City group celebrates architectural history through monthly events

India has one of the oldest cultures in the world and we are blessed with a rich heritage. Though most of us are keen to know about Indian heritage, we don't have much information available to us. With an aim to promote, document and disseminate various aspects of heritage, a few enthusiasts from Chennai started an organisation called Tamil Heritage Trust (THT), ten years ago. They organise monthly talks on topics related to heritage and culture and also conduct intense heritage workshops. “India's heritage has its roots in music, dance, sculptures, fairs and festivals, languages, customs, food and more.

Understanding each of these with its long history can be a daunting experience. Moreover, there was no forum in Chennai to discuss or exchange information on heritage-related matters. All these triggered us to start Tamil Heritage Trust. Besides, while I was working in Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, I developed a deep and abiding interest in India’s fabulously rich heritage and made it my life’s mission to educate, inform and inspire interested audiences to learn more about it,” says one of the co-founders of THT, Prof S Swaminathan, a retired professor of Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi.

Their regular activities include monthly lectures (which are also cast live online) on various aspects of heritage, annual site seminars to heritage sites, pechchu kacheri during Margazhi on art subjects, presentations at schools to sensitise youngsters to heritage and co-ordination with Government culture and tourism agencies for supplementing their efforts.

"Our organisation provides a platform for the expert and the enthusiast to meet, to share their passion for heritage and spread their knowledge to the rest of society. The next generation doesn't understand the value of our heritage and I wanted youngsters to appreciate our rich heritage," he says.

Prof. S. Swaminathan will be celebrating his 80th birthday this year and to mark the occasion, THT will be hosting an event called ‘Being Swaminathan: Celebrating Prof. Swaminathan and his many splendoured contributions in his 80 years’ in the city on September 8 at Tamil Virtual Academy, Kotturpuram. "Swaminathan sir lived a most interesting life. His profession as an academic apart, we could describe him as a relentless purveyor of knowledge (a prolific speaker across the country on themes related to Indian heritage, history, and art), an institution-builder and writer, a curator and collector of whimsy (all that is odd, beautiful, rare and wonderful about life) and a true Indophile at heart. Most of the activities of Tamil Heritage Trust are conceived and now guided by him,” shares one of the THT members, Ravishankar Thyagarajan.