flagstaff of Fort St. George. The flagstaff has stood erect in the fort since 1688 CE and is believed to be one of the tallest in the country, rising as high as 148 ft.

From Khambat to Kaveripumpattinam to Poompuhar – The archaeology of exploration and excavation on land and underwater!: Dr J. Soundararajan and K. V. Ramakrishna Rao presented this paper. The news about the “submerged Poompuhar” has enthralled the general public, fascinated ideologized experts and engrossed researchers raising many questions. The media hype, news publicity and internet build-up have attracted them to know about the four-six Poompuhars, reportedly were existing many thousands of years ago. While historians and archaeologists have been cautious and not reacting to such push, the scientists involved with the project have been publishing papers on the topic. As most of them have been imbibed with the satellite, Geologic, Digital geologic, mid-ocean Ridge, Bathymetric maps and charts, after the scientific discussion, suddenly they come to a conclusion confirming that they discovered submerged man-made structures, harbor or port etc, dated to different periods. Thus, they locate Poompuhar at four places away from the coast reportedly submerged at 3000, 8000, 11,000 and 15,000 YBP or 1000, 6000, 9000 and 13,000 BCE respectively. The excavations carried on in connection with Kaverippumpattinam, Puhar or Poompuhar are discussed herewith first, moving to the scientific study and then the conclusion is arrived at. Anyway, going through all data and information, the following points may have to be kept in mind in the context of Poompuhar:

1. The Sangam literature has been dated from 300 BCE to 100 CE, and the Sangam period has been fixed accordingly. Recently, based on the single C-14 dating of Keeladi sample, the 580 BCE date is claimed for the Sangam period. Thus, the “historic period” of Sangam period is claimed to precede the Asokan period of 3^rd cent.BCE and going to 6^th cent. BCE.
2. However, there has not been any inscription found comparable to the Asokan inscriptions, as the claim is made on few  “marks” found on potsherds.
3. There has not been any consensus among the historians and archaeologists, as the town formation and other material evidences do not go back to such 6^th cent BCE period.
4. Here, in the case of Poompuhar, now no sample has been collected and therefore scientific dating cannot be thought of.
5. The location of Poompuhar at the mouth of Kaveri and its change of location as visualized have to be correlated, corroborated and corresponded with other evidences.
6. The “20, 000 / 15,000” years claim has been far-fetched and has no historical basis.
7. No human habitation is proved for the different levels assumed for the existence of a city based on the photographs.
8. They also claim that they would excavate for “Kumarik kandam,” another myth floated by the Tamil protagonists and linguistic enthusiasts.
9. Under the guise of “scientific studies,” such claims need not be made and news created sending wrong signals to the general public.
10. Multi-disciplinary approach should be there and all experts come together to decide the history, historiography and methodology

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

21-08-2023

Analysis of Archaeological Material Remains through Geoarchaeology, Geo-Micro Fossils and Literary Sources of South India (2)

Analysis of Archaeological Material Remains through Geoarchaeology, Geo-Micro Fossils and Literary Sources of South India  (2)

Seminar banner kept near the University main building gate……

Closer view of the seminar banner

Archaeology students welcome with beautiful kolam (this is also a scientific pattern only, but, Indian ladies do wth dots, linea and curves…..)

Of course, you can read their message only if know the Brahmi script……..

They invite the dignitaries and delegates with flowers…..

Then, they are registered………..

The photo exhibition and artefacts displayed by the ASI….

Dignatries on the stage RHS….

17-08-2023 – the National seminar was inaugurated: As the Vice Chancellor could not take part in the inaugural function, it was decided to start the academic session and thus,  Dr Shaikh Mohammad Hussain, who was the head of the RUSA project for the particular theme, “Analysis of Archaeological Material Remains through Geoarchaeology, Geo-Micro Fossils and Literary Sources of South India,” he inaugurated the seminar. The following dignitaries participated in the function:

1. Shaikh Mohammad Hussain, Head, Department of Geography, Madras University
2. Prof. M. Suresh Gandhi, Department of Geography
3. Nandita Krishnan, Chairman, CP Ramaswamy Iyer Trust
4.  T. Sree Lakshmi, Director, Archaeological Survey of India
5. Amarnath Ramakrishnan, Supervising Inspector, Archaeological Survey of India
6. Shanti Babu, founder of the Sharma Organization for Traditional Education, Chennai.
7. Dr J. Soundararajan, ‘Head of Department-in-charge, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Chennai

They were also facilitated with shawls, mementoes and others. Then, the light was light with another light as usual and all with shoes and these things have been going on as a matter of routine.

11.27 to 11.35 – Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Hussain: On behalf of the VC, as he was busy with meeting, he formally inaugurate the seminar and gave a brief inaugural address. “If we go by the paleontological evidences, the age of the earth is found to be 3 million years…..As there have been IVC sites in Pakistan, on the western side, we have Dolavira, Lothal and other sites in India. Not only archaeologists, even paleontologists also studied these sites…dockyard ..irrigation tank and Dolavira and both are in Gujarat….. people were living in these areas. The people constructed a huge wall to protect from tsunami like disasters. …thus studying palaeontology, we can predict tsunami-like effects…..the palaeolithic tools have to be studied in all aspects, as they give different results, if they are studied chemically, physically etc……….the microfossils give details about the climate of the period in which they lived……..Dwaraka and Poompuhar are submerged towns……likewise, with the multidisciplinary studies, we study archaeology with geoarchaeology, geology, palaeontology and other fields. ”

ASI exhibition of photos and samples: In between, the photo exhibition and some excavated samples recovered at the different archaeological sites were displayed, was declared opened by Amarnath Ramakrishnan, ASI. The media covered the event and reported also. In fact, about the expo / exhibition, some photographs appeared in the English media also. The exhibition was useful to the students and visitors and there was a good response. There was also a display of books published by the department on the seminars, conferences conducted earlier and other related topics.

