> thanks for many compliments. what do you, as a public and tax payer, > expect from asi? psot comments dear members > sriraman.p.s. >
Dear all
Mr.Sriraman is asking for all of our opinion in terms of what we expect out of ASI. He is asking for our suggestions, feedback. I think it is a very good opportunity to share our expectations with him. I am sure he will convey all of our feedbacks to the Supt. Archaeologist Mrs.Sathyabhama and do the needful.
I'd like to list the following:
* Would it be possible for ASI to conduct a public display of items after each major excavation (Not necessarily with all the actual assets at all times - may be with photos). I think few have happened in the past but we are not aware of it. We can start off with Adhichchanallur and Mahamallapuram excavations of the last 2 years which yielded valuable assets.
* Would it be possible to bring out a list of books published by ASI-South Zone with decent photos on the web ? Again, something exists already but not very attractive. Anything related to "web" all govt agencies need to go to NIC I believe.
Hi I guess a lot of studies and finds were grossly repetitive. say if some one finds a pot full of similar chola coins- say a thousand of them we cant do justice to all. I feel asi is in that trap. new technology and better personnel are making wonders in new finds. its wrong on our part to waste their man housr in printing and sorting out what their predecessors have done. I sincerely feel all the old paper work should be handed to a private trust to sort and publish. and asi should be allowed to just dig and intepret which they are qualified for and love doing
1.the activities of asi is multiferious. the principal responsibility is to maintain the monumnet listed unser the Act of 1958. 2. asi has some legal responsibilties being the agency of central government.
3. asi has many branches - circle essentially to look after the monuments but with some time taking fieldwork. earlier explorations were given more importance and every one of us loved to fly off every month. it will take us to new villages unknown things and everything from prehistoric sites to modern remaisn will be seen and studied.
4. of late, the fieldwork is limited due to official work.
5. there major brances exclusively for excavations.
6. local offices do small scale excavations.
7. since we do not have impress the power that be unlike the state government department and our mps are less intruding, we do not come out with public show of excavated materials, mostly pottery.
8. but we open up and interact with interested persons when they approach like sps, gokul and others. all we need is an interested ear.
9. everybody is welcome to asi, not only in chennai but to any small office anywhere in india.
Good points. It clearly states the expectations from ASI.
Dear Sriraman,
It is true and nobody can deny that the efforts of ASI put towards preservation is remarkable. Initiatives like Interpretation center are need of the hour. When we visited it during my last trip to india, I was telling Ram that ASI deserves a special appreciation.
I appreciate your intentions to know the feedback from public. I am putting the below comments as a person interested in history and have some interactions with ASI and State archeology department.
1. Completeness
I request ASI/State arch. dept. to do the work completely. When an excavation or temple study is started, please try to complete all aspects like architecture, inscriptions, iconography, etc. We see many temples which were partly researched and history was written based on those partial findings. Some examples we can quote from our field work experience are Thiruvalanjuzhi and Udayaloor.
2. Controversies
Some of the conclusions arrived on recent excavations created some controversies among the historians. For example, Dr.Sathiyamurthy said there are some old brahmi scripts inside the urn excavated from Adhichanallur. But Dr.Sathiyabhama said those are not letters at all. This surfaced out when Iravatham Mahadevan raised some questions during the conference held in Tamil university couple of months ago. In the same conference, Dr.Nadana Kasinathan (former State arch. dept director) said he was not allowed to see that urn. Such controversies could have been avoided if brahmi experts were consulted before publishing the news.
3. Timeliness
As Vidya pointed out in her mail, it is very important to give complete information at right time. Still a fullstop is pending for many issues like dating of Adhichanallur urn, scripts inside the urn, date of temple excavated near pulikkugai, etc. Unless the complete information is given as soon as the excavation is completed, it is difficult to filter history out of it.
4. Monuments
As Satish stated in a feedback to one of varalaaru.com articles, very few monuments have explanations about the historical importance of monuments. Only the caution board mentioning the law sections under which this monument is protected are no use for public. In those very few monuments also, information provided were proved to be wrong in later days. It is very important to update them and give right information to public. The best examples are the boards kept at the entrance of Five rathas and Big temple.
5. Fund utilisation
We heard that some years ago, funds allocated to State arch. dept. by tamilnadu government for publishing the research articles were returned back to the government without publishing anything and government reduced the amount after that. If such funds were utilised properly and atleast 1 book was brought out, history lovers would have been happy. Hope the samething is not happening with ASI.
