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The Hindu
17-07-2025
- The Hindu
CIIL to launch mobile app for learning 22 Indian languages
Shailendra Mohan, Director of CIIL, Mysuru, on Thursday announced two major initiatives to be launched by the end of this month - a mobile app for learning 22 Indian languages which will eventually expand to other mother tongues, and an AI-based language assessment system enabling nationwide proficiency testing. Presiding over the 57th foundation day of CIIL here, Mr. Mohan highlighted CIIL's technological advancements, including machine translation tools, text-to-speech systems, and multilingual corpora accessible via Mr. Mohan shared details about the translation of 'The Constitution of India' into 11 Indian languages and reaffirmed CIIL's dedication to linguistic diversity and its pivotal role in national language planning. Udaya Narayana Singh, former Director, CIIL, in his keynote address, spoke on the future of language and literature studies in India, and the urgent need for indigenous linguistic data to fuel Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and speech technology. He urged linguists to enrich Indian language archives and begin engaging in creative literature writing. Mr. Singh also advocated for the creation of a Museum of Voices to support endangered and tribal languages, and called for multilingual education in line with NEP-2020, culturally sensitive AI, and mobile applications for minority languages. He stressed using voice interfaces for non-literate users and proposed multilingual diagnostic tools to address the mental health issues of youth. Mr. Singh spoke on underexplored domains such as Forensic Linguistics and language in law, and laid out a 20-year vision blending cultural heritage with digital innovation for CIIL's future growth. Vice-chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, Prasad Joshi; Founder-Director of CIIL D.P. Pattanayak; and former Directors of CIIL Rajesh Sachdeva and C.G. Venkatesh Murthy also spoke at the event.
Scroll.in
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Remembering CM Naim (1936-2025): The conscience keeper of Urdu, who wrote fearlessly of its politics
Chaudhary Mohammad Naim, aka CM Naim, who passed away on July 9, 2025, at the age of 89, was a peerless scholar of Urdu literature who wrote prolifically in English. In that sense, Naim was also a conscience keeper since he regularly assessed the works of Urdu legends and Urdu studies in the more exacting standard that writing in English could provide him. He was born in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh and after studying at Lucknow University, Deccan College and the University of California, Berkeley, he remained associated with the University of Chicago for over four decades at the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilisations. Besides contributing enormously to South Asian studies, he also introduced some prominent and not-so-prominent Urdu literary works to a wider audience. It won't be out of place to call him a one-man industry. Apart from his vast scholarly output, he frequently wrote in the media. Letters to Hindustan Times, EPW and his columns in Outlook stand out for the fresh and sharp perspectives they offered. He never shied away from taking difficult positions. Obituaries published following his passing away rightly mention his books – the most recent one being Urdu Crime Fiction, 1890-1950: An Informal History. However, equally celebrated and forthright were some of his journal articles and writings in the media. A decade and a half ago, he wrote about the alleged plagiarism by the high priest of Urdu, Gopi Chand Narang. The plagiarism, highlighted by several people, including Fuzail Jaffrey and Imran Bhinder, acquired more weight as Naim expounded on it in his popular Outlook column. In his quest for objectivity and honest scholarship, even the greatest would come under the scanner. A journal article written in the wake of the 1965 India–Pakistan war examined the attitude and literary output of the prominent Urdu writers in both countries. Naim described Ali Sardar Jafri's piece in Dharmayug as having 'blatantly confused motives' and parts of eminent Hindi writer Kamaleshwar's rejoinder to it as 'unfair'. Khwaja Ahmed Abbas had accused Faiz Ahmed Faiz of tacitly supporting Pakistan's war mongering against India. According to Naim, the 'hypocrisy underlying Abbas' remarks needs no comment.' One has to read this article to appreciate the nuanced analysis from Naim of an important event that gave him the opportunity to point out certain plain truths. He highlighted that '…the elders of the Progressive Movement who over the years had come to form a kind of literary establishment, controlling magazines, radio and