CHENNAI: There is an untapped history aficionado in all of us. It awakens when we watch a movie, read interesting nuggets or watch the spectacular sight of a monument. For Vigneshwar, a faculty member at Loyola Institute of Business Administration, and co-founder of The History Rewind, it was one such building in Chennai that he saw during his tenure at Madras University.
“I was spellbound by the Senate House, as I made my way into the University. The architecture style, grandeur and magnificence inspired me to learn more about the monument and its history,” he said. Vigneshwar discovered that the monument built by architect Robert Chisholm didn’t just borrow Islamic and Hindu architecture styles but also that of the famous Thirumalai Nayak Palace of Madurai. “This is among many monuments and heritage sites that follow this style, known as Indo-Saracenic architecture, prevalent in the British Raj. This opened my eyes to the richness of Tamil culture and heritage,” he noted. Thus began Vigneshwar’s endless search for all things history and heritage.
Soon, along with his friend Santosh Manoj, he set out on a biking expedition across Tamil Nadu, visiting monuments and heritage sites. “Our main aim is to create awareness, so we travelled to multiple historical sites, spoke to the local communities, enhanced their knowledge about a monument or the site and helped create awareness to preserve and protect the site from vandalism. Promotion of heritage tourism helps increase the livelihood of the local communities present,” he said. These efforts did not go in vain as they made their way into the India Book of Records. “We visited 106 ASI listed places and State Protected Monuments of Tamil Nadu and created awareness about the heritage sites in four days. Though we were not expecting any of this, any form of publicity is always good,” shared Vigneshwar.
Preserving for posterity
A city or a nation is made up of several elements, and Vigneshwar deems heritage as one of utmost importance. But, he believes that people across India are not aware of the wealth they possess in the form of heritage. Giving the example of rock inscriptions and paintings in Tamil Nadu, he said, “While the rock paintings depict the lifestyle of the people who were present in these areas many centuries ago, the rock inscriptions carry a lot of value and heritage. People are unaware of the value they possess and carve their names over them. The graffiti style paintings which can be found in Tamil Nadu are similar to Indus Valley civilisation, but the public are ruining it.”
This is why he set out on the journey with Santosh — to create a better tomorrow for the heritage of Tamil Nadu. “People need to know that Tamil Nadu has a rich culture and history that needs to be preserved and carried forward to the next generation; it’s our identity,” he said. His endeavour, The History Rewind, is a non-commercial/non-profit initiative to encourage people to undertake concrete actions and to play an active role in protecting, preserving and promoting heritage sites for the next generation.
What’s next for this duo? “We want to travel more, of course, and impart our knowledge so now we both have a shared goal of visiting 242 ASI listed places and 86 State Protected Monuments. We want to spread the message as much as we can because more than the preservation of the site, it’s about preserving a community and bringing about a sense of cultural bonding within a community,” said Vigneshwar. And as they forge ahead, from one town to another, the history won’t be the only thing set in stone, but their legacy too.
An initiative
Vigneshwar started History Rewind, a non-commercial/non-profit initiative to encourage people to undertake concrete actions and to play an active role in protecting, preserving and promoting heritage sites for the next generation.