11.35 t0 11.44 pm – Dr Nandita Krishna[1]: The brief of what she spoke, “Unless the literary evidences are taken into account, the historical and archaeological findings cannot be understood and interpreted….. For example, S. R. Rao located and decided the site, where he wanted to conduct the underwater excavation based on the references of Mahabharat etc., and that is how he could discover Dwaraka…. Another example is Poompuhar and it is located only based on the Tamil literature. Unfortunately, in India, because of the British approach, we think that the literature is mythology and the details given are myth…B. B. Lal also could locate the sites based on the Mahabharat evidences, conducted excavations and the sites accordingly….We conducted research on the ancient plants to write a book on “Sacred plants of India,” we get many references from the Rigveda about the plants, listed them with their names and then tried to locate them… and they were found to be growing between the Indus and Ganges. Our student Amritalingam collected data for the book… Sacred Plants of India systematically lays out the sociocultural roots of the various plants found in the Indian subcontinent, while also asserting their ecological importance to our survival. Informative, thought-provoking and meticulously researched, this book draws on mythology and botany and the ancient religious traditions of India to assemble a detailed and fascinating account of India’s flora. ……While countries like Egypt get enough funds for archaeology, we are not getting. …..archaeology field is very expensive to carry on excavation activities……”  

11.45 to 12.00 Noon – Dr. Mahalakshmi: She delved upon the topic, “Symbols and Symbolism – New Evidences and Dimensions From Buddhist Establishments In South India,” and gave examples from the temples etc. Then, she went on giving archaeological evidences of IVC, Dolavira etc., and how they were trading with different ancient civilizations. She was explaining how the Buddhist symbolism and incography developed when the early Buddhists were not supposedly to make any Buddhist images. After the creation of Hinayana and Mahayana, the Buddhist statues were started to be engraved and established at different places. She gave many examples from the sculptures about the Buddhist symbolism and how they could be identified.

12.00 to 12.12 Noon: Amarnath Ramakrishnan spoke in Tamil, “Geology and archaeology cannot be separated, as they can be considered as brothers….any mound would be treated accordingly. We claim that research is done scientifically and so on. As science and technology have advanced and attained status, historians and archaeologists also try to follow the scientific methods. If we deal scientifically, then only we can get dating of the objects accurately…Dr Shanti Pappu can be cited for such scientific research. Her Athirampakkam excavation only gives the most ancient date for us…..There are evidences for prehistoric men lived some 1.5 to 2 lakh years before present here. We cannot get accurate dating based on literary or epigraphical evidences. We rely upon c-14 for dating. We take out the prehistoric stone tools and do research, but, we do not date them….she has done dating based on geomorphological evidences..archaeology has to be multidisciplinary, otherwise our subjects would be at a stagnation level and cannot grow…….thus, archaeology has to be viewed scientifically…Because we viewed our excavations scientifically, they are discussed globally….”.

12.30 to 1.00 pm – Shanti Pappu: As usual, she elaborated their palaeolithic findings with slides. She mentioned about Bokinakere Ramakrishnaiya Subba Rao (1925–2020) who is considered to be the Indian father of prehistory, was an Indian-origin entomologist who worked at the Commonwealth Institute of Entomology. He was a specialist on biological control and described many species of parasitic wasps including Neodusmetia sangwani which is considered one of the most successful examples of classical biological control. Rao also served as a linesman and umpire at Wimbledon from 1969 to 1995. Archaeological nomenclature influences the classification of cultural phases, objects and related behavioural interpretations. The term ‘Madrasien’, synonymous with the Acheulian, was a key concept in early studies of Indian prehistory, encompassing notions of geographical/administrative boundaries, tool types, cultural identities and migrations. Madrasien was coined in 1931 by the Austrian prehistorian Oswald Menghin and established in South Asian prehistory by V.D. Krishnaswami. Here, the authors trace the evolution of the term, situating it within the wider discourses in Indian prehistory and examining its role in shaping ideas on South Asian Palaeolithic nomenclatures. The Madrasien was gradually replaced by the current medley of African, European and Southeast Asian terminologies.

