People
PEOPLE
Scroll down to read about people who contribute to our centre in the fields of research and public outreach!
Professor Shanti Pappu
Founder/Secretary: Shanti Pappu is interested in prehistory, palaeoenvironments, ethnoarchaeology, history of archaeology and in public archaeology, especially for children and teachers. She is a former Professor of Prehistory at the Deccan College Postgraduate & Research Institute. She completed her M.A degree and doctorate from the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune (1996), under Prof. K.Paddayya, on the prehistoric archaeology of Tamil Nadu, and was subsequently a Homi Bhabha Fellow. She was a Charles Wallace Fellow at the Ancient India and Iran Trust, U.K. She has obtained several awards including the Prof.H.D.Sankalia gold medal from the Deccan College, and Young Scientist award from the Earthwatch Institute, the USA amongst others. She holds a law degree with a dissertation on cultural heritage laws of India and is a registered advocate. She has published two books, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Science, and Nature as also one book for children on archaeology and several popular articles. She is currently director of the research project on prehistory and palaeoenvironments in Tamil Nadu, including excavations at the site of Attirampakkam. She is affiliated with several academic bodies and societies, and is Member, Global Library Committee, World Archaeology Congress, the Joint-Secretary of the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies and former joint editor of the journal Man and Environment. She is on the Board of Management of the Children’s Garden School Society and affiliated schools in Chennai (Ellen Sharma Memorial Matriculation & Higher Secondary School, Sholinganallore) and is involved in educational programs for children and teachers.
Read more on publications here.
Dr. Kumar Akhilesh
Director: He completed his B.A. degree in Ancient Indian History and Archaeology at the Banaras Hindu University, followed by his Master's Degree in Archaeology at the Deccan College, Pune. His Ph.D. from the Deccan College, Pune, under Prof. V.N. Misra, was on the prehistoric archaeology of Jharkhand, with a focus on investigating Terminal Pleistocene sites of the Upper Palaeolithic. He is currently Co-Director of the research project on prehistory and palaeoenvironments at Attirampakkam and is the Director of the research project on investigating prehistoric sites in Tamil Nadu. Akhilesh is interested in prehistory, experimental archaeology (lithic knapping), satellite remote sensing and GIS. Akhilesh was a Homi Bhabha Fellow (2016-2018).His special interests are in experimental archaeology (reconstructing ancient technology) for which he completed advanced courses in lithic technology from France, under the guidance of Prof. P-J.Texier, J.Pelegrin and other experts in the field. His area of expertise is stone tool technology, and he is currently involved in the analysis of artefacts from Attirampakkam and other sites in Tamil Nadu. He is director of the program on experimental replication of the technologies used by Acheulian and Middle Palaeolithic hominins at Attirampakkam. He is also involved in a project on applications of satellite remote sensing and GIS in archaeology for purposes of research and heritage management. He was responsible for developing thematic maps using satellite remote sensing and field investigation, amongst other studies, under an ISRO-GBP project in collaboration with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)-RRSC (Regional Centre for Remote Sensing)-South. He has numerous research papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals to his credit, including Science and Nature and has presented his work in conferences in India and abroad. He is on the editorial board of the international peer-reviewed journal Archaeological Discovery.
Read more on publications here.
Research Scholars
Dr. Prachi Joshi
Homi Bhabha Fellow (2022- )
(Also check: Archaeology from Home: Connecting Things & Thoughts)
Dr. Prachi Joshi, is an Indian archaeologist, who is currently working on the Palaeolithic hominin behaviour in the Middle Wainganga basin, Central India. She has completed her doctoral degree from Deccan College, Pune, India, under the guidance of Prof. Shanti Pappu and Dr. S. B. Ota. Her research, in particular, is focused on the behavioural implications of the distribution of Palaeolithic sites and the technological strategies noted during the Acheulian and the Late Palaeolithic phase. She had completed her fieldwork under the guidance of Prof. S.N. Rajaguru. She was awarded A Junior Research Fellowship of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Nehru Small Research Grant for her PhD research. In addition to field and laboratory studies, she also participated in numerous conferences (national and international) and published two articles in the international journal Antiquity. She has participated in various workshops which are related to her research and they have improved her knowledge of the subject. She had participated in the excavations at important Palaeolithic sites such as Sendrayanpalayam in Tamil Nadu and Dhansi in Madhya Pradesh. She has also worked on Animal Bone Microstructure from Archaeological sites under the guidance of Prof. Vijay Sathe. Her research interests are in the Palaeolithic hominin behaviour, quaternary sciences and geo-mythology.
Ms. Sutonuka Bhattacharya
Research Scholar, Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, India
Currently pursuing her PhD at the Department of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(Also check: Archaeology from Home: Connecting Things & Thoughts)
About: Sutonuka Bhattacharya an ECR from India has recently finished her Postgraduate Diploma in Archaeology from Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India. Having participated in multiple field studies and workshops her core interest lies in understanding changing human behaviour within the Mesolithic and Neolithic traditions and would like to work on similar lines for her doctorate which she hopes to initiate next year. So far she has worked in Eastern India to understand reuse patterns of antiquity in the modern context. She is currently a research assistant for a project on the Neolithic of Tamil Nadu.
