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The Hindu
13 hours ago
- The Hindu
DakshinaChitra's exhibition on hero stones celebrates culture in ancient Tamil Nadu
It is the last weekend before school begins, and Chennai's famed DakshinaChitra is crowded with families. At the Varija Art Gallery a group of college students is putting together tactile clay objects they have helped create. Anitha Pottamkulam, director, Culture, DakshinaChitra, says, 'The Immortal Valors: Hero Stones of Tamil Nadu is an extraordinary exhibition curated by DakshinaChitra in collaboration with Tamil Nadu's Department of Archaeology, Roja Muthiah Research Library and Yaakkai Heritage Trust. On these pictorial representations come alive stories etched in stone — of bravery, sacrifice and ancestral homage spanning over two millennia. It invites you to discover the fascinating world of nadukal, the legendary hero stones that immortalise Tamil warriors who gave their lives in war, cattle conflicts, and protection of their villages. Museums say 'don't touch' but to bring these fascinating stories from the fringe to the mainstream, we have created tactile versions.' 'There are three ways you can date an inscription,' says Prof Rajan on a phone call, having just stepped away from an archaeological site where he is working. 'The first is based on content — name of the king, regnal year... Assuming that this is not available, the content may denote the political geography of the region or the territorial division which may have emerged after a certain period (names of dynasty or names of chieftains also give clues). The third is paleography — initially vatta ezhuthu script and later Tamil script. The shift from the first to the second happened in the late Pallava period. In addition, sculptural representation on the stone helps date them. Early stones have shields and swords, bow and arrow, and are on cattle raids. Later ones have details on capturing land and villages, a sign of social transformation.' Hero stones populated the Tamil land 'from 4BC to the 5th Century as just stones with inscriptions. Post that, figures made their appearance, from 6th Century to 9th Century — this is when most of the memorial stones were created. A new range came up after the 10th Century, not just for heroes but also on sati and sanyasis. During the Vijayanagara period, inscriptions were done away with and only sculptural representations were found. By the Colonial period, they started fading', says Rajan, adding that the oldest hero stone in India is found in Pulimankombai in Theni district on the banks of the Vaigai. Whether the 'hero' has been buried at the scene of action or brought home and buried is a question that begs to be asked. 'Only if we excavate under them and find the skeletal remains will we know. But these stones are worshipped, and out of deference to the dead, this has not been done,' he adds. In a land profuse with such cultural artefacts that define both time and territory, the onus of discovering, protecting and pushing for their study also falls on the citizen-historian. Which is where institutions such as the Coimbatore-based Yaakkai Heritage Trust, founded in 2017 by Sudhakar Nalliyappan to create awareness and conserve cultural heritage, step in. Sudhakar, president of Yaakkai, found his way to history through degrees in Computer Science and Tamil Studies. 'I was fond of travel and discovered hidden facets of our culture when on the road. Information was available, but scattered, and bringing this microhistory under one umbrella was our focus. Memorial stones are written in common dialects of the region. We have GPS-pinned nearly 1,200 stones and involved locals in their discovery and preservation. This gives them a sense of ownership. Almost 150 students intern with us. We also work to conserve prehistoric rock paintings and megalithic sites. Heritage should also be made part of CSR activity — it opens up funding. Time and knowledge investment is our biggest contribution,' says Sudhakar, adding that volunteers are from different fields but follow their passion post-work and on weekends travelling and learning methods of preservation. This knowledge now hangs on photographs with details of the memorial stones at the gallery. There are also 3D models created by the interning college students. The exhibition invites you to travel back and forth, but it follows the narrative that connects modern people with the way we were. The exhibition is on till July 20 (10am-6pm) at DakshinaChitra, Muttukadu. Closed on Tuesdays.
The Advertiser
25-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Checking in to this Ho Chi Minh City hotel is like going back in time
The Majestic is an original art deco hotel, decorated over with dubious Chinese bling. The marble lobby is almost convincing, with a pleasing row of wall clocks and some passable leadlighting, but it's brought down a bit by laughable statuary. Despite this, the public areas display a certain commercially savvy sense of the building's history. If you squint hard, you can almost see things the way they were. In the Colonial wing, a plaque by the door of room 103 remembers Japanese writer Takeshi Kaiko, who lived there for a time in 1965-66 and wrote a series of articles that fired up the anti-war movement in Japan. The hotel claims it has been preserved as Kaiko left it, although this seems unlikely since there are several large pictures of the writer on the walls.
Canberra Times
25-05-2025
- Canberra Times
Checking in to this Ho Chi Minh City hotel is like going back in time
The Majestic is an original art deco hotel, decorated over with dubious Chinese bling. The marble lobby is almost convincing, with a pleasing row of wall clocks and some passable leadlighting, but it's brought down a bit by laughable statuary. Despite this, the public areas display a certain commercially savvy sense of the building's history. If you squint hard, you can almost see things the way they were. In the Colonial wing, a plaque by the door of room 103 remembers Japanese writer Takeshi Kaiko, who lived there for a time in 1965-66 and wrote a series of articles that fired up the anti-war movement in Japan. The hotel claims it has been preserved as Kaiko left it, although this seems unlikely since there are several large pictures of the writer on the walls.