Attirampakkam forms one of the classic sites in the history of Indian Palaeolithic archaeology. Discovered by the British geologist Robert BruceFoote in 1863 (Foote 1866), it was sporadically investigated for over a century (Krishnaswami 1938; I.A.R 1965-67). Significant conceptual developments in Indian prehistory and Quaternary studies had their origin in research at this site, which was also characterised as a type-site of the Acheulian handaxe-based ‘Madras Industries’. Situated in the Kortallayar river basin, Tamil Nadu, Attirampakkam (13° 13′ 50″ N and 79° 53′ 20″E; 37.75 m AMSL) is one of numerous Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites in the region (Pappu 2002). At present, gullies and rain rills erode tools over an area of around 50,000m². Excavations have revealed a multicultural site with stratified Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic deposits in well-preserved primary contexts. A significant discovery was that of Acheulian artefacts in a 4 m thick deposit of laminated clays (Layer 6; 2.96-6.90 m in test trench T3), which were previously assigned to a Lower Cretaceous formation, and which our studies now show to be Pleistocene in age. The presence of Acheulian artefacts in clay beds, indicative of a palaeo flood plain situation, represents a new ecological habitat to be identified in the IndianPalaeolithic. Acheulian artefacts, mainly handaxes, are of quartzites, which are not available locally. The paucity of debitage and cores indicate that early hominids brought largely finished tools to the site, possibly to exploit water, game and plant resources.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

20-08-2023

Inaugural session – full view

Inaugural audience view

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[1]  Full speech is available with the video of the Polimer Tv and one can listen there.

Students on the RHS

Students on LHS

Teaching of Science and Technology to the students of History or History to the students of science and technology?

Teaching of Science and Technology to the students of History or History to the students of science and technology?

Utility of the subjects and their immediate usage to humanity: Just like tourism, tourism management etc., “History of science and technology”  has been discovered, created and covered under the syllabus and offered as an “elective” subject to the postgraduate students of various disciplines. “History syllabus” has also been formulated to be taught to the students of professional courses like science and technologies, medicine, commerce, management etc., thus, much hype is created with the syllabus to reach and teach history to others.

• No teacher of those subjects proposed such a scheme that they would go and teach “science and technology” to them. 
• So why such exigency arises and for what purpose etc., have also to be analyzed.
• By going through the syllabus, it is clear that the students of professional courses do not gain much by reading such subjects.
• In every subject, mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics, commerce, accounting etc., the origin, progress and development and also the present and future status and scope of them have already been included in the syllabus and taught.
• If fact, their subjects have been and are updated and therefore, such subjects lead to innovative inventions that are immediately converted into parts, accessories, spares, gadgets, appliances, tools and so on useful to humanity.

History of Science and Technology: To write, read, teach and learn “History of Science and Technology”, one need not learn the core subject history, but, the history students cannot understand the “History of Science and Technology,” unless, they are taught from the fundamentals.

• Definitely, all non-history subjects are taught with its origin, which is nothing but history of that subject or perhaps more than that.
• That is how mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology at one side, and commerce, accounts, management, factory physics, industrial chemistry, bionics, mnemonics[1] etc., on the other side are taught in the schools and universities.
•  Though more and more science and technological subjects increase, there is demand for admission.
• However, recently, the subject “History of Science and Technology” is included for the students of history, archaeology, anthropology, numismatics and related subjects with their own formulated syllabus.
• But, they are taught only as history and not as the “History of Science and Technology.”

BCE 5,4,3,2,1,0,1,2,3,4,5 CE or BCE 5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5 CE which is correct?: The scientific study of the origin of the subject “History of Science and Technology”, has been different from the simple subject of “History of Science and Technology, for science students. In fact, under such expected conditions, the history teachers cannot teach the “History of Science and Technology”, to them.

• The concept of “zero” and infinity, decimal number system, calendar, planetary system, etc., have been perplexing even for science students, and therefore, how the history students read and understand them, is not known.
• In fact, for chronology, studying eras, dating and other exercises, history teachers have to understand these concepts. 
• Yet, no history expert is worried about “0” year in between BCE 5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5 CE years, while computing.
• Why the Roman numerals – I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X did not have “0” is also not known to them!
• Why the Fibonacci series does not start with “0,” (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc.,) they cannot explain.

These are given only for illustrative purposes and are not exhaustive. Therefore, without knowing “o,” how history teachers would teach about, chronology and related historical developments.

Historical time is linear or cyclic, if “history repeats”!: In science and technology, anything linear or cyclic is understood easily and applied practically, but, in history, nowadays, some historians claim that history is linear and not cyclic. However, having claimed, they have not been able to define exactly how the history has been linear, when “history repeats itself”[2]. Just because, historian has decided take the expression “linear,” he cannot make history “linear.”[3] Again such expertise and elite historians do not bother about the axes and the origin, the zero point. Not only X and Y axes, even Z axis has the other side also.  How then, historians visualize the –ve axes and interpret historical events. Of course, they are totally not bothered as to whether it is 2D or 3D, yet, they prefer to use such terminology in history and historiography.

Using scientific terminology is different from actually working scientifically: Just by using certain terms and expressions, scientific, scientific temper, linear, dynamic, static, etc., at one side and heuristic[4], holistic, euphemistic, epistemological, on the other side, history cannot become scientific or technological, as none of the historical hypotheses, theories and concepts can be tested in the laboratory.

• Earlier, historians used to claim with pride that they should have object in mind, objective mentality and objectivity in dealing with historical facts.
• Now, they assert that they need not have such standards (objectivity).
• Ten historians can write history about the same “object,” and all the ten histories become histories of the object!
• But, science says one is one only; 1+1=2 only, all have accepted universally for thousands of years and it continues.
• Historians and history teachers cannot say in history about anything within a year, 10 years, 100 years… in the same way again and again.
• In India itself,
  • grandfather / grandmother read one history,
  • father / mother read another history,
  • son / daughter read yet another history and
  • now grandson / granddaughter reads still-yet another history!
• This type of history is found in the case of the –
  • Grandfather – Chandragupta Maurya c.324/31 – 297 BCE
  • Father – Bindusara – c.297-273 BCE
  • Grandson – Asoka – c.268-232 BCE

Thus, within three generations, grandfather and father were prehistoric, illiterate and unhistorical also, wheras, the grandson was historic and literate! Again, the grandfather was a Jain, the father Hindu and the grandson a Buddhist! A perfect secular model family!