film industry jobs, and cultural embassies.' What stood out for me was his perceptive observation that two separate literary-cultural identities will emerge that will complement the existing separate national-political identities. Naim did not want Urdu writers to apologise for their politics, which was only stopping them from writing more freely. This was crucial, according to Naim, to generate an atmosphere of greater trust and respect akin to English language writers in England and America. While Naim had donned the hat of a critic when several of the Progressive Movement legends were alive and he never minced words, some of his critics would seek to reduce his stature by saying that he was teaching elementary Urdu to students in the US! Such invectives didn't bother him. A whole generation of scholars benefited from his stewardship of The Annual of Urdu Studies and his large-heartedness to help those who reached out to him. Although I never met him, I enjoyed and benefited much from our conversations over email, which began over a decade ago. For someone steeped deep in the Urdu ethos and who grew up in the environs around Lucknow of the 1940s and 1950s, he was uncharacteristically unbeholden to nostalgia. I think that stemmed from his catholicity of views and the ability to look at things from a long-term perspective. Five years ago, in an email he recounted his experience of attending a Progressive Writers Association meeting in Lucknow. 'In 1966, I happened to be in Barabanki when I read that a major meeting of the Association would be held in Lucknow to celebrate the 30th anniversary. I eagerly went and was horrified to see thatthe crowd consisted of fewer than 20 people. In Lucknow – the city where the Association began. In a city full of colleges and one university. Only the old, big names who had survived the years had come.' Naim held the view that the average Marathi and Bengali scholars knew more about literary theories than Urdu academics. He was also critical of scholars who had notions that a non-native academic could not do justice to Urdu studies. In response to one such tirade, he gave a sharp rejoinder, titling his piece 'Our ungenerous little world of Urdu Studies.' I have mentioned these nuggets to make the point that CM Naim, the person, was not different from C M Naim the scholar. His life was marked by humility, solid scholarship and measured words. Although it must be pointed out that if the occasion arose, he never shied away from using his meticulous observation and wisdom to great effect. He moved to the US in the late 1950s but continued his annual visits to India. Lucknow, the city of culture, was a regular visit for Naim, known for its two iconic bookstores: Ram Advani Booksellers in Hazratganj (which closed down in 2016) and Danish Mahal in Aminabad. Naim could easily be one of the most learned and treasured customers of both these stores and his passing away signifies the death of an icon who straddled multiple genres and cultures.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
India's second urbanisation: It's confirmed, Keeladi is as old as the Gangetic plains; radiocarbon dating traces site's origins to 580BCE
The Keeladi site in Madurai has revealed yet another chapter in Tamil Nadu 's past. Radiocarbon dating by US laboratory Beta Analytics has confirmed that it dates to 6th century BCE, making it contemporary with the urbanisation of the Gangetic plains. Of the 29 radiocarbon samples dated by the Tamil Nadu state department of archaeology since the 2017-18 excavation season, the earliest was from 580BCE and the most recent from 200CE. The findings point to an urban and industrial settlement that flourished for 800 years between 6th century BCE and 2nd century CE. The large brick structures from the Sangam Age found here are evidence of the urbanisation described in Sangam literature. 'Most samples above the brick structures date to after the 3rd century BCE, while those below go as far back as the 6th century BCE,' says archaeologist K Rajan, advisor to Tamil Nadu's archaeology department. 'This places Keeladi alongside the urbanisation of the Gangetic plains, India's second urbanisation. Of the 29 radiocarbon dates, 12 fall in the pre-Ashokan era, before the 3rd century BCE.' It also looks like the archaeologists are inching closer to revealing the face of the ancient Tamil, who lived in the Keeladi settlement thousands of years ago, using 3D technology and anthropometric measurements from a skull unearthed at the Kondagai burial site. