The CHENNAI CENTER FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE
Will serve as a platform for explorers of prehistoric sites who are working independently.
To publish an annual research journal that subscribes strictly to international scientific norms.
To offer PG Diploma (2 years) courses in pre historic studies.
To start an ACADEMY OF NEW INTELLECTUALS.
Mr. T. Mahendran is founder and Head of the Chennai Center for History and Culture. It is a vision of his life. He was born in Secundrabad. He studied in primary school at the FATIMA HIGH SCHOOL in Ghatkopar Bombay. He completed middle school at Bharath matriculation school Chennai and high school at the T.Nagar High School (now C.D.Nayagam HR Sec School) in Chennai. His childhood interests were English literature, Science fiction, History, Geography, Astronomy and Origins of life. He is also interested in Psychology, Evolutionary Genetics and Neural Networks and avidly reads about them.
Education: He has post graduate degrees in History and Sociology, both from Annamalai University.
Career: He lost his father in Oct 1975 and had to abandon his university education and start to earn money and support his family. He refused to take up a bureaucratic career and in keeping with his nature as an explorer he took a revolutionary step and started a tea shop. He made a mega fortune through it within a year. It sustained and quadrupled in the coming years. This is how it happened. He joined the NAESEY organisation.
He was one of the pioneering executive committee members of the National Association of Educated Self -employed Youth (NAESEY), which was started by the prominent industrialist (late) Mr. C. T. Devaraj who was also his mentor.He was responsible for presenting the program to high Government officials and also to Mr. P. K. Dave and Mr. R. V. Subramaniam, special representative in place of the Governor. It was the time of emergency. He was successful, and it resulted in establishing 300 NAESEY snack Kiosks all over Tamil Nadu, that were owned by 300 graduates, and it generated indirect employment to at least 3000 people. This program was financed by Union Bank of India, Triplicane Branch, Chennai. He ran a NAESEY SNACK KIOSK in the Rajiv Gandhi hospital (opposite the Neurology block) from 1977 to 1997). Later he shifted to a leading construction company as GM Marketing. Since then he has worked in various property development companies, as GM projects and VP marketing.
Despite holding responsible positions, he had pursued his explorations and studies. His explorations raised many new questions and challenges,
accordingly his academic interests gained wider scope including Greek thought, particularly Philosophy of Plato, Aristotle, Architecture of Chromosomes and Genes, Liquid Crystals, Plasma Physics, Reimann Geometry, Psychology particularly the works of Carl.G.Jung, Eric Berne, Education and Religion. He has read the Rig and Atharva Vedas He studied the 3 Vedantic schools of thought, viz. Shankarabhashya, Madhvabhashya, and Sribhashya of Ramanuja. He is well versed in the 6 Dharshanas particularly the Sankya and Nyayasastra, the Agamas and Puranas. He had also read with keen interest the Levantian religions. It is obvious that he gained vast knowledge in all the basic categories of human endeavours, yet he refuses to be labelled as a polymath. Undeniably he is a veritable information store house and a brilliant and highly skilled ideational engineer, in that he can tailor-make complex ideas into comprehensible packages for any age and culture groups.
He is good at mentoring and as Personality Development trainer and takes up assignment on that score.
Exploration of the surrounding world is a childhood passion. Since he was 4 years old he explored the shores of the lagoon in Chembur, Bombay and also the vast open spaces around Tilak Nagar, he even tried to walk to Trombay to see the atomic power station, but he got lost on the way and had to trun back abortively. In 1965 his father was transfered to Chennai, he continued his exploration and literally walked the entire length and breath of Chennai. Later he switched to marathon bicycling and increased the exploring radius to a hundred kilometres. He goes exploring on his cruiser motorcycle and has covered entire south India, observing people and places. At present he is conducting a study of the cultural aspects of the people of Torlikonda village in Telangana and the origins of the Nathavattam clan among the people of Perambalur and Pachamalai hills in Tamilnadu.
But his top priority is for explorations of prehistoric cave art and megaliths. In the process he has found epigraphs and hero stones too. He leaves no stone unturned and has devoted time and attention to analyze them seeking consultation from the relevant experts of that field.
His Discoveries: His finds include prehistoric cave art, megaliths, epigraphs and hero stones. They have been published in leading Tamil daily Dinamalar, and the Times of India. He is a regular contributor to the Avanam a research journal of the Archeological Society based in the Thanjavur Tamil University.
His Major Works
His Pre Historic Odyssey
Future plans:
1. To start an ACADEMY OF NEW INTELLECTUALS that focuses primarily on the individuation process and, excellence, rather than catering to the neo-slavery of industrial corporations. 20 acres of land has been acquired for the same in Tamilnadu. The ACADEMY OF NEW INTELLECTUALS will have class rooms across Eurasia, the Americas and Australia.
2. To publish a series of books containing the analytical aspects of his discoveries, and on his first hand glimpses into the wide spectrum of people and places and their ethos as he has observed them at the micro-level. The book will focus on the institutional breakdowns in the urban environs and also in the remote corners of our society, and the how and why of it. It would serve as a combination of Historical and Sociological views. He hopes that they can be of use to Educators.
3. To conduct outreach programs to parent-teacher groups in schools and among corporate employees on the importance of having an appropriate historical perspective in any field of endeavor.
4. To offer Courses and Training in prehistoric study.