• In India, there had / have been millions of practices, procedures, and standards followed in day to day life for more than 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 YBP and more. They had / have  and are historical only, unlike their “histories” produced or manufactured by the European Company writers and the 1947-Indian history writers.
• Once a history writer becomes ideological, then, no two historians accept and history in India, it always becomes some sort of TV-debate where four persons come and talk about the same subject in four different ways! They come together only to differ from each other and not to come to any conclusion.

Blind Men and an Elephant: The history writers of the European Companies always mention this “cock and bull story”[5] to denigrate Indians for their acumen[6].  Not only non-Indians have read the sources properly, understood the concept and interpret such stories, but also the listeners, readers and others to verify the authenticity of the stories floated about themselves. The irony has been, this “cock and bull ……….story” has been and is still included in the syllabus and the naïve and gullible teachers go on teach and our students read and appreciate the “idiocy” – stupidity, absurdity and silliness of Indians, and believe that they (the Europeans) only taught Indians how to count, learn and dress properly. More and more “Mayos”[7] have been created to spread such “maya,” and when they would be liberated and brought to light from such darkness[8] is not known.

Any subject is offered as an elective, choice or forced: Again teaching history to other disciplines commerce, economics, management, medicine etc., is different from the teaching of “History of Science and Technology” to history students themselves. Just because, history subject is losing its scope in the academics, the history teachers cannot introduce some syllabus and try to impose the same old stuff on the non-history students.

• The utility, benefit and value of the subject also come into play, when any student selects any subject voluntarily, as an elective or for some other reason.
• The students of the “History of Science and Technology” are interested in progress, development and growth in their studies, research and further pursuits.
• Therefore, they may not be interested in what the dynasties fought with each other, rulers invaded other territories or autocrats made the people suffer.
• Even the social, communal, religious, societal, and other aspects and related issues are also irrelevant to them, as long as they divide people based on any factor.

The utility value of the subject: Ultimately, when job, assignment and employment are decided on the certificates and diplomas received, yet, the application of the learned subject in the field decides the fate of the employee, worker or staff.

• A fitter, electrician, plumber and any other technician after getting certificates, has been ready to work in the field, as he has to carry out his job, as otherwise, he will be sent out immediately on the first day, when he is found that he is not able tp work in his field, in spite of having diploma / certificates in his trade or many certificates including other disciplines. “A jack of all trades but master of none”.
• So also a professionally qualified engineer or doctor or any other expert.
• “If you know the job, come and join immediately,” that type of policy is followed today, walk-in interview, selection and appointment order.
• All the certificates and diplomas come thereafter, just for verification.
• If you have 10 certificates, diplomas and degrees in one discipline or 10 different disciplines, but, you cannot work properly, you will be fired, because, the employers want the work to go on.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

12-08-2023

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[1] Mnemonics is the study and development of systems for improving and assisting the memory, A mnemonic device (or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding.

[2] Historic recurrence is the repetition of similar events in history. The concept of historic recurrence has variously been applied to overall human history (e.g., to the rises and falls of empires), to repetitive patterns in the history of a given polity, and to any two specific events which bear a striking similarity. Hypothetically, in the extreme, the concept of historic recurrence assumes the form of the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence, which has been written about in various forms since antiquity and was described in the 19^th century by Heinrich Heine and Friedrich Nietzsche. While it is often remarked that “history repeats itself”, in cycles of less than cosmological duration this cannot be strictly true. In this interpretation of recurrence, as opposed perhaps to the Nietzschean interpretation, there is no metaphysics. Recurrences take place due to ascertainable circumstances and chains of causality.

[3]  In the case of electricity, electronics, computers, digital technology etc., the electric pulse is sinusoidal, digitized to square-shaped pulses and so on. All such processes cannot be brought under any “linear” explanation or interpretation of history.

[4] A heuristic is a mental shortcut commonly used to simplify problems and avoid cognitive overload. Heuristics are part of how the human brain evolved and is wired, allowing individuals to quickly reach reasonable conclusions or solutions to complex problems.

[5] Cock and bull story, far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity produced by the British county hoteliers / inns to attract their customers.

[6] The Buddhist text Tittha Sutta, Udāna 6.4, Khuddaka Nikaya, contains one of the earliest versions of the story. The Tittha Sutta is dated to around c. 500 BCE, during the lifetime of the Buddha. An alternative version of the parable describes sighted men, experiencing a large statue on a dark night, or feeling a large object while being blindfolded. They then describe what it is they have experienced. In its various versions, it is a parable that has crossed between many religious traditions and is part of Jain, Hindu and Buddhist texts of 1st millennium CE or before. The story also appears in 2^nd millennium Sufi and Baháʼí Faith lore. The tale later became well known in Europe, with 19^th century American poet John Godfrey Saxe creating his own version as a poem, with a final verse that explains that the elephant is a metaphor for God, and the various blind men represent religions that disagree on something no one has fully experienced. The story has been published in many books for adults and children, and interpreted in a variety of ways.

