Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Documenting writer who propagated Bharati’s works

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Bharati's wife Chellamma (sitting third from left) and Thiruloga Seetharam (standing second from right).
Bharati’s wife Chellamma (sitting third from left) and Thiruloga Seetharam (standing second from right).

It offers glimpses of a school dropout who inspired a generation of writers.

Former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, once described Thiruloga Seetharam as a poet, editor and Bharati scholar and another Athisaya Manithar of Akkirakaram (wonder man of Agraharam) . The DMK founder had earlier given the title to freedom fighter and writer Va. Ramasamy.

Now, a documentary on Seetharam explains how he used music as a form to propagate the songs of Subramania Bharati.

The documentary, Thiruloga Seetharam Enkira Aalumai , by writer Ravi Subramaniam offers glimpses into a life of a school dropout who later inspired a generation of writers. Seetharam would mono act the entire Panchali Sabatham.

Even though Va. Ramasamy, communist leader P. Jeevanandam, Thiruloga Seetharam and Jayakanthan popularised the songs of Bharati, Seetharam declared himself the adopted son of Bharati’s widow Chellamma.

“When he learnt Chellamma was not well, he immediately left his family to take care of her. He served her for three months. Lying on his lap, she breathed her last,” said T.N. Ramachandaran, a disciple of Seetharam and an expert on Sekkizhar, the author of Periyapuranam.

Seetharam was forced to work as a purohit to earn a livelihood after the death of his father.

He learnt Tamil and poetry from Andhakakavi Ramasamy Padayachi, a visually challenged scholar in Thondamanthurai in Tiruchi.

He had to read out literary works to his teacher and in the process learnt by heart thousands of poems.

As the editor of the literary magazine Sivaji, he encouraged young writers and Sujatha’s first short story appeared in the magazine.

Late Tamil writer T. Janakiraman once said three writers — Ku.Pa. Rajagopalan, Na. Pitchamurthy and Seetharam — whose mother tongue was Telugu made immense contribution to the development of modern Tamil literature. He also translated into Tamil, Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse’s Siddartha.

Though a nationalist, he maintained a close relationship with Bharathidasan and even mobilised funds to provide financial assistance.

He would render Bharathidasan’s Kudumba Vilakku set to music.

“I am yet to come across a person who could excel in poetry reading,” said writer Ashokamitran, who had attended Seetharam’s poetry reading sessions.

He always faced a financial crisis.

Once when Bharati’s daughter Thangamma Bharati asked him whether the situation had improved, Seetharam said, “Of course. Once I struggled for five rupees and ten rupees and now I am struggling for fifty and hundred,’” he quipped.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> City> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – January 01st, 2015

Seacology prize winner donates 2 lakh to schoolto local school

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Madurai :

The woman from a fishing hamlet in Ramanathapuram, who won the coveted Seacology Prize from Berkeley in California, has donated one third of her prize money (2 lakh) to a local school specifying that the amount should be used to construct more classrooms and develop the playground.

The beneficiary was the Chinnapaalam Government Middle School.

M Lakshmi, 46, a seaweed collector was chosen for the prize for her contribution to the development of her community by the non-profit environment organisation, Seacology, which is committed to conserving island environments and cultures. She travelled all the way to the US to receive her prize money of $10,000, the equivalent to 6.48 lakh, on October 9 this year.

Lakshmi, also a ward member of the Chinnapaalam panchayat near the coastal town of Pamban, had never gone to school.

She started collecting seaweed at the age of seven. Then she went on to cultivate the seaweed and also educate local women on the same, using methods that did not harm the marine life in the Gulf of Mannar, where her profession was based.

According to Lakshmi, women could achieve their goals in life and become instruments of development if given higher education. “This is a small contribution with which I hope to enhance the chances of children, especially girls, in the region to pursue higher education,” she said.

Local people, who are already proud of Lakshmi for putting their tiny village on the global map, lauded her effort to help the local school.

“She is committed to developing this backward village and we will do everything possible to help her,” they said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / December 26th, 2015

Retired professor dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

K.R. Rajagopalan, retired professor of statistics, Madras Christian College (MCC), died in the early hours of Monday. He was 90. He served the institution for more than three decades, introducing innovative methods of teaching.

