School students get first-hand experience of prehistoric artefacts at archaeology club

CHENNAI: K Sneha has seen stones in many sizes and shapes but holding a prehistoric stone tool was a unique experience for her. Moments of excitement followed as she passed the ancient artefact to her friends and it moved from one hand to the other. It was during the launch of an archaeology club at the Government High School in Gangaleri, 7km from Krishnagiri, the students were introduced to stone tools dating back to the prehistoric era.
The idea of launching an archaeology club in the school was to create awareness among the students about the importance of heritage monuments in the region. The club has 40 students as members, mostly from Class VIII and IX. "We will be taking the students to archaeological sites in Krishnagiri every month. They will be told about the history and significance of the sites by experts in the field," said Sugavana Murugan, an archaelogist who has documented hero stones in Tamil Nadu, mainly in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.
The monthly tours to heritage sites will be conducted free of cost, thanks to the Krishnagiri District Historical Research Centre (KDHRC) which sponsors the activities of the club. "We need such clubs in other schools too. This initiative can be a role model to other schools. By launching archeology clubs in schools we are helping the students get a clear idea about their heritage," said S Paranthaman, archaeological officer of KDHRC, who inaugurated the club.
At a time when schools are having environment and nature clubs, this is the first time a school has launched an archaeology club. "We exhibited Paleolithic tools from Attirampakkam and Varatanapalli which are similar in form. The former is two million years old while the latter is 1.5 million years old. We organized this to give the students a first-hand experience on prehistoric tools," said P Kumar, secretary of the KDHRC.