[7] Katherine Mayo, an American lady  and also reportedly a historian wrote a book Mother India (1927) became  a polemical book as it contained many narratives of  grudge, hate and vengeance against Indian – society, religion and culture. Indians do not know any such book has been written about American or European society, religion and culture.

[8] Mohammedan or Mughal court historians always dub that the kafirs (non-believers, non-Mohammedans) of Hindustan were in the jahallia (in the darkness) and they were trying to show nur (light) through jihad (holy war) with their revealed book (al-kitabiya), as the kafirs do not are any revealed scriptures / book..

The updating, revising and correcting history subject – why controversy about it?:

The updating, revising and correcting history subject – why controversy about it?:

What is updating of the subject – history?: The updating of any subject has been making it current/recent and bringing to the usage with progressed, developed and advanced information and innovation[1]. As the “goods and services” that are used now, get updated, such old “goods and services” get “outdated” and therefore, “update or perish” would come into play. The same position and conditions would come to the academician, syllabus and the subjects. If Indians continue to read old subjects, that too, without any updating, they themselves better understand what would happen. History writers have not thought about progressed, advanced and developed stages of man, society, and nation in spite of many developments have taken place.

1. A reached a place B in the first century.
2. C travelled and reached the same place B in the 10^th century.
3. D started the journey and arrived at the same place B in the 20^th century.

How can history be updated here?  A historian has to think about –

• the mode of transport used,
• the route followed,
• the nature of roads and
• other factors.

Historians have to tell explicitly as to whether the travellers used the same transport from the first century to 20th century or whether the mode of transport changed or not.

• Satavahanas produced very fine and excellent jewellery in c.3rd cent.BCE
• Rajaputs produced fabulous and fantastic jewel ornaments in 10^th century CE.
• Indians produced such fine, fabulous and fantastic jewel ornaments in 20^th century CE.

Here, how the same jewel manufacturing technique had been in existence and continuing for more than 2300 years? Therefore, historians have to update the details giving the historical development of transport and the jewellery manufacture. The outcome – reaching destination B and the jewellery reminds the same, but not the science and technology behind them.

What is revising history?: As historians cry, it is not “revisionism,” as they apprehend in the negative perspective[2].  Now revising any subject is – making revisions of the syllabus within a short span of time, so that all the portions are covered and ready for the examination. The students are also relaxed so that they could revise their subjects and portions within a short and specific period and get ready for writing exams. Therefore, it has been very common to delete or exclude certain chapters from the subject books. Or they may declare that they are not included in the “Syllabus for the examination purpose.” Thus, the students are also assured of not getting any questions from the “out of syllabus” or “out of portion.” So when this has been going on for many years in all subjects, including history, why suddenly cry foul nowadays, particularly for the last 70 years.  

Syllabus revision and propaganda: In implementing educational policy, the study of subjects and structuring syllabus, generally, the government takes control. This has been the practice of the nations following the European and then US models of curriculum. However, every nation or country has its own educational system, subjects for study and syllabus suitable to the students with changing times.

• That Indians have been living with their thousands of years of civilization, culture, tradition and heritage confirm the existence of such a well-structured, established and proven system oriented to the public.
• The material cultural evidences of the past thousands of years prove this fact. There could be interference, intervention and revision for imposition, modification and improvement in between, because of the non-Indian domination.
• Yet, most of the Indian teaching, learning and associated processes have been continuing at different levels from villages to metros.
• At the time of examination, “revision” is always talked about, as it is only Re-Visioning of the subject studied and thus getting ready for the re-reading of the subject read again.
• As there is choice system, many students skip certain portions, units and parts and concentrate on scoring more marks. In fact, the teachers themselves advise that certain portions, units and parts are not for examinations, as they are not covered or taught or not necessary for academic importance for higher studies.
• However, revision makes campaigning, agitation and propaganda running riot among the peer groups.

Why history is losing importance and job-market?: In the case of history subject, its importance has been dwindling down, as there have been no takers at the college or University level. As most of the students go for other job-oriented disciplines, these subjects like history, etc., are not felt any importance. Thus, the history subject has been scrapped and the departments closed down. In fact, the irony has been for 5 to 10 students, there have been more staff and it is questioned by the audit and other authorities, as they have to spend lakhs and crores to run the department with staff paying salaries and recurring expenditures. Even for archaeology, questions have been raised about why spend crores for digging and taking out certain objects and say that men lived and used lithic tools etc., again and again. Moreover, the dividing of people with biased ideology, influenced philosophy and predisposed thought have been hallmark of historians after independence.  The utility value is considered of for any subject or discipline.

What is correcting of history?: Many times how historians have been so vociferous, raucous and boisterous about updating, revising and correcting history. In other subjects, there is no problem, as they correct and proceed.

• The word “atom” has been a misnomer, a + tom = one that cannot be divided, but atom can be divided.
• Dalton’s atomic theory said, “Atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or destroyed,” but, it is totally wrong.
• Till Giornado Bruno and others, the Europeans believed that Earth was stationary and all planets revolve around it[3].
• “Flat Earth Theory” has been there and still there are such believers[4].  
• Origin of man (many theories[5])

There have been many examples, but, few important and well-known have been cited for illustrative purposes. These have been corrected and such subjects have been updated for the benefit of humanity. But, historians still believe in race, ethnicity, colour, creed and related issues and hypotheses and theories developed out of such ideas floated before 20^th and 21^st centuries. Therefore, history subject has to be updated with science and technology.

