A quiet revolution in historic storytelling is underway in Telangana. Over the previous few years, a treasure trove of archaeological finds and cultural narratives has surfaced, courtesy the grassroots initiative Kotha Telangana Charithra Brundam (KTCB). Actually translating to ‘New Historical past Group of Telangana,’ the 125-member collective is made up of farmers, professionals, college students, and lecturers — on a regular basis historical past fans who’re unearthing remnants of the area’s previous, typically hidden in plain sight.

“That is my workplace,” quips 68-year-old Sriramoju Hargopal, gesturing to his laptop computer at his house in Tellapur, Hyderabad. Surrounded by stacks of books, the retired Telugu trainer and KTCB convener spends his days poring over pictures and discipline stories despatched in by volunteers.

His ardour for the previous started with a narrative advised by his grandfather. “He as soon as defined how our village, Alair in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, received its identify,” Mr. Hargopal remembers. “The village had cows (aavulu) fierce sufficient to drive away tigers, and was surrounded by a big water physique (eru). That’s why it was named Alair.” That story stayed with him, igniting a lifelong curiosity about native histories and the invisible threads that join reminiscence, fantasy, and place.

In 1999, whereas working as a authorities college trainer, Mr. Hargopal discovered an unlikely kindred spirit in his colleague Viruvanti Gopalakrishna, the senior-most trainer on the college and a famous historian, now 90 years outdated. The 2 started travelling collectively throughout Telangana’s villages, mapping outdated temples, prehistoric websites, and long-forgotten inscriptions. Generally, they have been joined by a former scholar or a fellow trainer. Their discoveries discovered their means into round 20 self-published books — quiet testaments to their relentless curiosity.

The journey didn’t cease even after Mr. Hargopal’s retirement in 2013. Over the past decade, what started as a person ardour advanced right into a collective motion. Round 125 volunteers — extraordinary individuals from throughout professions — have come collectively underneath the casual banner of the KTCB to discover the histories embedded in their very own villages. Although not formally registered, the group has grown steadily, powered by single and repeated contributions from its members, every including a thread to Telangana’s wealthy historic tapestry.

How the group works

As soon as a villager spots one thing distinctive — a centuries-old sculpture, an uncommon inscription, or remnants of a buried construction — she or he sends pictures or movies to a WhatsApp group. Again in Tellapur, Mr. Hargopal, who can be an iconographer, begins decoding the visuals, typically referencing historic texts or consulting specialists like archaeologists Emani Sivanagi Reddy and Damaraju Surya Kumar.

If the discover is promising, the KTCB workforce will get to work: drawing up a plan of motion and reaching out to collaborators just like the Rock Artwork Society of India (RASI) and even numismatists relying on the positioning’s nature. They carry mapping paper, color scales, and different necessities, setting out solely after securing the required permissions. “We attempt to join with a neighborhood information, not simply to search out the way in which but additionally to remain secure from wild animals,” says Katta Srinivas Rao, a Khammam-based authorities trainer who serves as co-convener of the KTCB. “By exploring one area, we uncover many tales,” he says.

Mr. Rao believes social media has performed a pivotal position in creating grassroots historic consciousness. “Earlier, individuals didn’t care a lot about rock artwork or inscriptions. Right now, they interact with the posts and assist us unfold the phrase,” he says.

However there’s a draw back too. “The true risk isn’t misinformation, it’s erasure,” he warns. “We’re shedding historic buildings to unchecked actual property growth. Even rock engravings that date again 10,000 years are being vandalised with graffiti. These artworks are home windows into the thoughts of primitive man. Native communities should come ahead to guard what stays, in order that the subsequent technology inherits extra than simply tales, they inherit proof.”

Compelling tales

The volunteers of the KTCB should not simply historical past buffs, they’re additionally invested storytellers. Take Kolipaka Srinivas, a farmer and contract worker with the Telangana electrical energy division. He by accident found the historic significance of his land 5 years in the past. A local of Nanganoor close to Siddipet, Mr. Srinivas remembers being simply 5 when he unearthed terracotta pots, Neolithic beads, and statues on his two-acre farm. “I used to be thrilled to later study these belonged to the Satavahana interval,” he says.

Since then, he has explored practically 170 villages, dedicating weekends to documenting hidden heritage. Now an lively advocate for preservation, he typically brings faculty college students alongside to spark curiosity and consciousness. However he’s additionally life like. “After I communicate to villagers about saving historic websites, they typically ask, ‘What can we get out of it?’ Except the individuals residing in these locations take curiosity, how a lot can we actually obtain?” he says.

From tutorial papers and books to quick movies on their YouTube channel, the KTCB’s mission is rooted in group engagement. Each month, the workforce hosts a stay digital meet on YouTube, drawing 30 to 90 individuals who tune in to share and hearken to tales of cultural conservation — generally discoveries made of their very personal yard. The KTCB has been a part of nationwide seminars organised by the RASI and printed its analysis papers of their journals.

“Telangana has 5,000 villages, every with its personal historical past,” says Mr. Hargopal. “However these tales will solely come to mild if the individuals who stay there assist uncover them.” As soon as the workforce ascertains the artefacts, the age and sort of stone, solely a few rock instruments are introduced from the spot. he provides, “We imagine in in situ, an archaeological time period in Latin that means ‘in place.’ We really feel it’s our accountability to let antiquities keep the place they’re.”

Printed – August 07, 2025 10:03 pm IST