Day two of the History Literature Festival in Hyderabad unfolded on Saturday with wide-ranging conversations that moved from medieval archaeology and corporate histories to community identities, political ideologies and classical music.
The day began with a session titled ‘Deccan Dynasties: A Medieval History’, featuring archaeologist and historian Uthara Suvrathan, archaeologist Hemanth Kadambi and historian Anirudh Kanisetti. The discussion explored how dynasties eventually find their way into the archaeological record and how material remains shape historical understanding.
Readers at the bookstore set up at the History Literature Festival in Hyderabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA
Ms. Suvrathan spoke about Banavasi, a small town known as the capital of the early Karnataka-based Kadamba dynasty. Recounting her archaeological survey in the region, she said the team identified over 300 sites. Kadambi, in turn, reflected on the differences between archaeological and historical processes, explaining how the methods and questions in each discipline often diverge even when they examine the same past.
The next session, ‘Hues & Brews: Journeys of Asian Paints and Amrut’, featured author Anupam Gupta, writer Sriram Devatha and historian Chinmay Tumbe. The discussion focused on the evolution of Asian Paints and Amrut, both founded in the 1940s, and how the two brands navigated growth and competition over the decades.
