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First Published : 03 Apr 2011 11:46:00 PM IST
BANGALORE: India is a land of diversity and each region in this mighty land has a rich cultural heritage associated with it. But off late because of the influence of western culture, the cultures of this sub-continent are facing a deadly threat.
The book Thanjavur - A Cultural History authored by Pradeep Chakravarthy and Vikram Sathyanathan is an attempt to bring out the rich culture of Thanjavur, a place situated in Southern India, to the forefront.The book which is a compilation of both words and images is a complete narration of the cultural history of Thanjavur. It gives an insight to the rich heritage of Thanjavur by throwing light on each minute detail. Starting from the early ruling periods of the Chola dynasty to the various ruling regime of numerous known and unknown rulers, the book gives a fascinating picture of the entire ruling history of the place. They invite the reader on a long trip to the fertile river bank of Cauvery where Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam as we know today were conceived, and flourished alongside drama forms like the Bhagavatha Mela and Yakshagana. Apart from this authors have touched upon the various architectural, professional, craft and all other possible aspect associated with the cultural heritage of the place.The launch of the book took place at the premises of Landmark, Forum Value Mall recently. Present at the event was one of the authors, Pradeep Chakravarthy. T V Mohandas Pai, director of Infosys Technologies Limited and Vikram Sampath, author and historian were the chief guests. The event was well attended by a huge crowd of book lovers. Congratulating the authors Pai said, “This book is a fascinating work to understand our cultural heritage. It is an inspiration to preserve what is left of our rich culture.” Sampath, who shares a paternal link with Thanjavur said, “I have completed reading the book in details in almost two sitting and to me this book is an ode to the river Cauvery.”Pradeep Chakravarthy, whose articles are frequently published in the leading dailies, shared his experience on what was the driving force behind writing this book and how he accomplished the final destination of getting the book published. He said, “I have tried to portray facts in a simple way. The best part is that one can start the book from any chapter and finish at any chapter depending on one’s wish.”When questioned on how he managed his corporate life and writing passion in such a cordial manner he said, “It is all about one’s attitude. With the right kind of attitude it is possible to accomplish both tasks without compromising on any.” Right now he is working on two books. One of them is a work on the unknown temples of South India and the other is a fictional history.