He was a pioneer in conducting pre-poll opinion surveys in the early 1970s and also authored a book in Tamil on the history of Indian Mathematics ( Indhiya Ganitha Varalaru ).

On the occasion of the birth centenary of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, he authored a biography of him. Besides Statistics, Prof. Rajagopalan was deeply interested in music and literature. His studies, on topics ranging from music to social customs, were published by the Statistics Department of MCC. He was associated with Sruti Magazine. He is survived by wife, two daughters and a son.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – December 30th, 2015

Relics of a religion

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

Museums 

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The birth of Christianity in India has been traced to the arrival of St Thomas in Kerala in 52 AD, and the religion is said to have been strengthened by the arrival of St Francis Xavier in Goa in 1542. However, there are a few museums devoted to the history of Christianity — particularly its art relics — in the country.

Successful efforts to expand the museums of Christian art are ongoing in the states of Goa, Chennai and Kerala, perhaps because of the concentration of Christians there. Other relics can be found in other corners of the country as well. Let’s go on a trail of Christian art recorded in the country…

Goa

The first attempt to shape Christianity in Goa through art was made when, in the early 1560s, on the insistence of the Jesuit missionary (in India) João Nunes Barret, the picture of Jesus on the cross (with his mother and St John standing on either sides) was printed and distributed. By the end of 16th century, the preoccupation of the Christian populace with the image increased.

Many wooden idols were painted with coloured hard wax — in red, deep blue and green, and at times, with a golden design or piping on the robe.

While most of the ivory idols were painted gold, particularly on the borders, a section of ivory models were coloured deep red using vegetable dyes. Images of Jesus as the saviour of earth, holding it in his hand, were also found in Goa, besides those of crucifixion. The Goans also developed a special regard for Virgin Mary and, in order to get her protection from disasters, they decided to carry her picture on the ships voyaging to Portugal and back.

Asia’s first exclusive Museum of Christian Art was opened at Rachol seminary in the Salcete taluka of Goa on January 24, 1994. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon, Portugal, had provided funds for this museum, and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, New Delhi, provided the know-how. The museum was then moved to the annexe of the convent of Santa Monica, Old Goa.

The museum is a huge three-storeyed building of laterite that was originally lime-plastered, and later plastered with cement. Square in foundation, it comprises a large inner courtyard, around which are a verandah and numerous cells and halls.

The vaulted ceilings in some of the halls showcase finest murals that represent Christianity practised in the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum houses over 200 exhibits. Surprisingly, most of the artefacts are by Hindu artists.

According to one historian, “When idols and paintings of Christian saints became popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, newly converted Goans began to collect them. So there were not enough artists to meet the growing demand. Many Hindu artists saw a business opportunity and began producing these artworks for the market.”

Underground this oldest and largest nunnery in Asia is a wondrous basement, its ceiling covered with the most amazing frescoes. The Xavier Centre of Historical Research in Goa has also built a small museum that houses several representative items of Goan Christian art, plus palm-leaf manuscripts, medallions and a stone inscription.

Chennai

In Chennai, the sacred relics and images associated with St Thomas the Apostle are preserved in St Thomas Museum near the San Thome basilica. The small museum, started in 1985, comprises just two large halls.

The most important exhibit here is a portion of the finger of St Thomas that came in contact with Jesus Christ on Easter. This was gifted to India by the Vatican in 1952 while commemorating the 1,900th anniversary of the saint’s visit to India. According to Reverend Adaikalam, the identification of the exhibits was a task. All the treasures of Christianity had been assembled by Father Hosten, a Belgian priest of the Catholic Archdiocese, in the 1920s. It had involved meticulous research, as nearly 19 centuries had passed since the martyrdom of  St Thomas, and the Portuguese had taken away a number of important relics. But Father Hosten had persisted in his labour of love and there had been a photo exhibition of these treasures in one of the museums of Vatican city, in 1925.

In the Church of Our Lady of Expectations at St Thomas Mount, there is a painting of Madonna and child Jesus, said to be painted by St Luke, one of the 12 apostles.

