A tutorial on South Indian heritage for students going abroad

Chennai: It promises to be an orientation programme with a difference for those planning to go abroad for higher education. The South Indian Heritage supported by Ramu Endowments is organising a workshop on July 1, primarily to introduce the diverse and complex heritage of south India to students.At the centre of this workshop is the launch of a book — `South India Heritage - An Introduction' — authored by 47 scholars and edited by Prema Kasturi and Chithra Madhavan. Participants will receive a free copy during the workshop.

According to Ms. Madhavan, the book will help students gain an insight into south India's heritage. "It is not a text book. The book gives a bird's eye view on a variety of topics and will act as a ready reckoner," she explains. Most of the students, who go abroad, take the country's heritage and culture for granted."You see so much of it around. But when you go abroad and face questions about your heritage and culture, you realise that you don't have the answers. Then you want to know more about your roots. The book will come in handy for them," says Ms. Madhavan.

The book covers heritage under four major heads. It consists of chronologically arranged short articles that cover a variety of topics up till the 1900s.The general section looks at the interplay of geography, history and culture.The segment on politics traces the history of the four linguistic States — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — in a systematic manner up to the modern period. Special attention is given to individual socio-political struggles and achievements.

Under the socio-economic heritage section, the significance of festivals, tribal cultures, literary achievements and traditional systems will be outlined along with accounts of those individuals who contributed to the heritage. The cultural section covers the religious, cultural, architectural contributions of Hindus, Muslims and Christians in south India.The commercial edition of the book is being readied.The one-day workshop will be held at Tag Centre, 69, TTK Road, Alwarpet. Those from any of the southern States with a valid admission notice or authorised student visa to study abroad are eligible to participate. They can register by sending an email to shworkshop@tagcorporation.net or a letter to Tag Centre.The admission is free to eligible students. Preference will be given to 200 students on a first-come-first-served basis.