Examinations quell and students excel: As the examinations came near, these objections that appeared in the news and the associated politics also died down. The students started preparing and appeared for the examinations. They scored good marks and they proceeded further accordingly with their scored marks, and merit. In spite of politicization regionalization and other ideological obstructions, the students have come out with laurels proceeding to higher, professional and other studies. Now, they have been well-informed and they know what they want and how to get them. Thus, in spite of other diversions and attractions, they have been marching towards the goals. With their contribution in future, perhaps, the future of India still marches ahead economically and scientifically.

For updating, revising and correcting history: Few illustrations are given for the purpose of updating.

• The evolution of man with lithic and metal has to be periodized with the available archaeological evidences.
• The science and technology behind the metallurgy have to be arranged date-wise.
• The sculptural evidences can be taken to match with the literature and thus for history.
• Indian history has to be written with the two-sided view of the narratives and discourses.
•  History of housing, food, hygiene, medicine, education, science and technology, and all related aspects come into history with chronology.
• The chronology of science and technology has to match with the Indian historical development of man.

Indians and Indian students have been well-informed: Now out of 140 crores / 1400 million, Indian population, 120 crores / 1200 million have cellphones. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said that India has over 1.2 billion mobile phone users and 600 million smartphone users[6]. Therefore, news, information and details reach more than 100 crores people immediately on any subject. Indians, irrespective of their status, they have been mature enough to understand the issues, problems and controversies. The youngsters and students have been more conscious about their future and thus, the majority of them have been concentrating on their studies and careers.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

06-08-2023

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[1]  If “publish or perish” has been common among the researchers, “update or perish” has been axiom among the science and technology users, as the gadgets, instruments, tools, machinery get outdated day by day.

[2] In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It usually involves challenging the orthodox (established, accepted or traditional) views held by professional scholars about a historical event or timespan or phenomenon, introducing contrary evidence, or reinterpreting the motivations and decisions of the people involved. The revision of the historical record can reflect new discoveries of fact, evidence, and interpretation, which then results in revised history. In dramatic cases, revisionism involves a reversal of older moral judgments.

[3] The geocentric and heliocentric theories, their propagators and prosecution of heliocentric scientists by the Church can be read in any book. In fact, we physics students used to read from D. S. Mathur’s “Properties of matter” book.

[4] Flat Earth is an archaic and scientifically disproven conception of the Earth’s shape as a plane or disk. Many ancient cultures subscribed to a flat-Earth cosmography. The idea of a spherical Earth appeared in ancient Greek philosophy with Pythagoras (6th century BCE). However, most pre-Socratics (6th–5th century BCE) retained the flat-Earth model. In the early 4th century BCE, Plato wrote about a spherical Earth. By about 330 BC, his former student Aristotle had provided strong empirical evidence for a spherical Earth. Knowledge of the Earth’s global shape gradually began to spread beyond the Hellenistic world. By the early period of the Christian Church, the spherical view was widely held, with some notable exceptions. It is a historical myth that medieval Europeans generally thought the Earth was flat. This myth was created in the 17^th century CE by Protestants to argue against Catholic teachings. Despite the scientific fact and obvious effects of Earth’s sphericity, pseudoscientific flat-Earth conspiracy theories are espoused by modern flat Earth societies and, increasingly, by unaffiliated individuals using social media

[5]  Out of Africa, Neanderthal etc..

[6] The Secretary informed the audience about the media landscape in India and said that India is a country with a tradition media comprised of 897 television channels, of which over 350 were news channels, and over 80 thousand newspapers coming out in various languages. However he added, recently there has been a shift towards new media with youngsters consuming information from this new media.

The proceedings of the National seminar Buddhism and Sectarian Religious faith in India or Buddha and Anti-caste Bhakti Saints held at Acharya Nagarjuna University on March 1st and 2nd 2023 (4)

The proceedings of the National seminar Buddhism and Sectarian Religious faith in India or Buddha and Anti-caste Bhakti Saints held at Acharya Nagarjuna University on March 1^st and 2^nd 2023 (4)

Caste system in Burma / Myanmar: The Burmese authorities presently recognise no fewer than 135 separate ethnic groups out of 55 million population, living within the union. Of these, the Bamar are easily the largest. Myanmar’s first national census in over 30 years. The other six main ethnic groups are –

1. the Shan, 2. Kachin, 3. Kayin,

4. Rakhine, 5. Chin and 6. Mon,

each of which has its own state. These seven main ethnic groups together constitute about 92 per cent, with the remaining 8 per cent divided between a fascinating patchwork of minority tribes. Jane Fergusson discussed the issue as follows[1]: The system of caste, or a hierarchical social system based on occupation, prestige, and ideas about pollution, had been considered a master trope in the framing of the imperial census[2] (Kumar 2006:387), and one which colonial officers had grown accustomed to in British India. Census officials even noted that caste could be tested by ‘actual existing facts and beliefs to a far greater extent than is possible with respect to race’ (Webb[3] 1912:250). However, the categories of caste simply did not gain traction for census officials working in Burma; thus they struggled to find another way to approach human differences and quantify race in Burma. The nine ‘race’ categories used by the British census-takers were:

1. Burmese; 2. Other indigenous race; 3. Chinese;

4. Indians born in Burma; 5. Indians born outside Burma; 6. Indo-Burman race;

7. Europeans and allied races; 8. Anglo-Indians; 9. Other race.

According to C.C. Lowis[4] (1902), the Burman is ‘so absolutely enamoured of freedom that he cannot abide the bonds that caste demands’ (Lowis 1902:107). Without the category of caste, and where religion ‘indicates but little’, colonial surveyors concluded that language would therefore be the most ‘obvious and surest criterion of difference’ (Lowis 1902:112): If the speech of a particular community cannot be assigned to a particular group, that community is, ipso facto, isolated, whatever similarity its customs, dress and physical traits may have with the customs, dress and physical traits of any other community, neighbouring or otherwise.