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Keep Your Home Efficient with This Plug-In elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo 'Based on the skull, we will reconstruct the age, dietary pattern, determine the gender, and actual face of the person,' says Rajan. The state archaeology department is collaborating with more than 20 research institutions from India and overseas on the project, including Liverpool University in the UK, University of Pisa in Italy, the Field Museum in Chicago, the French Institute of Pondicherry, IIT Gandhinagar, and Deccan College, to reconstruct life in Keeladi in 580 BCE. The Deccan College is analysing animal bones found in Keeladi. Excavations uncovered bones of bulls, buffaloes, goats, cows, sheep, dogs, pigs, antelope and spotted deer. Madurai Kamaraj University researchers are working on analysing ancient human DNA and animal DNA, which will help understand human migration and admixture of the ancient inhabitants of Keeladi and Kondagai, a cluster village of Keeladi. This scientific approach has yielded 29 dates from a single site. The Tamil-Brahmi inscribed potsherds unearthed at Keeladi have pushed the script's origin back to the 6th century BCE. Gold and ivory artefacts suggest the ancient Tamils led a life of luxury. 'It shows Keeladi was an urban settlement with a literate society and a community of artisans,' says R Sivanandam, joint director, state archaeology department. 'It was an industrial hub along an ancient trade route linking the east coast port of Alagankulam to Muziris on the west coast via Madurai.' The original name of the settlement, however, remains unknown. Sangam literature talks about overseas trade, ornaments, gemstones, cities and streets and palatial buildings. 'Keeladi has proved that Sangam literature was a lived experience of ancient Tamils and not imaginative stories,' says indologist R Balakrishnan. Archaeologists also found terracotta and ivory dice in rectangular and cubic forms at the site, which Balakrishnan says is mentioned in 'Kalithogai', sixth of the eight anthologies of Sangam literature. 'Keeladi isn't the only site with roots in the 6th century BCE. Kodumanal, Porunthal, Sivagalai, Adichanallur and Korkai have also yielded dates from that period,' says Rajan. 'Korkai has produced a date as early as 785BCE, suggesting Sangam-age urbanisation was widespread.' Despite 10 seasons of excavations at Keeladi, researchers have excavated only 4% of the 110 acres of cultural deposit in Keeladi. The state govt plans to continue excavations and has set up a museum to showcase the findings, with an onsite museum, the first of its kind in India, also in the works. 'Tamil Nadu has endured archaeological apathy for far too long until Keeladi sparked a wave of interest among Tamils,' says Balakrishnan. 'Keeladi is the first site that transformed the understanding of archaeology in Tamil Nadu,' says Rajan. KEELADI CONTROVERSY Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who led the first two excavation seasons (2014-2016), submitted a report in 2023 to ASI stating that Keeladi functioned between 8th century BCE and 3rd century CE. Two years later, ASI challenged the dating, claiming the site could best be dated to 300 BCE and asked Ramakrishna to revise his report. Ramakrishna defended his original findings. Two days ago, Union minister for culture and tourism Gajendran Singh Shekhawat also stated that the report was not technically well supported and further scientific validation is needed WHY IS KEELADI IMPORTANT? Contains brick structural remains from the Sangam Age (early historic period) Among the few sites in Tamil Nadu, along with Arikamedu, Kaveripattinam and Korkai, to yield a wide variety of structures such as complex brick structures, drainage systems with tank-like features, doublewalled furnaces, terracotta ring wells HOW RADIOCARBON DATING WORKS Living organisms absorb carbon, including the radioactive isotope C-14, from the atmosphere. When they die, C-14 intake stops and the organism begins to decay at a known rate. Measuring the remaining C-14 helps estimate the time of death of the organism. A common technique used is accelerator mass spectrometry, which directly counts C-14 atoms, requires just 1g of sample and has dating accuracy within ±30 years KEELADI FINDS Excavated area is 90m long and 60m wide. Artefacts include glass, shell, ivory, pearl and terracotta beads; seals; dice, unidentified copper coins; gold ornaments Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Flyover & grade separator planned for Sangamwadi Chowk in Pune
