Latest news with #AmarnathRamakrishna
Scroll.in
29-05-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
ASI denies it is ‘uninterested' in publishing Keeladi excavation report
The Archaeological Survey of India on Thursday denied allegations that it was uninterested in publishing the reports about the Keeladi excavation in Tamil Nadu. 'That the ASI is uninterested in publication of Keeladi report is a figment of imagination which aims purposefully to paint the department in bad colours,' the department said in a statement. The Archaeological Survey of India's statement came following reports earlier in May that the department had directed archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna to resubmit his report on the Keeladi excavations after making corrections suggested by two experts. Ramakrishna, who led the discovery of the Sangam-era site near Madurai, had submitted more than two years ago the report detailing the first two phases of the excavation. The Indian Express had reported on Sunday that Ramakrishna had refused to revise the report, defending the findings and methodology that was used in documenting details about the archaeological site. The Archaeological Survey of India said on Thursday that the letter from the director (excavations and explorations) 'is a routine matter, which the director regularly writes to the excavators for carrying out changes in the report or otherwise'. 'Great emphasis is given to this aspect [publishing reports about excavated sites], since much time, energy and money is spent on every excavation work and the basic purpose of the excavation work otherwise, remains unfulfilled,' the department said. It added: 'In a set process, after the submission of the reports by the excavators, those are then sent to various subject experts, who are requested to vet the reports for publication. Various alterations, as suggested by the subject experts, are carried out by the excavators and resubmitted finally for publication.' The procedure was adopted in case of the Keeladi too, the Archaeological Survey of India said. 'Accordingly, the excavator of the Keeladi has been communicated the suggestions of the experts for making necessary correction in the draft report submitted by him, but he did not carry out the correction till date,' the statement said. The department said that the 'story being circulated in a part of the media is misleading, untrue and is being absolutely and vehemently denied'. All reports need proper vetting, editing, proof reading and designing before it is sent for publication, it added. Keeladi has been at the centre of a political debate in recent years. Ramakrishna, who led the two excavation phases at Keeladi between 2014 and 2016, had unearthed more than 5,500 artefacts pointing to an urban civilisation in Tamil Nadu during the Sangam era. The Sangam era is the period between 3rd century before common era to the 3rd century common era in southern India. In 2017, the Archaeological Survey of India transferred Ramakrishna to Assam. Political parties had described this move as 'unusual' at the time, The New Indian Express reported. The discovery had attracted widespread attention and was viewed as an attempt to downplay the excavation's significance, according to The Hindu.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
ASI dismisses claim of disinterest in publishing Keeladi report as ‘figment of imagination'
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday (May 29, 2025) dismissed as a 'figment of imagination' the allegation that it is disinterested in publishing the report on the Keeladi excavation. It called such claims misleading and an attempt to malign the department. Recently, the ASI had asked archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed an ancient civilisation in Keeladi in Sivaganga district, to resubmit his report about the excavation after making necessary corrections for taking further action. However, Mr. Ramakrishna defended his conclusions and refused to revise the findings. In a statement released through the Press Information Bureau, the ASI said it regularly publishes reports on excavated sites and places great emphasis on this aspect, since much time, energy, and money are invested in every excavation. Without publication, the basic purpose of the excavation remains unfulfilled. After the submission of reports by excavators, they are sent to subject experts for vetting. Various alterations, as suggested by the subject experts, are carried out by the excavators and resubmitted finally for publication. The reports are eventually published as Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India (MASI). 'The same procedure was adopted in case of the Keeladi report, wherein the report was sent for vetting to experts. Accordingly, the excavator of Keeladi was communicated the suggestions of the experts for making necessary corrections in the draft report submitted by him, but he did not carry out the corrections till date,' the ASI said. 'The story being circulated in a part of the media is misleading and untrue. The Director General and the ASI officials understand the importance of an excavated site, but all reports need proper vetting, editing, proofreading, and designing before being sent for publication. That the ASI is uninterested in publication of the Keeladi report is a figment of imagination, which aims purposefully to paint the department in bad colours,' it added.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Union government trying to hide ancient civilisation of Tamils: DMK youth wing
Expressing strong reservations against the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for seeking revision of the report on the findings of the Keezhadi excavations, the DMK youth wing on Sunday charged the BJP government was trying to hide the ancient civilisation and history of Tamil Nadu A resolution to the effect was passed at the State level meeting of the DMK youth wing organisers chaired by its leader and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. The resolution said archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, in his report submitted in January 2023, had conclusively established that the ancient urban civilisation of Tamils dated back 2,200 years. However the ASI delayed the publication of the report. When the issue was raised in the Parliament, it was said the report would be released soon. However, the ASI had now returned the report asking Mr Ramakrishna to resubmit his findings by making necessary corrections. It was condemnable. This showed the BJP government was unwilling to accept that the urban civilisation of Tamils was dating back to 2,200 years and it was trying to hide the history of Tamil Nadu. The DMK youth wing, through another resolution, condemned the BJP government for 'misusing' the President and Vice President to disrespect the Supreme Court's landmark judgment on rights of State governments. The forces that were hostile to the federal structure and principle, were using shortcuts to question the Supreme Court's judgment, the resolution alleged. The meeting also passed a resolution expressing tribute to the victims of Pahalgam terror attack and commending the Indian Army for the Operation Sindoor.
