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The Sharma Centre for Heritage Education (established 1999) is a registered non-profit public educational trust. The trust was established with the aim of conducting research in the field of Indian archaeology, anthropology and Quaternary geology; and with a component for educating the community on issues related to India's natural and cultural heritage. With offices in Chennai and Pune, our dedicated staff, are involved in research and in spreading results of new discoveries amongst children, teachers and the interested public. |
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C.V.: Shanti Pappu Kumar Akhilesh Saleem Sheikh Our Activities Prehistory and Palaeoenvironements in NorthernTamil Nadu, South India and Excavations at Attirampakkam Northern Tamil Nadu, South India is rich in prehistoric sites, in particular of the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. These sites have been investigated ever since 1863, with sporadic studies being conducted in the 1930's and 1960's. A reexamination of this region, in particular, the areas falling within the basin of the river Kortallaiyar was initiated by Shanti Pappu in 19991. In 1999, a project was taken up to document the nature and context of prehistoric sites in the region, to reconstruct Quaternary geomorphic processes, obtain dates for the sites and model past environmental changes over the Middle to Late Pleistocene. As part of this project, excavations were begun at the site of Attirampakkam, Tiruvallur district. This region forms a crucial area for the study of the Indian Palaeolithic. It marks the southernmost distribution of Palaeolithic sites in the subcontinent. Our research strategies involving inputs from experts in India and abroad are currently involved in studies of lithic technology, past environments, geomorphology, micropalaeontology, palaeobotany and chronological, and other investigations. In addition to this, GIS and satellite remote sensing are being used to model prehistoric landuse patterns. Read more about this here... Community Heritage Education Programs We beleive that communicating recent research to the general public, in particular children and teachers, will go a long way towards promoting Indian archaeology. We work with children and teachers from primarily underpriviledged backgrounds, in order to make the study of the past fun. Our workshops cover topics in archaeology, art and architecture, epigraphy and numismatics, anthropology, ecology, past and present environments, folk culture, and much much more. Structured workshops with our educational material, presentations, puppet shows, street theatre and drama are used to make learning enjoyable and fun. Read more about our workshops here. ... Consultants The Department of Archaeology, State Government of Tamil Nadu used our services in the form of honorary expert advise on latest excavation methodology at the sites of Mangudi and Perur, Tamil Nadu. We are also helping them in an honorary capacity in catalouging and preparing a database of their prehistoric stone tool collections. We thank Dr. R.Kannan, I.AS, and Dr. T. Sridhar, I.A.S, for consulting us on these issues. Publications We are bringing out a series of popular books on Indian archaeology. Wait for further updates on exciting stories of the past. Other activities Research into laws governing India's cultural heritage, and planning for culture resource management strategies of prehistoric and protohistoric sites.
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