: Did you know that the basic principles of sculpting have remained unchanged since the Stone Age, or that our Prehistoric ancestors were as smart as us, if not more so? Would you be ready to believe it if someone said 21st century post-modernist humans are really ‘unoriginal beings’?
In a refreshing and “fact-centric” look at Prehistory, anthropology and archaeology, a motley group of people met at the Government Museum in the city to discuss the Stone Age over cups of organic hibiscus tea on Saturday. The event was conducted by ‘Chai with History’, a forum that allows students, citizen researchers and anyone with a passion for history to go beyond textbook definitions and look at the subjects from a humanistic perspective. “We want people to be able to connect to the past and comprehend the difference between facts, and the interpretation of history,” said Lathashree K.S, who conceptualised the event over three years ago.
Facebook groupIt all began overnight because of a Facebook chat. “My friends suggested that we have a discussion on history. So we had our first session on Indian history,” says Ms. Lathashree, a postgraduate in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, who gives guest lectures in many city colleges.
Ever since, this Facebook group has been meeting every month over a lecture series on range of topics, including the Indian epics, Prehistory, medieval history, iconography, the Harappan civilisation, and South Indian temple architecture. They also visited various sites within the city and traced its origins archaeologically. Book and journal reading sessions are also conducted to inspire participants to glean history from them.
Serious funThe topics are generally decided by members of the groups. “Most sessions are by popular choice. Once, we had a request to conduct a session on Ashoka. Participants had to learn the Brahmi script, the mode of communication during that period, and then read inscriptions related to it at the museum, in order to understand the Maurya Dynasty better,” says Ms. Lathashree.
Sanjana Rangan, a student of history, has been attending the sessions regularly. She says, “These sessions are really enlightening. I think it is necessary to know our past in order to understand who we are in the present.” The group also has artists, architects, IT professionals, bankers and retired people.
Ms. Lathashree says there is a need to promote the concept of public archaeology to engage people, and make archaeological findings relevant to all.