6. Renovations
I dont know the reason why stucco is pasted over the sculptures during renovations. It was very painful when we saw Gangai konda cholapuram sculptures after renovation by ASI. Entire vimanam and all sculptures were covered with stucco and pink color paint. The original beauty is lost. When we compared with old photographs, the features also had changed a lot. Such modified versions will definitely cause confusions during the temple studies. Samething happened in Kanchipuram Kailasanathar temple vimaanam and Srinivasanallur Kurakkanathar temple also. In these 2 temples, only sculptures in ground floor are left as it is. The temple Mahendravarmeswaram inside the Kanchi kailasanathar complex is completely restructured with stucco. Why such activities are engaged?
7. Politics
I am not sure if this problem is easily resolvable. In a way, what Satish said in his mail is true. Politics is one of the obstacles in the path of ASI. It is not by politicians. But because of the internal politics between officers. In the past 3 years, we have witnessed many events related to the coldwar between ASI and State archeology department as well as within ASI employees. I dont want to mention the names and events elobarately since i am sure you are well aware of such politics. But definitely this reduces the productivity and a barrier to publish the findings.
8. Commission
Many people (we also used to) think that ASI employees have less scope for putting money into their pockets in illegal ways. But some recent incidents and information from related people made us to think that it is no lesser than a taluk office or road contractor business. Sometimes ago, we were shocked hearing that most of the officers in the hierarchy get a percentage from the fund alloted for maintenance/renovation of each monument. What is the point in blaming politicians alone?
9. New undertakings
Heard that ASI has stopped undertaking new monuments. I dont know the reason behind such decision. The ultimate result will reflect on monuments only. If ASI is not undertaking, who else will have interest to save them? Many more monuments will be added to the list of Malaiyadikkurichi, Thiruppattur Kailasanathar, etc. Dr.Kalaikkovan is trying for past several years to make this Kailasanathar temple as a protected monument. But no luck so far. Fortunately, Pullamangai was protected after the joint effort by Dr.Kalaikkovan and Dr.Kudavoil Balu.
Hope you will take all these comments positively and request you to let the group know how these points are addressed by ASI.
1. Stating that a study about the past represented in form like artefacts, monuments, inscription etc., etc., - is complete is absurd. Finding new facts, new interpretation adds charm and keeps the interest alive in subject like history. The statement that your team is confident that the monuments studied have been understood in totality is something can not be accepted. A study should pose more problems than solves it. Past is like wine and women. It intoxicates you more when it becomes older. The research activities at ASI will continue forever. In fact, when ASI was formed in 1860's then the British government that a decade is sufficient to understand and document Indian monumental heritage. What an underestimate? Possibly they did not complete the work that is why there was still an opportunity at Tiruvalanjuli. 2. The controversy like the instance quoted by you is very common. Are your team didn't hide any thing? Or escape away from some statement uttered incidentally a la makutagama? To err is human. To hide from error is mundane. To accept the error is humility. One should choose. Anecdotes are there that even giants have erred. Great people correct themselves immediately. The mundane argue incessantly. ASI as an institution should not be pointed at for issues raised by individuals, even though they belonged to that institution. 3. The academics of ASI always published in one way or other the fundamental aspects of their research immediately in the academic fora. The publication of significant results as news item is also a part of this endeavour that we need to reach those interested persons like you who do not have time and access to academic fora. Such information is quite sufficient for interpretation. But the crux of the issue with the other academics is that they need the comprehensive information so that the context with which the discoveries have been made could be verified. 4. This is being attended to. Mainly problem arise from the public themselves. They want us to substantiate the stories they hear about the monuments. Then the language. We had to keep the information in three languages. The board becomes so large it irritates the connoisseurs. They in turn complain. Then the simplicity of language. In my experience, writing a 100 word note on Five rathas is the most difficult task than writing a book on Tiruvalanjuli. But 100 word note will be read by lakhs. 100 page book will not be even read by 10.That is the paradox. 5. The fund utilisation, in general, is much better in ASI. And the spending is just and honest and spent for the purpose it is meant for. 6. Applying a fine stucco layer over the old worn out stucco cover is an accepted conservation measure and is a traditional, time tested method. Every conservation decision is taken in ASI after a comprehensive analysis of problems on hand. Conserve and Preserve has different meanings. Going to detail will lengthen the reply. 7. Which organisation is bereft of politics? Politics in its many avatars exists everywhere. Few individuals keep them away. Some tend to live by it. The new dame, so well paid, IT organisations too has politics at all levels. Politics exists even in family!!! It is a common human malaise like cold. Live with it. The consequences for people in government get is getting punished/criticised, because they are paid with the public money. In private organisation, you simply quit and still employed in a higher grade and pay in the competitor firm. 8. The entire financial and human resource of India, if not more, is required to preserve India's heritage. How many of us are ready to share the burden? To how many ECONOMISTS preserving the heritage is an indicator of growth? Rajaraja mobilised his every resource to create a great edifice. How much of our resources are spent on preserving them? Individually, those, who are committed, spend our resources, mainly time, to the maximum. Had we not spent that much time in sharing our knowledge with persons? In a state where there is severe resource crunch, heritage is given the least priority. 9. Institutions are made up of individuals. If individuals are good, the institutions are good. Malaise is there everywhere. They need to be cured. Not publicised.