Kochi

A colonial structure, the Indo-Portuguese Museum of Kochi, in Fort Kochi, is the epicentre of Indo-Portuguese Christian art heritage. The museum is divided into five sections, according to the nature of items displayed — altar, treasure, procession, civil life and cathedral.

The museum houses some artistic and architectural marvels that bear the mark of a strong Portuguese influence — a piece of altar made in teak wood (16th century) and an Indo-Portuguese monstrance (18-19th century), from the Church of Our Lady of Hope, Vypeen; a chasuble (19th century) from Bishop’s House and a processional cross, which is a combination of silver and wood (17th century), from the Santa Cruz cathedral, Fort Kochi. The Coat of Arms of the Franciscans is an exhibit that stands out. But the most important artefact on display at the museum is the altar of St Francis Church, an extant piece from the 16th century.

Kerala

George Menachery, Professor of Christian Art at the Pontifical Institute, Alwaye, is the editor of the Christian Encyclopedia and Church History Classics. He plans to set up a comprehensive Indian Christian Museum.

North India

At Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, it is said that a section of a palace built by Mughal Emperor Akbar features frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible. But more lasting have been the biblical inscriptions on the archway of Buland Darwaza (the Gate of Victory), which stands at 176 feet.

The panel of kufic script reads, “Jesus, Son of Mary (on whom be peace) said: ‘The World is a Bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen’.” In Agra, the Catholic church built during the reign of Akbar has marble statues representing Virgin Mary.

Mumbai got its first Catholic museum at St Pius College in Goregaon (E) in 2011. Called Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, it houses a collection of artefacts like manuscripts, religious objects, paintings, vestments, sculptures and liturgical books. An outstanding feature of the museum is the timeline painted on one of its walls, showing the stages of Christianity in the region from AD 6 onwards.

Indeed, these ecumenical musems have become sacred houses for our cultural heritage.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Sunday Herald – Art & Culture / by Anthony Kuriakose / Maharaja Features / December 20th, 2015

23 Sketches on Chennai’s Bravehearts During Flood

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Chennai :

He has always been knonw for his uniquely interesting sketches but now artist A P Shreethar has sketched scenes from the recent floods — especially of those who lent a helping hand to the victims and rescued many.

The artist has released a series of sketches that show common people helping each other which has become a common sighting in the city recently.

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Talking to City Express, Shreethar says, “I was really touched to see the way people helped one another. I started collecting pictures of help being rendered from media personnel, and based on these pictures, I began sketching them.” The artist has sketched more than 23 pictures, two of which are his own images. Says Shreethar, “The entire set was sketched in two to three days. It took between 40 minutes and two hours to complete each sketch. It also depended on the kind of characters I was looking to draw. For instance, some pictures in which there were too many characters took much longer than the ones in which there were fewer.”

On one of his pictures, Shreethar penned the lines, ‘Saluting the super heroes’. He explains, “Thanks to TV channels, social/web media, press, army, navy, airforce, fire service personnel, police, the NGOs and all the individuals for participating and co-ordinating in relief and rescue measures. I dedicate these sketches to their brave deeds.”

Shreethar, a big fan of actor Kamal Haasan, has had his sketches released by Kamal in the past. However, this time, that isn’t the case. Ask him why and he replies with a grin, “Kamal sir is in the US at the moment. But even his fans and staff were working hard to help those affected by the recent floods.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Manigandan  K R – ENS / December 16th, 2015

Jawahar Bal Bhavan members felicitated

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
The members of the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Namakkal, who excelled at the national cultural competitions, with Namakkal Collector V. Dakshinamoorthy.
The members of the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Namakkal, who excelled at the national cultural competitions, with Namakkal Collector V. Dakshinamoorthy.

A seven-member team of the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Namakkal, won the first place in the Bommalattam dance event at the national level Children’s Cultural Festival held at New Delhi recently.

Events

The members participated in two events – Panchayat Raj awareness street play and Bommalattam folk dance. The team won the second place in the street play event.

The competitions were held on the themes that centred rural development.

District Collector V. Dakshinamoorthy felicitated the members.