Pune: The civic administration has put forth a plan to construct a flyover and a grade separator at the busy Bindumadhav Balasaheb Thackeray Chowk, popularly known as Sangamwadi Chowk, to ease traffic flow. A budget of Rs115 crore has been estimated for both infra projects. Vehicles coming from the Sangamwadi, Yerawada, Deccan College and Pune Airport areas crisscross at this junction, which faces significant traffic snarls during peak hours. There have been repeated demands for long from regular commuters and former elected representatives to construct a flyover at the junction. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last year appointed a consultant to study the traffic situation and recommend measures. Thereafter, civic officials said a grade separator was proposed for vehicles coming from Shivajinagar via Sangamwadi Road to travel towards Airport Road (Ambedkar Chowk), and also towards Yerawada. Vehicles travelling on the Deccan College-Yerawada stretch will have the facility of a flyover catering to two-way traffic. It is expected that the proposed flyover and grade separator will eliminate halting for maximum vehicles at the chowk. The PMC has floated tenders to appoint an agency for execution, and this process is expected to be completed in the next few months. Civic officials said they will initiate steps to seek necessary permissions and approvals to avoid delays in starting this project work. Residents from the Sangamwadi area said that the provision of a flyover or an underpass at the chowk has been long pending. Amol Belsare, who works in the Yerawada area, said, "The chowk witnesses a rush during peak hours. Those travelling from Yerawada and crossing the junction to travel to Sangamwadi-Shivajinagar or Deccan College spend a lot of time in long snarls. It is unlikely that the situation will improve unless the administration constructs a flyover. " Former local corporator Sanjay Bhosale said that the issue of traffic chaos at the junction was raised repeatedly in general body meetings. "The administration needs to expedite the execution to give relief to commuters as PMC is already late in proposing the flyover and grade separator," he said. Meanwhile, sources from PMC said that before executing the project, the civic body will have to take a call on Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) lanes in the area. A few years ago, the administration dismantled the BRTS on Sangamwadi Road as a failed project; however, the BRTS lane still exists on the Deccan College Road.
The Print
26-05-2025
- The Print
Who were Rajasthan's Aharians—metallurgy masters with cultural ties to Central Asia?
The Ahar culture has been identified at 111 sites in the region, including Balathal, Gilund, and Ojiyana. These settlements reveal a vibrant Chalcolithic tradition, characterised by advanced metallurgy, pottery, and a sophisticated social structure centred around copper, lead, zinc, and silver mines. This makes it a strategically important contributor to the broader Bronze Age economy of the subcontinent. Few are aware that just outside the city centre, near the historic cenotaphs and across the street from the Ahar Archaeological Museum, lies a protected archaeological site of great significance. Excavations carried out at the site in 1961 unearthed evidence of an indigenous culture rooted in the Copper Age that predates the Harappans, and also coexisted with them. The site, named 'Ahar' after the river it is situated on, has become synonymous with the Chalcolithic cultural complex of south-eastern Rajasthan, also called the Ahar culture. Udapiur, the City of Lakes, is a tourist destination known for its palaces and narrow lanes full of art and culture, defined by Mewari imprints. The city takes pride in its royal roots, but for archaeologists, the antiquity of the region goes as far back as the mid-fourth millennium BCE. The findings reveal a parallel world of Aharians, who played a pivotal role as exporters of copper and other minerals, establishing a cultural lineage that remained unbroken for thousands of years. Tambavati Nagari Characterised by the use of copper and stone, the Chalcolithic period derives its name from the Greek words chalcos (copper) and lithos (stone). It marks the transitional phase between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. Though the Chalcolithic period in the Indian subcontinent is overshadowed by the Harappan civilisation, it was far more geographically widespread and regionally diverse than the latter. Southeast Rajasthan is one of the regions where this diversity finds its imprints, first identified at the ancient mound locally called Dhulkot, later rechristened Ahar. The site was first documented by archaeologist RC Agrawal of the Rajasthan State Department of Archaeology in 1954. Archaeologist HD Sankalia of Deccan College, Pune joined Agrawal in 1961-62 and began digging at the site. Their efforts revealed a two-fold cultural sequence. The first period was the Chalcolithic period, dominated by copper objects. The second period was marked by the introduction of iron tools and Northern Black Polished Ware, characterised by a glossy surface—dating back to the third century BCE. During the Chalcolithic period, a myriad of pottery