I had requested for some more maps, and was puzzled to see thin but super-long cartons being brought to me later. Each of these maps were vast, being almost 4x3 feet in size! What an experience it was, to feel the antique maps in their original form and texture! I also saw one of those maps in microfiche (micro-reproduction technique of preservation). Just to keep you all intrigued, here’s a section of a map showing Rama's bridge connecting India and Srilanka.
This whole thing is turning into a mission now. My second visit to the Dutch national archives happened today. I got to meet an in-house VOC researcher at the archives who is an indologist. It was so exciting to discuss about Dutch East India company history and Tuticorin history with him. (Wait! this doesn't have anything to do with the title) My passion for the old, started with an interesting incident in childhood. One of my earliest hobbies was coin-collection. I had always been collecting new coins which got released in the year. I was the first one to hold such coins amongst all in my circle. But only later did I realize that my new coin loses its charm the next year, when it’s nothing but a lame coin. It struck to me that the charm and the value of an ancient coin goes higher and higher every day, every year, unlike my today's new coin!
I’ve had several such fads before. Some recent ones were Sithar, Naadi astrology, and Dracula. But these fads never missed to leave a big deal of knowledge-legacy to me. (I’m yet to write about some of these, which I will, soon).
Well, what’s with the title of this post?! Yesterday, I was talking about all this stuff to one of my friends. At one point, I understood that he came to a conclusion that I was a nerd! But he’s mistaken. You know what, the world’s changing. The cute girls of the generation Z would look at such a person and mumble, “Woowww, he’s so HHHOT..!!”.
8 Comments
Very nice blog Mr Hemanth.
ReplyDeleteYour passion for knowing the past is very much palpable in your writings. Please keep posting whatever you know or come across in your search.
I was particularly excited to see the old map of Ram Setu in the Dutch National archives. I seek your permission to use that pic in my write ups.
Thanks and regards,
jayasree saranathan
quite interesting this map from dutch. got it thru sri Kalyanaraman. nice of you.
ReplyDeleteDear Hemanth,
ReplyDeletePlease accept blessings from a very old man. Congratulations on your wonderful research!
I feel Lord Rama has showered his grace on you! Watch out for all the good things that are going to happen to you!
I have put your research on my blog www.Janamejayan.wordpress.com
Janamejayan
Mrs. Jayasree, thank you for your comments! I'm glad that you liked it. Please go ahead and use the image. I wouldn't commit the mistake which many of our ancestors did- to have our great literatures within a close circle, and having them disappeared forever. This is something to be shared to the world.
ReplyDeleteI'd be glad if people like you help me in my future researches :)
Best regards,
hemanth
Thank you Mr. Ramanathan. Please specify your blog's name for me to follow as well!
ReplyDeleteBest regards,
hemanth
Thank you very much, Mr. Janamejayan. I'm floored by your gesture. Thanks for your blessings :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm still researching on Ram Setu, and I feel I still don't deserve, and don't have enough facts to write a blog post on our mystical 'Ramar paalam'. But I would certainly write about it very soon! Please follow my blog.
I'm planning to visit Dhanushkodi in December to research more on Ram setu. Hopefully I will get satisfactory output.
Overall, my mission is to research, record and preserve our great history (which many of our ancestors failed to) for eternity.
Best regards,
Hemanth Thiru
You are absolutely right about our ancestors not leaving any records for posterity. Because of this the European Maxmuller and the colonial apologists in India have written India's history erasing our vast ancience and rearranging events to a later date. All because they want to show that biblical dating is not wrong! That is how they sell the Aryan Invasion theory, a very late date for our Vedas, calling Ramayana and Mahabharatha as fiction and so on. Tippu Sultan threatened Sringeri Mutt that they should not claim Adi Sankara to be earlier to Mohammed and so the Sringeri Mutt redrawn the Guru Parampara to 820 A.D. from 509 B.C. A secular fanatic claiming to owe allegiance to Sringeri even wrote bad-mouthing a great Gnani of our times the revered Kanchi Mahan popularly known as Nadamadum Deivam because he claimed Guru Parampara dating back to 509 B.C. and that Adi Sankara breathed his last at Kanchipuram.
ReplyDeleteAh, good to know. A king is supposed to record the history of his land, his subjects and literature. Haven't known of such a king who distorts history for ill-motives!
ReplyDeleteDid you like it?