Caste thennic groups, ethnicity, denomination, sect and such other classification based on race, racism and racialism, religion, theology, philosophy etc., exist in Thailand……..

Sectarian, sectarianism, sectarian faith etc: The words and sect, expressions sectarian, sectarianism, sectarian faith etc., have not been positive, but negative and bad in connotation in the western or western religious context. Throughout American history, “sectarian” has been used to exclude and to ostracize. It is a term that is used to disparage and marginalize particular groups of Americans and particular kinds of thinking. That “sectarian” is hardly a flattering term is evident from even a cursory look at any standard dictionary. Among its more common synonyms are “bigoted,” “narrow-minded,” “heretical,” “parochial,” and “dogmatic.” Christians have used the word to describe Pharisees, atheists, and other Christians; Unitarians to put down Presbyterians and Roman Catholics; political liberals and conservatives to insult each other[5]. Richard A. Baer, Jr explains that[6], “The reason is really quite simple. Even though the term “sect” can have the relatively neutral meaning of “a group of persons having the same principles, beliefs, or opinions or can be employed technically in a non-pejorative sense by sociologists of religion, the ordinary usage of “sectarian” is derogatory. Indeed, “sectarian” more often than not is what we might call “caste language.” It is a term that has been used throughout much of American history to keep religious and social “untouchables” in their proper place. Just as ruling elites have used racial and sexual epithets to put down blacks and women, so they have used “sectarian” to exclude and marginalize those individuals and groups whose religious or philosophical beliefs or social practices did not correspond to their own vision of what was appropriate in the cultural marketplace”.

The theme of the seminar changed from “Buddhism and Sectarian Religious faith in India,” to   “Buddha and Anti-caste Bhakti Saints”: Though, the topic was “Buddhism and Sectarian Religious faith in India,” (as appeared in the brochure first) most of the paper presenters were trying to interpret the present ideology on the medieval period and even the prehistoric and protohistoric past. It also appears that the theme was changed to “Buddha and Anti-caste Bhakti Saints” suddenly, as noted later on the banner, “Abstract,” scribbling pad etc. Actually, I prepared my paper only based on the such theme and sent my full paper on 31-01-2023 itself. The theme, “Buddhism and Sectarian Religious faith in India,” has been entirely different from that of,   “Buddha and Anti-caste Bhakti Saints.” It is a fact that during the transitional period 7th century to the medieval period till the advent of the Mohammedans and the European colonial forces, all the sectarian faiths had to suffer by them. The ruling and dominant faiths Janism and Buddhism had to suffer from their attacks, in spite of their oversea and inland business and commercial authority. When religious dominance and excesses started, these two could not match up with them (Islam and Christianity). Moreover, the interaction among the believers of Andhra, Karnataka and Tamilagam showed the intra and inter-faith and religious debates, polemics and wrangles, leading to physical sometimes. Obviously, the organizers must have realized from my paper and changed the theme. Therefore, it is evident that they changed the theme itself, perhaps, without informing.

Under the Ambedkarite Constitution, Caste should continue or not: Eleanor Zelliot (1992), Uma Chakravarthi (1996), Gail Omvedt (2003) and others cleverly avoided the continuance of caste in spite of opposing caste, supporting reservation, though opposing positive discrimination, exclusion etc., Thus, the ideological egalitarianism, theoretical Utopianism and sermonized equality always try to and evade the legal, constitutional and judicial position and condition of the prevalent issues. The restricted reservation for SCs has been continuing. The reservation after conversion for the neo-Buddhists, and Sikhs continues, as they are “Hindus” only as per Article 25 of the Constitution. Thus, the Christians and much later the Muslims too started demanding the amendment of the Constitution Order, 1950 to accommodate the converted Christians and Muslims also. Though, these ideologists claim that “The Ambedkar Constitution,” they want to amend it, without realizing the judicial implications.

What is required by the believers in a “Secular state or country”?: Dialogue is required for understanding other and the point of view of others, whether, in a family, society or anywhere, where human interaction takes place. Thus, it is imperative and implied that such a process is possible with all family and societal members. Discussion, debate and deliberation always involve mutual, reciprocated and two-way flow of thought, thought processes and conclusion. Monologue is considered as a speech presented by a single dramatist character, theoretical expert or ideologized professional most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. In theatre, a monologue may be enjoyed when delivered by favourite character or person, as none is going to ask him.   Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media (plays, films, etc.), as well as in non-dramatic media such as poetry, literary narratives, political discourses and other verbose. Monologues share much in common with several other literary devices including soliloquies, apostrophes, and asides. There are, however, distinctions between each of these devices, audience and ideologists. Many times such monologues, particularly thrusted, imposed and forced to listen lead to autocratic, dominating and dictatorial. Free speech is talked about and sermonized blaming others as despotic, tyrannical, repressive, oppressive and so on, but, how such whistle-blowers indulge.

