Chennai Mathematical Institute

Seminars




2.00 p.m.
Going to Hell or Being Low-Born?: An Inter-Disciplinary Analysis of the origin of Untouchability in South India

S Palaniappan
South Asia Research and Information Institute.
13-08-12


Abstract

Palaniappan is the President of South Asia Research and Information Institute. He has presented papers at various academic conferences on topics such as: cultural change in ancient Tamil society, Tamil philology, Dravidian etymology, and Tamil nationalism. He has published articles on the Tamil Bhakti (devotional) movement and the development of caste in Tamil society. He earned a BS (Aeronautical Engineering) from IIT Madras, an MBA from the Wharton School, and a PhD (Civil Engineering) from the University of Pennsylvania where he also pursued his passion in Indology. He is interested in researching Indian cultural history using philology, linguistics, and epigraphy.