Know what is the easiest title to obtain.- HISTORIAN anybody can go about , climb a few temples, take a few photographs, read a few inscriptions all in a couple of years and claim to be a complete historian.
then you can write articles, give opinions, challenge career historians who have spent a lifetime on these issues and generally go about saying everybody else is wrong . only we are right.
TRY DOING this in physics or chemistry. you cant. for everything there is a verifiable commodity or issue. you cant even do it in geography. you can get away with it in history only and quite some people seem to know it well.
and Fault finding of recent is the biggest thing that can get somebody some publicity. when a general press article comes about some historical discovery a hastily constructed article appears in Varalaaru.com saying that discovery is false. the time gap between the two is so less that we can see people have not paused even to think.or visit the place for a re-look. thats mainly because of the know all attitude. but of recent these type of articles have given varalaaru.com such a negative outlook. like the sole crusader out to disprove everything. I only hope articles dont appear in aananda vikadan about MGR samadhi or Anna Samathi for varalaaru .com is sure to comment even on their authenticity.
very happy to read mails on unpublishesd reports on ASi
my opinion based on my personal perceptionon realities.
Basically all government offices depend on decision making top management and administrative people.
in orissa intersted people of archeology &related people on history runnning behind accounts people for audit and other claims.
so many un identical people like us running for survival.
in orissa ,is treasure of un discoverd history burried under the forest ,earth etc.
But presentadminstrative measures not allowed any one to do their field of interst except money and protection for their families.
you know for all india epicrphical records and finding u have to run only to mysore. (sriraman and other deepartment people can accept this)
please read all epicraphical indica volumes , plates lying on the mysore museum ,copper plates,manuscripts lying on the particular centers can tell the truth.
If like INTACH,Sharma heritage centre, Rajamanikanar research institute,pudokottai library,rojar muttahiya research institutes,Reach foundation and many more their services to the past history.
please initiate peoples to do more work start from ur surroundings.
Sorry to intervene. I have stopped replying to such issues as I have learnt to live in a co-existing way becoz friends turn foe for no mistake of mine. But after reading things going on, I would only say one thing- and request members not to continue for my reply as a thread. I agree fully with Mr.Sriraman. I have been fortunate to move closely with the greats like Dr.T.Satyamurthy, thanks to our temple revival organisation the R.E.A.C.HFoundation which was successfully registered and plans are afoot to rebuild the Uthiramerur Kailasanatha temple. He is one man with so much knowledge and experience, but has the greatest virtue of remaining aploitical when adversities or unsavoury comments come forth. He just clears technical doubts, when asked for. HE replies with correct documentation and theroy when a detail is dealt with. That's the sign of a true historian. Also, when help is needed to estimate the expenses for any reconstruction of a temple, or to read a stone scripture, he immediately sends his ex-ASI friends or collegues to complete the task. I was also thinking it would benefit guys if we send them to varalaaru.com. Later when I found that only few want to own articles as well as history (lol) and in that process, also the name they could get along with (varalaaru.com), I resisted myself doing so. Sorry to say this members. True history is lying somewhere. We need to be a learner and an observer than become authoritarians. This is for the sake of honouring true historians and not to create a blemish to their work done, so far; Let us learn facts of history.I am sure, except a few in our group (countable) most are novices in history. No intention of insulting members of varalaaru. If they wish to stop contacting me for any help I would render, it is their choice. I am what I am, ready to help anyone, registration procedures, running around to organise things, meetings, for arranging temple visits, take snaps or write on the visits etc, and to hold a BIG BOWL TO BEG ( no shame on that) for REACH foundation to rebuild temples. Thanks for your valuable time. Chandrasekaran (plasticschandra)
===== People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them. - George Bernard Shaw ==============================