In dialogue, the engaged parties should listen to and understand the other party / parties also: There is a maxim Audi Alteram Partem and it is not known whether monologuers could understand and realize it. It means hear the other side; hear both sides, in other words the authority hearing the matter must be afforded hearing to the party who is likely to be affected by its decision. In judicial, quasi-judicial or any sensible legal process, it is expected. Therefore, those who talk about thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis should not avoid or be afraid of Audi Alteram Partem. Here, most of the speakers have predetermined mind-set and they spoke even any prepared paper about certain premises and conditions only in their perspective, that too blaming Brahmin, Brahman, Brahminism, Brahminical system, and even Brahminical virus and so on. Inside, “Acharya Nagarjuna University,” though such seminar was taking place under the auspices of “The Mahayana Buddhist Study Centre,” the sectarian bias had been explicit and aggressive and combating.

Justice, natural justice, social justice, equity, equality etc: Though, often Justice, natural justice, social justice, equity, equality etc, are talked about, they are not obviously discussed judicially. There are mainly two Principles of Natural Justice. These two Principles are:

• ‘Nemo judex in causa sua’. No one should be made a judge in his own cause, and the rule against bias.
• ‘Audi alteram partem’ means to hear the other party, or no one should be condemned unheard.

The historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, archaeo-anthropologists, Anthropo-archaeologists, sociologists, psychologists and related experts do not deal with these important conditions to pass any remarks or come to conclusions. Going to extremes, violating the norms that are framed the ideologists by themselves, and jumping to conclusions with biased views have been the hall-mark of many such studies.

How the audience was responding to the Buddhist prayer……..

How the audience was responding to the Buddhist prayer…………………..

How I struggled to reach and left Vijayawada Railway Station: How I reached Vijayawada Railway station was explained above on Fenbruary 28^th midnight and March 1^st early morning. On 2^nd March also, I had a different experience to reach the Vijayawada station. The seminar paper presentation was going on, as I had to catch the train, I came out of the hall searching for the driver. He was there, and we had lunch quickly and about to leave, but, I was informed that some other driver and vehicle would come. So I was waiting…….and the time was 2.00 pm. I asked the convener many times and I was informed “the vehicle would come.”  It was 2.30 PM and then, realizing the situation, I was taken by a car. Of course, the driver and car were there only[7]. Anyway, the driver could drop me at the end of the platform, so that I could walk to the platform[8]. Slowly, I started walking with the bag to the Platform No.10 where, the JanSatabdi was to come. When I reached PF.No.10, the passenger started running back, shouting at me, that it was here at PF.No.8. Some stranger helped me taking my bag and I started walking slowly. It took me perhaps 10 to 15 minutes and the train was about to start. I was waving my hand towards the train, as if I was doing it for a bus to stop. But, the driver was looking at me and showed his finger “1,” obviously, he might wait for one minute. Meanwhile that stranger handed over my bag to another stranger and went away. When I came near to the train, he (the second stranger) suggested me to gt into the first carriage and pushed my luggage inside. The moment I entered the train and started requesting to the TTR, one youth asked me to sit in one seat, as he was not travelling and got down……….The train started…..So finally, I settled down there in the same compartment, instead of my regular / confirmed seat away from the first compartment[9]. At last I could reach Chennai with 20 minutes delay. My regular Auto driver came and I could reach home by 11.40 PM.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

05-03-2023

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[1] Ferguson, Jane M. “Who’s Counting?: Ethnicity, Belonging, and the National Census in Burma/Myanmar.” Bijdragen tot de taal-, land-en volkenkunde/Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia 171.1 (2015): 1-28.

[2] Kumar, M. Satish (2006). ‘The census and women’s work in Rangoon, 1872–1931’, Journal of Historical Geography 32:377–97.

[3] Webb, C. Morgan (1912). Census of India, 1911. Vol. ix, Burma Part i. Report. Rangoon: Office of Superintendent, Government Printing and Stationery.

[4] Lowis, C.C. (1902). Census of India, 1901. Volume xii, Burma. Part i. Report. Rangoon: Office of Superintendent, Government Printing and Stationery

[5] Richard A. Baer, Jr. The Supreme Court’s Discriminatory Use of the Term “Sectarian”, Originally published in The Journal of Law & Politics, Vol. VI, No. 3, Spring 1990.

[6] https://blogs.cornell.edu/envirobaer/publications/the-supreme-courts-discriminatory-use-of-the-term-sectarian/

[7]  In other words, instead of keeping me waiting there for nearly one-and-half hours, I could have been sent earlier with the same driver and car. Why I was kept delayed was known to God only.

[8]  Actually, the driver helped me in reaching the station in time and also dropping at the right place. Of course, when we reached the Guest House to take the luggage, the other person / Assistant Professor was making unwanted comments that I would miss the train and so on. Though, he had also to come with me, he was delaying, so the driver took the decision to proceed, as the time was already 2.30 PM. Why the learned Asst.Prof was delaying was also known only to God.

[9] I can write a story about this, as how many strangers helped me to get into a train, sit comfortably in a seat and reach my home at one side, whereas, at the other side – all learned professors etc., but made me tensed fully knowing my health problems. Of course, I informed my travel plan, my health problem etc through e-mails and letter also (with many phone calls in between).