Speaking Archaeologically™

Having had more than 2 months off of SA, it was time to get back to work. And, what better way of doing it than working on a topic that relates to you and your region, and with a partner you are more than happy to work with(yes, I do mean Rakshanda Thakur!). So, we started to work with a rather uncharacteristic way, before time. Most of the early work involved discussions that were more familiar situations on not talking about actual work.  Time went by, it was the final day before submission. We had read all that we could, went to museums and handloom stores, met with people, interviewed them,  shared our findings, so it was finally time to ask Shriya to repeat the briefing she gave us at the start of the task! Finally, after the much needed push from her began the writing part.   Work was divided as it usually is by this stage in a task, it was time to translate our knowledge into words. With a partner who is as comfortable and familiar with a topi...

Apurva Kohli standing in front of the Former Prince of Wales Museum As someone who has known Shriya Gautam almost all her life as well as one's own, a must do when one visits a new city is to ask Shriya where to go and what to explore. The visit to this Museum was a result of one such inquisitive conversation with Shriya. She told me to visit the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai, where I was headed in March 2016. After we arrived at the Gateway of India from the trip to Elephanta Caves(more on that later!), I with two of my friends, Priyanka and Geetanjali went on in search of the Museum. It was only when we reached a certain Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalya, when we realise that our destination was reached.Yes, this was the new name of Prince of Wales Museum. It was already 4pm when we entered the Museum and came to know that it closes at 6pm. We only had a few hours to cover the huge place, so we quickly bought the tickets at a very nominal rate. On...

An aerial view of Dagshai  My visit to the small hill town of Dagshai, began in the unlikeliest of scenarios, when a close acquaintance, an alumni of APS Dagshai, a noted school of the army cantonment, was paying me a visit in Chandigarh.  The Catholic Cemetery blanketed in moss and ferns A mere 60kms separate the two cities, and the road up until the mountaintop offers an unparalleled experience for avid travelers like myself. By late afternoon we arrived in Dagshai, with the sun kissed town looking as radiant as the shy afternoon sun itself. The Heritage Museum  The road treads past the memorial of Maj. Uday Singh at the very entrances of the town, alongside the wall which bore the insignia of every regiment of the Indian Army that had been posted at Dagshai, followed by campus of APS entirely built by during the British occupation if the region. The style of architecture was predominantly Tudorbethan and Neo- Gothic, whi...

Deepika Sharma,  Citizen Archaeology Member The one thing I have learnt about life is you never know what is planned for you the next moment. Call me a fatalist,  but I have had so many instances cementing my belief in fatalism that this particular episode isn't even the first of the many but I am going totalk about it anyway. Not so long ago, I was on a vacation after finishing Grade 12, the final year of school, spending time in Shimla. It was a peaceful and rather languid phase; that sweet interstice  between finishing school and joining a college. Nothing was planned and I liked it that way, especially after all the exams and the stress. And then one day,  like a lightening bolt that hits you without warning, a phone call set things in motion for me again. It was my Aunt, and she needed me to pack everything I could possibly want.  Why?  Because we were headed for a trip! Just like that! (The  bolt from the blue  analogy wasn't en...

Each coin has a story to narrate, which may either be outlined on it's either side or hidden inside the covers of rust and dust. To get familiar to these hidden tales and to unfold the mysteries veiled in the metallic discs, the first workshop that was organised for the New Volunteers of Speaking Archaeologically was the Coinage Workshop.  The history of coins extends from the ancient times to the present, and is related to economic history, the history of minting technologies and the history shown by the engraved words and images. A single metal piece, unfurling a number of secrets is what attracts the lovers of this subject.  The workshop was held on the 4th of September at   S Cafe  and Bar, Chandigarh. The dim lights and the dusky-wooden shades adorning the walls of the Cafe created a perfect atmosphere. Without any delay, Shriya opened up the coins album which was welcomed all the energy that was present in the room. The enthusiasm and...

You'd think one won't be covering a Temple when one's first cousin is  getting   married !  Wrong! In the heart of my heart, I always knew that I took an off from supervising SAV India for this wedding, only because it was being held 10 minutes away from the Ancient Temple of Baijnath. You'd think a ten hour long drive on a topsy-turvy road, that included meandering our way through many village roads would be enough to exhaust anyone! The Baijnath Temple, Kangra,Himachal Pradesh, North India Oh, so wrong, again! There we were, in a hotel overlooking Binwa River, appropriately named Hotel Binwa View, and while my family was busy reuniting for the wedding, congratulating the groom, trying dresses on and discussing the events, but more importantly, resting, yours truly spent the better half of the night, talking to the man at the concierge, to the devout Aunt, to the encyclopaediac Uncle, gathering information on the site, which I was determined to visit t...

Fabric on Display When the word ‘Silk’ is mentioned, it immediately conjures an image of waves of light and luxurious fabric in bright jewel colours. However, when I get to talk about the ‘Silk Workshop’ of Speaking Archaeologically , all that I may ponder upon is the golden-mauve Thai Silk costume or the Chinese emerald-green Silk dress. After a series of written tasks, team tasks and Museum visits, the Silk Workshop acted as a source of recreation. The workshop was held in MCM DAV College, Chandigarh (Firstly, because the College staff calls it Shriya’s second home and secondly because more than half of the volunteers were students of this college,) A powerpoint presentation was prepared to highlight SA’s journey so far, it’s aim, achievements and all the activities that the volunteers were involved in.  Athira and Tarannum in  the traditional Chinese and Thai National Dresses    As I entered the Conference room, (the venue), the first ...

For my first task with Citizen Archaeology,I was given the most profound and yet intriguing part of Ancient Indian History, the Indus Valley Civilisation. Growing up, I had a fascination for the history of ancient urban civilisations. The magnitude of the cities always drew my interest, and when I was offered to cover the artefacts from one of these civilisations, I was more than happy to put in the extensive research for the task. I live in the vicinity of the National Museum, Delhi and I had already been a frequent visitor. This task gave me another opportunity to explore the museum one more time, this time with a more systematic approach. The museum had tuck loads of IVC artefacts, ranging form pottery to terracotta seals and toys, beside having  casts of the famed dancing girl and priest king. The task drew me closer to my topic. I got the answers to some of my questions, but, the ambiguity regarding the civilisation's rise, the advancement, the grandeur of their...