Speaking Archaeologically™

Why, ASI?  That's the question I ask myself each time I visit any poor site unfortunately in the clutches of the so-called "efficient control" of the Archaeological Survey.  However, things get even more muddled up in the rare case of good conservation that ASI has at long last managed despite themselves. To photograph or not to photograph, that is the question one has in every ASI museum and usually the answer is not to photograph because to hell with whoever you are! When it's an ASI museum, even if the artefacts are languishing in neglect and you're the one researcher who can do so much for it only if you're allowed to keep a visual record photographically, they will still turn you down! The things, however, are not so simple at Mattancherry Palace in Kochi. Now, if you ask at the desk, they'll tell you it's okay to photograph as long as it's without flash because it's got frescoes and quite understandably you don't want to c...

Disclaimer: The following account includes screaming kids, a tik tok video shoot, attempts to enter a locked baoli, dogs lazing around, and yes! A site cover. You are still in that holiday stupor even though your holidays have ended. Imagine then getting a text one day on your class group saying that all your classes are cancelled. Wouldn’t you just have a big goofy smile on your face and snuggle right back into your covers? Or just spend the whole day lazing around and catching up on Netflix (Kdramas for me please)? No, no. That wasn’t the case with me though. Rather the first waking thought that came to my mind was, “Ah great I finally have some time to do a site cover”. Yes you read that right. A site cover, something that I would later find to be challenging yet extremely fun by the end of it. And before you think of me as someone crazy, hear me out!   I had embarked on the quest of exploring the ‘Baolis of Delhi’ initially as a part of my research project, something ...

On a drive to Dharamshala via Gaggal, you would hardly recognise that your vehicle passed a place, where, once a Buddhist stupa existed. The site in the village of Chaitru was accidentally discovered, when the same road was being laid from Pathankot to Dharamshala in the early 1900s. The cutting of a mound for the construction of the road yielded a head of the Buddha (now in the possession of Lahore Museum, Pakistan) along with the remains of brick and pebble structures, red and micaceous redware pottery sherds and few terracotta and copper objects of Kushana Period(2nd to 3rd century CE). Image 1: The not so noticeable notice boards at the entrance which mention the name of site on a fading rusted board. The site locally known as Bhima ka Tila (or Bhima's Mound), is believed to be formed, when Bhima, one of the five Pandavas , dusted his feet here. The site, until the Archaeological Survey of India took over, hosted the annual village fair, which also featured wrestli...

‘ I asked my Soul, "What is Delhi?" She replied, "The world is the body and Delhi is its life.’"  – Mirza Ghalib These lines by Mirza Ghalib beautifully summarize my love for Delhi and it's ruins that lay around the city. Though it looks like a small part of this world, its essence can make anyone fall in love with this city. It’s the charm that the historical sites exude, resplendent with various stories and cultural motifs, that make them all the more endearing. Trust me, historical sites,with a whiff of earthly smell and a dash of adventure, are replete in Delhi. Especially on the adventure part. Seriously.  It is with this romanticism that I got out of my bed. On a Sunday morning that is. Alright before I get tagged as someone crazy for doing this, hear me out. We were supposed to cover the Baolis of Delhi, something that started as just a part of Simran’s research project but later, literaly became something more. Baolis , a.k.a. stepwells now defunct and ...

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” -Robert Frost On a chilly winter morning, three bravehearts— or let's just say three girls from the Research Wing Delhi Group at Speaking Archaeologically—took upon themselves the task of exploring the baolis of Delhi. Though I might have sounded as if  we were going to fight a war in Siachen, yet it was a war with lax bureaucracy, nonetheless.  We started our job with the baolis of Mehrauli on a working day and on the 41 acres of sparsely populated area with almost no security, we were welcomed by a guard who looked at us as if we were loons. Our day was set, we were supposed to study about the baolis and compose a vulnerability report. However, instead of taking the trodden part we thought of digressing a bit. What could possibly go wrong with that? So, led on the road not taken by just our curiosity , we came across a sign board that read Bagh Nazir, ironically next...

Archaeology, ancient history and stone tools: how fascinating do all these words sound to you? Well, they certainly do to me or to anyone at Speaking Archaeologically, a.k.a. the College History Association that has gone too far. Which is why, on the fine Sunday morning of August 11, 2019, as Lord Indra of the Vedas  showered his blessings on his human subjects relentlessly, I headed towards the Natural History Museum in Chandigarh.  It was a nostalgic feeling for me, as the venue for workshop was near my Alma mater. As a student of arts, I had attended numerous workshops, but this one was going to be different, as this one was about stone tools and not much artsy. I was excited as this was the first workshop of the season 2019-2020 at Speaking Archaeologically conducted by one of the members of the Research Wing, Mayank Singh.  We were asked to come prepared with graphs, pencils and tracing papers in advance, so I did. As I stepped into the museum, I saw a group of...