M. Thillai Sivakumar, Project Officer, Namakkal District Jawahar Bal Bhavan, was present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Namakkal – December 07th, 2015

Animated about cinema

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Realworks Studios, a start up based out of Coimbatore is making heads turn with its open source 3D animation work for ‘Urumeen’ that releases today

Going virtualScenes from Urumeen that were captured virtually by Sivaprasad Velayudhan ( right) and his team
Going virtualScenes from Urumeen that were captured virtually by Sivaprasad Velayudhan ( right) and his team

Here are some of the tweets about the new Tamil film Urumeen “URUMEEN 5 mins sequence features,

India’s first film using 3D portion using open source software and motion capture” “The 1st few mins of #Urumeen r goin to b unlike anythin u’v seen b4! Motion Capture 3D by TN technicians! Watch out!”

Sivaprasad Velayudhan
Sivaprasad Velayudhan

So, animation artist Sivaprasad Velayudhan and his team at Realworks Studios in Coimbatore have reasons to be thrilled.

“We have done the motion capture sequence in an entirely frugal method with free tools that are available online,” says Sivaprasad.

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War

The introductory war sequence in the film that takes place in the pre-independent era has been captured virtually.

“Filmmakers get such work done in studios abroad. We have used the motion sensor hardware that is used in gaming and other open source tools to create the 3D portion. The film’s director Sakthivel Perumalsamy is happy with the outcome,” he says.

Urumeen features actors Bobby Simha and Kalaiarasan and has two parallel stories, one set inside a forest and another in an urban background.

It releases today.

Sivaprasad who left his IT career to start this venture says Coimbatore should become the film hub it once used to be.

“In the South, movies started from Coimbatore. Why can’t we bring those glorious days back? The city is buzzing with so many short film directors and film makers . I want to tell film makers, instead of going abroad for animation work, come to Coimbatore,” he says.

His 13-member team operates out of a studio that is based on Linux, which is free.

“I don’t invest on software and workflow. We use free tools like blender and gimp. This way we cut cost and offer work at a fraction of industry standards,” he says.

Next project

His team is currently working on director Ramprakash’s film Pokkiri Raja that features actors Jeeva and Hansika.

Recently, Sivaprasad was in the news when he made a trailer of Ranadheeran , modelled on Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan , to prove the possibilities of open source software.

“We got 1.4 lakh views in one month. Soundarya Rajnikanth, who directed Kochadaiiyaan , tweeted about our work. It was an in-house experiment. We spent 10 weeks to make the four-minute trailer. It’s an experiment to let the filmmakers know the immense possibilities of virtual production with open source software.”

He says it’s time filmmakers start thinking out of the studios.

“You don’t have to shoot everything in a studio. With films like Baahubali , things are already happening. While visual effects are used to show explosions, car stunts, and action sequences… 3D visualisation is a virtual production. English movie Tin Tin was entirely virtual,” says Sivaprasad.

Advantage

Talking about the advantages of a digital platform, he says:

“There is an option of undo. And in 3D you see things from all angles. Though I started drawing from an age of four, I made a transition to the digital platform for efficiency. My family has been very supportive. Also my team, who have explored and experimented with me.”

Sivaprasad says the virtual production helps filmmakers explore genres like science fiction.

“I can replicate 1000 pillars, a war sequence, a 3,000 ft waterfall or 10,000 warriors fighting a battle…but the same can’t be said about human emotions. We are working on it. Whatever we do, there is no way you can replicate a Rajinikanth, virtually.”

Visit: www. realworks.in

https://www.youtube.

com/channel/

UCDVbaz6fqec7c-

DH8_nbFog

It’s an experiment to let the filmmakers know the immense possibilities of virtual production with open source software

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / K. Jeshi / December 04th, 2015

The culture curator

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

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Abhinaya Rangarajan’s Facebook page, ‘The Artist Project’, is a tribute to the Indian craftsman

She is 23, but Abhinaya Rangarajan has her life sorted. While she is an architect during the day, by dusk, she is a busy entrepreneur. The Artist Project, a Facebook page started by her in July, is getting “overwhelming responses”.

