Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) has started a two-day programme dedicating to Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist and archaeologist celebrating his 150th year of discovery of Palaeolithic tool in India.
The programme started with an interactive session delivered by Prof Shanti Pappu, Decaan College, Pune. During the inaugural programme, Director, IGRMS, SB Ota and several well known archaeologists from all over India were also present.
Students from various college and schools attended the workshop. After the introduction to prehistory students were divided into three groups where they learnt three different activities. Students were demonstrated and trained to make rock tools like prehistoric man, rock art and excavation like archaeologist.
Director of Sharma Centre for Heritage Education Kumar Akhilesh demonstrated making of Stone tools. Students made stone tools like early man and later piled fruits using the tools made by them. Students were provided with special eyewear to work on stones.
The second group made rock art using similar minerals as were used by the early man and they made rock art depicting story of the early human. later students gave a presentation on their art work explaining the audience about the rock arts.
The third group worked on the mock trench where archaeologists made a trench and students dig and found out stones. They did the digging using standard procedure using graphs and mapping.
In the end all students shared their experience and a special session was organised for answering the queries of the students.
On Sunday, a workshop will be organised for adults, along with the exhibition on the works of Robert Bruce Foote, which will be inaugurated at 4 pm and Emeritus Prof K Paddayya, former director, Deccan College Pune will deliver a lecture titled as “Prelude to History: The Romance of the discovery of India’s Prehistoric Past” at Rockart seminar hall from 4:30 pm.