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Ben Griffin and Matti Schmid share lead going into final round at Colonial, but No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurks
They certainly can't overlook Scheffler, who was tied for seventh place after a 64 that trimmed his 10-stroke deficit to six. Advertisement Scheffler, coming off his third major Scheffler was on the Advertisement Rickie Fowler shot 67 and was alone in third. He will be in the final group with the co-leaders Sunday, when Schmid seeks his first PGA Tour victory and Griffin his first individual title after pairing with Andrew Novak to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last month. 'I haven't been far off for quite a while. I've seen glimpses here and there of some really good golf,' the 36-year-old Fowler said. 'Looking forward to tomorrow. Everyone is very good, so experience does help, but we've got a couple of guys that are out there a little ways in front of me, and see if we can go chase them down.' Fowler, who has dropped to 127th in the world after being in the top 25 as recently as early 2024, hasn't won since the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit that was his sixth victory and Robert MacIntyre and Lucas Glover also shot 64. MacIntyre was tied for fourth with Nick Hardy and Akshay Bhatia at 8 under, with Glover two strokes behind that. Griffin and Schmid both had birdies on the first three holes Saturday to get to 14 under and quickly create some separation from the rest of the field. All three birdie putts by Griffin were 7 feet or less, while Schmid had a 40-footer at the 461-yard third hole. They remained tied until Griffin's approach at No. 5 adjacent to the Trinity River was out of bounds and resulted in a double-bogey 6. He then missed the green with his approach at the sixth hole before two-putting from 14 feet for bogey. Griffin got two strokes back with birdies at No. 8 and at No. 10 with a 35-footer. That got him to 13 under, and Schmid dropped back to that when he drove into the right rough and then hit into a bunker on way to a bogey at the 637-yard par-5 11th. Advertisement Scheffler, who teed off more than two hours before the co-leaders, was at 8 under after his eagle at No. 11, where he got on the green in two shots and made the 15-foot putt. That followed consecutive birdies as Nos. 9 and 10, and starting the back nine with an approach to 2½ feet. But back-to-back bogeys followed after Scheffler hit tee shots into bunkers at Nos. 12 and 13. He got those strokes back with birdies at Nos. 16 and 17, only to miss the fairway at No. 18 to finish with another bogey. The only player to win the Byron Nelson and Colonial in the same season was Ben Hogan in 1946. Scheffler earlier this month
National Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Griffin, Schmid share lead going into final round at Colonial
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ben Griffin and Matti Schmid matched each other again Saturday, and will go into Sunday's final round at Colonial tied four strokes ahead of the field and with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurking not much further back. Article content Griffin and Schmid each shot 2-under 68 after fast starts they didn't maintain. They were at 13-under 197 after posting the same score for the third straight day at the Charles Schwab Challenge. They followed opening 66s and then 63s that put them in the lead together. Article content Rickie Fowler shot 67 and at 201 will be paired with the co-leaders in the final group when Schmid seeks his first PGA Tour victory and Griffin his first individual title after pairing with Andrew Novak to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last month. Article content The 36-year-old Fowler, who has dropped to 127th in the world after being in the top 25 as recently as early 2024, hasn't won since the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit that was his sixth victory and ended a four-year winless streak. Coming off his third major victory at the PGA Championship a week ago, Scheffler began the day 10 strokes back before a 6-under 64 that got him to 7 under and within six strokes. He would have been closer if not for three bogeys his last seven holes. But, with another big round on Sunday, he still has a chance to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win in three starts in a row. Article content Robert MacIntyre and Lucas Glover also shot 64. MacIntyre was in a tie for fourth with Nick Hardy and Akshay Bhatia at 8 under. Article content Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is in an 11-way tie for 32nd at 3 under, 10 shots behind the leaders. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is tied for 69th at 2 over. Article content Scheffler was on the wrong end of one of the biggest comebacks at Colonial, three years ago when Sam Burns overcame a seven-shot deficit in the final round and beat his good friend on playoff hole. That matched Nick Price's record seven-shot comeback in 1994, when he caught Scott Simpson and won on the first extra hole. Article content Griffin and Schmid both had birdies on the first three holes Saturday to get to 14 under and quickly create some separation from the rest of the field. All three birdie putts by Griffin were 7 feet or less, while Schmid had a 40-footer at the 461-yard third hole. Article content They remained tied until Griffin's approach at No. 5 adjacent to the Trinity River was out of bounds and resulted in a double-bogey 6. He then missed the green with his approach at the sixth hole before two-putting from 14 feet for bogey.