The page that is followed by around 5,500 people, features an artist/artisan from across India every two weeks, and promotes his or her products.

“If you are buying a handmade product, you might as well care to know the hands that made it. After all, the product is a cumulative result of all the skills that the person possesses,” she says, taking just a second’s glimpse at her cell phone that beeps occasionally. “Ever since I started the page, messages have been pouring in — orders, enquiries and requests to be featured. I did not see it becoming such a hit. I get around five to six orders a day, am still coping with the success,” she says.

Abhinaya notes all the orders, and at the end of the week, passes them on to the artisans, who either courier it to the address of the customers themselves or send it to her.

“While I used to handle everything myself, with increasing orders, I now have an intern working for me; a final-year college student,” she says. A no-profit venture, Abhinaya runs it for the sheer pleasure of helping encourage the craftsmen/artisans (she refers to them as artists), and to provide a platform for those who either do not have access to market benefits.

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Each post on the Facebook page has a brief description about the artist’s background, besides high resolution photos of their products. Till date, seven artists have been unveiled on the page — Auroville-based shoemaker Rajasekaran who runs ‘Aasai footwear’; an alumni of Vidya Sagar, Swaminathan who weaves mats and sells them in his boutique; Nimisha Zachariah who specialises in textile jewellery; Amrita Giriraj, a visual arts graduate from Stella Maris, who makes accessories from shells; award-winning leather puppet makers D. Venkatramana and K. Ramdas from Andhra Pradesh; and Karishma who makes home decor using bangles.

“The artists featured by us are happy. For example, the puppet makers were almost out of business. They were hosting workshops for a living, which hardly helped them meet their needs. Now, they get orders for their products, and make money,” says Abhinaya. “And Karishma, who had started making bangle decor as a means to pass time while she was pregnant, has now taken it on as a full-time project,” she adds.

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It all began when Abhinaya, who graduated in Architecture from SRM University two months ago, was interning in Bangalore. “Since there was not much work, I would pack my bags and head to the outskirts every weekend. It was one one of those trips that I came across the wooden-toy makers of Channapatna. There were a line of stalls, all selling the same products,” she says.

And from her conversations with the artisans, she realised that they did not know how popular their toys were all across the world, and were definitely not getting the due for the amount of effort and time they put in.

Besides her steely resolve to give the artists a bigger audience, Abhinaya, who is planning to pursue a Masters in Product Design, says her interest was piqued also by the urge to know more about the creative products. “Also, I was a DIY kid myself. Be it birthday parties or get-togethers, I wanted to make my own earrings and hats. So this was expected,” she says with a child-like laugh.

For details, look up The Artist Project page on Facebook.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Naveena Vijayan / Chennai – November 30th, 2015

On a mission to serve

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
T.V.M.Thillai Ammal
T.V.M.Thillai Ammal

Coimbatore  :

T.V.M.Thillai Ammal ( 1914 – 2009 ) was the second daughter of T.A.Ramalingam Chettiar ( 1882 – 1952 ) the father of the Co operative movement and the first Member of Parliament from Coimbatore. Thillai Ammal was married to Dr. T.V.Muthuswamy at a tender age of 14 years. Muthuswamy passed away due to an attack of TB just three years after their marriage. She went to Chennai, joined a tutorial college and did a two-year programme. Thillai Ammal interacted with Mahatma Gandhi and attended a number of his prayer meetings. Later, she spent a lot of time in the Sabarmati Ashram where she was inspired to devote her time to the well being of the socially and financially downtrodden people. She gave her bangles away for the freedom movement.

The Kasturi Bai Trust was the first social organization that gave Thillai Ammal the required inputs that were to guide her. She returned to Coimbatore and Periya Naickenpalayam were her cousin T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar had established the Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya. It was here that began serving the society of this region. Her nephew, the octogenarian educationist remembers, “My aunt used to visit the nearby villages and teach people the value of hygiene and education. I used to accompany her on these missions. The prayer meetings mobilised women folk and they were taught crafts and awareness about health. She adopted villages and conducted street plays and villu paatus as part of a continuous awareness initiative. A number of them were offered assistance and therefore were able to establish themselves by purchasing cattle or setting up petty shops. She helped them acquire land for housing by acting as their representative. “

