On a mission to preserve monuments in TN

Inspired by the historical fiction Ponniyin Selvan, a group of friends from the city travelled in the footsteps of Vandiyadevan from Kancheepuram to Kumbakonam and Thanjavur. During the journey, Jayakumar Baradwaj, one of the members, discovered that many monuments were in a bad shape and were given less attention than it deserved. To keep up the spirit alive, he initiated Prastara that work towards conservation, heritage management, and archaeology.

“I started off by organising outreach programmes in schools in rural areas in Tamil Nadu. There is a lack of knowledge about Tamil culture and history among the younger generation. It is very important for any individual to know one’s cultural past. There are too many options for the current generation. Introducing them to heritage and culture is a challenge in itself. What I understood during my interaction with the children is that if history and heritage are conveyed in an interesting way, they are ready to learn. I have met around 30,000 students so far and was lucky enough to share my knowledge with them. To make the interaction more interesting, I also take them for field trips,” Jayakumar tells us. He strongly feels that heritage management, archaeology and iconography should be added in the college/school curriculum.

During his travel, the Carnatic musician met many people who adore Tamil heritage and centuries-old monuments. “But sadly, most of the monuments in our state are in a dilapidated condition. Its high time historians and conservation architects came together to restore and preserve our monuments. What people aren’t realising by demolishing old structures is that we are wiping out important pieces of our history,” he says.

To get public involved in helping him create awareness, Jayakumar curates heritage trails as well. “When it comes to educating people about the big picture, it’s better to show them the reality. That’s how I collaborated with Sahapedia for heritage trails. Though it looks challenging, we needed to appreciate our heritage. More than the history of a place or a monument, there are a lot of untold myths and true stories, which are truly mind-blowing,” he smiles.

From a very young age, Jayakumar was passionate about history and architecture. Since he wanted to equip himself about Tamil culture, he pursued masters in History and Tamil Literature. He has been trained in reading epigraphy and Tamil inscription of the Chola era. “I am way too much involved with heritage and wanted more youngsters to come forward to carry out projects that will document the cultural heritage of India,” he remarks.