Sharma Centre for Heritage Education
India has a rich and diverse archaeological heritage. From early prehistoric populations of the Lower Palaeolithic to the remains of our recent past:-every part of this country has a story to tell. Sharma Centre for Heritage Education's research programs in palaeoanthropology comprises investigations into the prehistoric archaeology of Tamil Nadu along the southeast coast of South India.
One big project, in which Sharma Centre for Heritage Education has been extensively engaged, are the excavations at Attiramakkam in northern and southern parts of the state of Tamil Nadu. The excavations and field studies have revealed new information on the earliest prehistoric populations of South Asia.
The centre is also engaged in the management of identified heritage (pre-historic archaeological) sites. It extensively uses the satellite remote sensing technology for this. Apart from publishing high level academic research material, an essential part of the centre's work is communicating research findings to children, teachers and local stakeholders. This includes publications for children, organizing theatre activities along with exhibitions.
The centre also runs the Sharma Children's Museum in Chennai, which was established on 19th of February 1999, and at present is housed at the Ellen Sharma Memorial Matriculation School. This is a rural school situated at Sholinganallore, 30 km outside Chennai, which provides free and subsidised education to children from the neighbouring industrial areas and villages and to Tibetan refugees; and also caters to economically well-off children from cities in India and abroad (Souvenir, Children's Garden School 1997). The museum was planned as an experiment in school education; a small step to enable children to have fun while learning about the past. It aims at creating an innovative and informative museum environment.
A listing of the Centre's ongoing/upcoming projects can be found here