Later, she started Seva Nilayam with some kids in 1949 and subsequently her father T.A.Ramalingam Chettiar and the Coimbatore public helped her establish a permanent premises for Seva Nilayam at Syrian Church Road. Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddiar inaugurated the new facilities in 1950. Thillai Ammal started an Umber Charkha training course and a type writing course for widows in order to empower them. Seva Nilayam became the home for a number of abandoned kids and these kids grew up under her watchful eyes. She was the ‘Amma’ for these kids and the Saradhamani Primary School and the Seva Nilayam High School were created by her with the purpose of empowering the girls in her care. The kids who grew up at the Seva Nilayam were enriched with education, social and moral values and a sound traditional foundation that stood them well all their life. Thillai Ammal visited prisoners in jail and she tried to make a difference in the lives of the inmates and their families. A Junior approved school was started for the kids in need of rehabilitation in the year 1951 and a working women’s hostel came into being in 1982.

Thillai Ammal, educated thousands of girls and conducted hundreds of marriages. The Avinashilingam University honoured her with a Doctorate in 2004. Recalls Dr.T.V.Angappan, “Several citizens were made part of this initiative. Sir.R.K.Shanmukham Chetty, Dr.C.Subramaniam, R.Venkataswamy Naidu , M.S .Palaniappa Mudaliar were part of the committee. Social worker and legislator Savithri Shanmugam was with my aunt. She met eminent leaders such as Indira Gandhi, and K.Kamaraj who visited Seva Nilayam and appreciated her work.”

Jayshree Ravi, the grand niece and the Secretary of Seva Nilayam recalls, “I used to visit her everyday for more than 12 years. She made me unlearn a number of things before inculcating the concept of service in me. She was frank, simple, committed, calm, patient and understood the language of the downtrodden, handled difficult situations with aplomb and was fearless at all times. It is thanks to her hard work and her life long mission that Seva Nilayam has withstood the test of time . The sacrifice of Thillai Ammal is our foundation for she gave away all her wealth for this cause and she just had three khadi sarees in her cupboard along with one shawl presented by Indira Gandhi . Her ornament was benevolence”

The amazing T.V.M. Thillai Ammal was one of the early social workers among the women of Coimbatore who added lustre to the lives of the downtrodden.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Rajesh Govindarajulu / November 27th, 2015

Tamil-Brahmi Inscription on Ancient Coin Links Indus Civilization to Sangam Age

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Chennai  :

The Swastika extensively found in the Indus Valley Civilization and considered as auspicious in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, is found in a coin of famous Tamil king Adhiyaman, one of the seven chieftains known for charity.

The coin, which was found by R Krishnamurthy, a well known numismatist and Dinamalar Editor, also shows warriors with Greek style of headgear and writings in Brahmi and Tamil-Brahmi. The coin could show the Tamils’ link with the early Indus Valley and later Greek civilizations.

(Clockwise from top) The coin found by numismatist R Krishnamurthy; and the impression of the front and the back of the coin
(Clockwise from top) The coin found by numismatist R Krishnamurthy; and the impression of the front and the back of the coin

According to some historians, Adhiyaman is said to be from the Mazhava tribe, which ruled a territory in the Indus Valley between Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi rivers. The finding could show a link between the Indus Valley civilization and Tamils of Sangam age. Besides, the Swastika symbol, otherwise called gammadion cross, which was also used by the Nazis, could have originated in the Indus Valley, which is one of the ancient civilizations along with the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations.

Explaining the coin, Krishnamurthy said: “The front side shows an elephant near a flag mast, while Swastika symbol is found on the top left. The name Adhiyaman is seen on the top of the elephant. On the back side, a river and two fishes are found. A horse and a soldier wielding a shield and sword-like weapon are seen. The soldier is wearing a headgear with Greek style hair decorations.” King Adhiyaman, referred in several poems of classical Tamil poetry of the Sangam age was the ruler of Thagadur, now known as Dharmapuri. His name is found in ancient Tamil poem collections of Purananooru, Agananooru, Kurunthogai and Natrinai.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 30th, 2015