Jan 28 2026 to Jan 28 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Just outside Madurai, beneath the scorching southern sun, the excavations at Keeladi have unsettled long-held ideas about India’s ancient history.

Since its discovery in 2014, the site has emerged as one of the country’s most contested digs: celebrated by some as evidence of a thriving urban civilisation in South India, and questioned by others as political mythmaking. In her book The Dig, journalist and author Sowmiya Ashok traces this journey from serendipitous find to cultural flashpoint, traveling from Iron Age Tamil Nadu to Harappan Rakhigarhi, revealing how battles over the past shape our understanding of India’s layered identity today.

Sowmiya will be joined by archaeometallurgist Dr. Sharada Srinivasan whose pioneering work has brought to light insights into ancient mining and metallurgy, having also worked on Iron Age-Early Historic sites especially in Tamil Nadu. They will be in conversation with Pooja Prasanna, of The News Minute. Together they will explore how archaeology, science, and power intersect: revealing an ancient diversity that continues to shape contemporary India.

Speakers

Sowmiya Ashok
Journalist
Sowmiya Ashok is a journalist based in Chennai with over 14 years of experience. She has been a correspondent for leading Indian dailies such as The Hindu and The Indian Express, reporting on politics, environment, and culture. In 2019, she reported from Beijing, bringing insightful pieces from China. She holds an MA in political journalism from Columbia University, New York, and has reported from the US, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka.

Sharada Srinivasan
Archaeometallurgist
Prof. Sharada Srinivasan is a Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, specializing in archaeological sciences and archaeometallurgy. A Padma Shri recipient (2019), Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, she has also received the INAE Woman Engineer of the Year Award (2021) and Dr. Kalpana Chawla Young Women Scientist Award (2011). Her pioneering research illuminates ancient Indian metallurgy, from high-tin bronze working to wootz steel making, and includes groundbreaking investigations on ancient mining and lead isotope fingerprinting of Chola bronzes. She is first author of the book India’s Legendary Wootz Steel, contributing author to Ecstasy of Classical Art (the bronze catalogue of National Museum, Delhi), and co-editor of Digital Hampi.

Pooja Prasanna
Editorial Head (Reporting), The News Minute
Pooja Prasanna is the Editorial Head for reporting with special focus on politics and social justice. For around 16 years, she has covered major news events across south India with experience in broadcast, digital and print media. She hosts the weekly explainer show Let Me Explain and is the co-host of TNM’s flagship podcast South Central.