OUR NEW INTERNS
Hola! I am Stuti, a modern human with a keen interest in prehistory and the environment. To ease my regret of being unable to dwell in a prehistoric period and the curiosity to know about the same, I chose to pursue a double major in history and environment. I believe unraveling the past will provide the fundamental knowledge for understanding and reconstructing the past environment as well as act as a guide to work in the present and for the future. Past holds a myriad of knowledge and had I had a time machine, I would have preferred to go back there without a second thought! 
My journey to enrich my understanding in that field only began and working as a research intern at the Sharma Centre for Heritage Education was my first step into delving deep into the past.
Watch this space for more on Stuti's fascinating project.
FORMER INTERNS
SAGARIKA SEN 
"Archaeology is not only the hand maid of history, it is also the conservator of art."
_ Edward Bulwer Lytton
I'm Sagarika Sen and I'm pursuing bachelor's degree in Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology in Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan.
I've been in love with the mysteries of past ever since I was a kid. And whenever my mind isn't plagued with the thoughts of wonders that our ancestors were, I find myself immersed in art. The Sharma Centre for Heritage Education not only allowed me to be introduced to hands-on experience with archaeology but also allowed me to harness my creativity in the process.
Funded by the Sharma Kamala Educational Trust
RIYA PHILIP
"Don't teach, live your life as a living teaching for all humanity"
Abijit Naskar
I am Riya Philip, I've pursued my bachelor's in Museology and Archaeology from Assumption Autonomous College, Chenganassery. I am an ardent reader which formed my roots for Archaeology and Archaeology inturn has changed my outlook on everything I come across in my day to day life furthermore I hope and wish to increase my potential and achieve something to the best of my abilities for Sharma Centre for Heritage Education.
Funded by the Sharma Kamala Educational Trust
NANDAN S. KAUSHIK
About: Nandan's Internship consisted of creating a numismatics module for school students in the Sharma Centre. Through research and curation he put together a set of teaching guides in the form of posters and cards, and it culminated in a workshop with 40 middle school students. Along with the material prepared, Nandan also learned about stone tools, their style and use, and production through hands-on experiments and handling of prehistoric stone tool artefacts.
Internship Dates: 20th June 2022 to 23rd July 2022
PRASHANTHI SUBBIAH
About: "My name is Prashanthi Subbiah. I am a rising Third Year History Major at KREA University, Sri City. I have been deeply interested in
History since I was a little kid and love to explore the different fields that are linked to the subject. These fields include archaeology, journalism, and international and public affairs. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Stone Age during my time at SCHE and will never forget the skills and learnings I imbibed from here".
Internship Dates: June 20th - July 15th, 2022
Check out their intern project video: https://youtu.be/27B7vsI0nO0
SURABHI TRIVADY
About: Surabhi Trivady is a third-year undergraduate student at Krea University joint-majoring in History and Politics. When she needs an escape from academic work, you’ll most probably find her with a fantasy novel (sometimes reading about made-up kingdoms is less stressful than reading about real ones). She plans to delve into archaeology in the years to come.
Internship Dates: June 20th - July 15th, 2022
Check out their intern project video: https://youtu.be/27B7vsI0nO0
SUDHAMSHU HATTANGADI
About: "I am pursuing my Master’s degree in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology at Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai currently. The question “why are we (humans) the way we are?” arouses curiosity and contemplation in me and has made me interested in learning about human beings (the development of human behaviour, cognition and culture) as well as human evolution. Therefore, the fields of archeology and anthropology (as well as aesthetics) have fascinated me since a long time. I wish to pursue a career in the fields of archaeology and palaeoanthropology and the internship at the Sharma Centre for Heritage Education (SCHE) has acted as a catalyst for it. The internship introduced me to lithic technology and experimental archaeology and the latest trends in the field of paleoarchaeology. The practical training I received under expert guidance helped me absorb the theoretical aspects of stone tool technology in an effective manner".
Internship Dates: July 11-30th, 2022
Previous Research Assistants
Dr. Paromita Bose
Intern, Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, India
https://caluniv.academia.edu/BoseParomita ,https://twitter.com/archparomita?s=09
(Also check: Archaeology from Home: Connecting Things & Thoughts)
Dr. Paromita Bose has completed her Master’s degree with a first-class in Archaeology, from the Department of Archaeology, the University of Calcutta, followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Archaeology (PGDA) from the Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi. During her diploma course, she has participated in several exploration and excavation programs across India. Besides, she was also exposed to different multidisciplinary approaches in studying archaeology. She qualified for University Grants Commission (UGC) –National Eligibility Test (NET) and was awarded A Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship for a tenure of five years for her PhD research. After completing her PhD, she has worked as an Intern in Sharma Centre for Heritage Education and was involved in different research activities. She has also participated in the excavation of Sendrayanpalayam site, Tamil Nadu, for two consecutive seasons under supervision of Sharma Centre for Heritage Education as a volunteer and participated in total station mapping, excavation, collection and documentation of excavated lithic artefacts. She is currently engaged in researches related to different aspects of Neolithic Culture in India. Her research interests are in prehistory, Neolithic, polished stone tools, and provenance studies of lithics and applications of GIS in archaeology. She has participated in many national and international conferences and also published her works in many reputed journals. She is currently a research assistant for a project on the Neolithic of Tamil Nadu.
Mrs.Y. Salomi
Project Assistant:
She is a graduate in computer science and is engaged in the Dr. Gudrun Corvinus Memorial Project, in the digitisation of documents as also in public archaeology programs. She is also involved in database management projects.