including grey ware, buff-slipped ware, lustrous red ware, and black burnished ware was in use. But it was the black and red ware that stood out to Agarwal, who initially labelled this culture as 'the BRW culture'. Predominant forms of BRW are bowls and small jars. Some were also painted using a white pigment to create designs with lines, dashes, dots, and latticed diamonds. It is important to note here that throughout the timeline of Indian history, BRW was widespread—spatially and temporally. It is also one of the markers of the Iron Age/Megalithic period in South India. Beyond the chronological sequence of the site, a key objective of the 1961 excavation was to understand the sociological background of the Chalcolithic society. And this was only possible because Sankalia excavated the site horizontally. While vertical excavation yields the chronology of a site, it can also disregard the horizontal relationships and spatial contexts necessary for sociological interpretation. According to archaeologist MK Dhavalikar, Sankalia was free from the vertical excavation syndrome of his time and could avoid this problem. The excavation revealed plinths of houses made of blocks of schist that used black and brown sticky soil as mortar. The walls of these houses were made of clay mixed with cow dung and quartz nodules, while the floors were prepared by firmly ramming the soil. According to the excavators Agrawal and Sankalia, the houses were large, often nine metres in length and partitioned into smaller rooms. Rectangular chullahs (earthen stoves) were found along with storage pots sunk into the floor. According to Dhavalikar, Ahar was the Tambavati Nagari—a settlement of copper metallurgists—indicating a flourishing copper smelting activity. This was further proven by the presence of heaps of slag at the site during the Chalcolithic phase. According to the excavators, both copper and iron were smelted at Ahar. Objects such as celts, rings, bangles, and knives were found. A metallographic study conducted by KTM Hegde on one of the axes shows that it was cast in a crude, unventilated sand or earth mould and was left in the cast condition. According to Hegde, the copper ores were extracted from Khetri mines in Rajasthan, suggesting that copper was sourced locally, from which objects were manufactured at Ahar. So, it was likely copper that attracted the inhabitants of the Banas valley thousands of years ago. Also read: Buddha's gems at Sotheby's shows Indian govt doesn't have an eye on 'colonial loot' Ahar culture Following Ahar, excavations were conducted at Gilund, Balathal, Ojiyana, and other sites. These excavations confirmed a strong presence of a distinct Chalcolithic complex in Rajasthan. They also suggested that the Ahar culture was likely the earliest agrarian–based culture in Rajasthan since the findings from Balathal and Gilund date as far back as the mid-fourth millenium BCE. In fact, at Gilund, the precursor of the Copper Age, characterised by microliths, was dated to around 5500 BCE. This timeline places these indigenous cultures at the same time as pre–Harappan sites such as Kot Diji in Sindh and the Ravi phase at Harappa itself. The Balathal excavation from 1993 to 2000 offered even more fascinating discoveries. Among them was the evidence of public architecture consisting of a fortified enclosure and a boundary wall around the settlement, indicative of organised community planning and defence strategy. Notably, a few burial sites were also found inside the fortified enclosure. Among these was an individual buried inside a stone enclosure bearing pathological markers of leprosy. This burial dates back to 2000 BCE, which makes it the earliest documented case of leprosy in India. In 2003, during the excavation at Gilund, one seal found was of utmost importance—it bore a striking similarity with the seals found at Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex sites in Central Asia. The similarity suggests possible cultural exchanges worth investigating. This legacy, therefore, offers a profound glimpse into the complex and technologically advanced society that mastered copper metallurgy and established domestic and long-distance cultural interactions. Despite these insights, there is a lingering sense that this barely scratches the surface. As archaeologist DK Chakrabarti rightly observed, we still understand very little about the authors of the Ahar culture. Future excavations and explorations may offer more clues about the lives of the people who were as mighty as the Harappans. They may have even played a crucial role in the rise of the Harappan civilisation. It is, therefore, all the more disheartening that this regional early culture remains absent from collective memory. Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