Scroll.in
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
ASI asks archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna to rework his Keeladi excavation report
The Archaeological Survey of India has directed archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna to resubmit his report on the Keeladi excavations after making corrections suggested by two experts, The Hindu reported on Thursday. Ramakrishna, who led the discovery of the Sangam-era site near Madurai, had submitted more than two years ago the 982-page report detailing the first two phases of the excavation. Political debate about Keeladi Keeladi has been at the centre of a political debate in recent years. Ramakrishna, who led the two excavation phases at Keeladi between 2014 and 2016, had unearthed more than 5,500 artefacts pointing to an urban civilisation in Tamil Nadu during the Sangam era. The Sangam era is the period between 3rd century before common era to the 3rd century common era in southern India. In 2017, the Archaeological Survey of India transferred Ramakrishna to Assam. Political parties had described this move as 'unusual' at the time, The New Indian Express reported. The discovery had attracted widespread attention and Ramakrishna's transfer was viewed as an attempt to downplay the excavation's significance, according to The Hindu. The government agency carried out the third phase of the excavation. But it announced in 2017 that no significant findings had emerged and halted the excavation. The decision was criticised by politicians in Tamil Nadu, who accused the Union government of attempting to suppress evidence of an ancient Tamil civilisation, according to The Hindu. However, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court asked the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology to take over the excavation, the Deccan Herald reported. The eleventh phase of excavation will take place in June. About 20,000 artefacts have been recovered from Keeladi since 2014. In the report submitted in 2023, Ramakrishna – who is now the director of antiquities – relied on accelerator mass spectrometry dating of 23 artefacts, which determined that they were from around 300 CE, the Deccan Herald reported. Using this data, he established the chronological span of the Keeladi site to be between 8th century BC and 3rd century CE. Changes recommended In a letter on Wednesday, Archaeological Survey of India's Director (Exploration and Excavation) HA Naik informed Ramakrishna that two experts had recommended corrections to his draft report to make it ' more authentic ', the Deccan Herald reported. The letter noted that the classification of the three cultural periods needed clearer nomenclature or reorientation, and that the proposed timeline – 8th century BCE to 5th century BCE – required 'concrete justification'. The Archaeological Survey of India also flagged gaps in the report's documentation, according to The Hindu. The government agency said that referencing only the depth of artefacts was not adequate and that layer numbers were necessary for 'consistent' comparison. It further noted that several maps, including the village layout, were unclear, and key components like plates, contour maps, stratigraphic illustrations and trench layout plans were either absent or needed refinement, the newspaper added. Former Indian Administrative Services officer R Balakrishnan, author of Journey of a Civilisation: Indus to Vaigai, described the Archaeological Survey of India's move as unprecedented and likely driven by the 'pressure of history', The Hindu reported. Balakrishnan said that the government agency's approach to southern archaeology had consistently been lacking. 'We have been seeing a clear bias,' The Hindu quoted him as saying. 'In a multicultural country like India, history requires careful and responsible handling.'
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Hindu Morning Digest: May 23, 2025
Month after terror attack, Pahalgam tourist spots remain silent From Betaab Valley to Bobby Hut, close to a dozen tourist spots in Pahalgam, once buzzing with activity, have remained silent following the massacre of 26 tourists a month ago. The incident has dealt a blow to the tourism sector, devastating hoteliers and dashing the hopes of many youth who relied on tourism for their livelihoods. Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign students The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country. ASI asks archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna who was in charge of Keezhadi excavations to rewrite report The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has asked archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed an ancient civilisation in Keezhadi near Madurai, to resubmit his report about the excavation after making necessary corrections for taking further action. A letter from the ASI said two experts had suggested corrections in the report submitted by Mr. Ramakrishna, who was in charge of the excavation, to make it 'more authentic.' Kiru hydel corruption case: CBI files charge sheet against former J&K Governor Satyapal Malik, 7 others The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against former Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and seven others in connection with alleged irregularities in the award of ₹2,200-crore civil works for the Kiru hydroelectric power project, according to agency officials. EAM Jaishankar interacts with members of German Parliament, chairs conference of Indian Ambassadors in Europe External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday (May 22, 2025) interacted with members of the German parliament during his official visit to the country. The EAM held discussions on wide-ranging topics, including India's firm commitment to combatting terrorism in all forms and manifestations. Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance till Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism: India India on Thursday once again asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will remain in 'abeyance' until Islamabad 'credibly and irrevocably' abjures support to cross-border terrorism as 'water and blood' cannot flow together. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said that any bilateral talks with Islamabad will only be on vacation of illegally occupied territories of Kashmir by Pakistan. Supreme Court indicates mandatory registration of waqfs began in 1923, not in 2025 The Supreme Court on Thursday said a requirement to mandatorily register waqfs dated back to 1923, and did not start with the Waqf (Amendment) Act of 2025. Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, heading a Bench comprising Justice A.G. Masih, asked why waqfs across the country, including waqfs by user, had not bothered to register themselves all these years. Israel blames Europe after embassy staff shot dead in U.S. International tensions over anti-Semitism erupted on Thursday after two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead at a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted 'free Palestine' as he was arrested. Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar blamed European criticism of his country's stepped-up Gaza offensive, claiming 'a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder.' SC directs Karnataka Government to release TDR certificates in favour of royal family heirs The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Karnataka government to release Transferable Development Rights (TDR) certificates of over ₹3,000 crore for 15 acres and 39 guntas of Bangalore Palace Grounds acquired for widening the Ballari and Jayamahal roads to the legal heirs of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family. IPL 2025 GT vs LSG | Marsh's explosive ton sets up a comfortable win for Super Giants Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, two shining specks for Lucknow Super Giants in its otherwise dull IPL 2025 campaign, did the bulk of the scoring as the already eliminated side did the double on Gujarat Titans by 33 runs on Thursday at Ahmedabad.
