Pathik 2003 Vol 43 Ank 10 11 12

SR No.: 535516
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bhartiben Shelat, Subhash Bramhabhatt
Publisher: Mansingji Barad Smarak Trust
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 168
Language: Gujarati
Classification: Magazine, India_Pathik, & India
File Size: 11 MB

Page 15

archaeological facts in a well-formulated conceptual framework which reflected through his major work "The Personality of India".
Bendapudi Subbarao was born in 1921 at Waltair (Visakhapatanam) in Andhra Pradesh and died of a heart attack on 29th May 1962 in the train while travelling from Waltair to Vadodara. The archaeological fraternity in India was struck with a most grievous blow by the sudden and premature passing away of Subbarao at the young age of 40. Having had a bright career at college, the recipient of Lakshmana Rao Gold Medal of the Andhra University for his B.A. degree, Subbarao went on to Lucknow University to study Ancient Indian History under Professor Radhakumud Mukherjee and obtained his M.A. degree in 1945. Meanwhile he also did his LL.B. from the same university. After completing his M.A., Subbarao was advised by his professor to go to Pune for further research on the Sātavāhanas and Andhras. As he was from Andhra Pradesh, he showed initial interest in the archacology of the region perhaps because of his patriotic feelings.
After joining the Deccan College Research Institute at Pune under Professor H.D.Sankalia for his Ph.D. thesis on 'Prehistoric and Early Historic Bellary'- a region echoing memories of Robert Bruce Foote, the Father of Indian Prehistory - Subbarao joined the rank and file of the active archaeologists of the "Wheeler Era". For a young man then, with a soul-destroying physical handicap (having lost his right forearm in a fire accident in his undergraduate days he showed not only remarkable tenacity and steadfastness of purpose in his chosen line, but was also endowed with no less prodigious capacity for hard and unremitting field work with a highly disciplined and analytical mind. While exploring the Bellary region, large number of sites were visited by him and their positions accurately marked on one inch to a mile map. This included the sites previously discovered by Robert Bruce Foote and others and several new ones. Thus an outstanding gazetteer of the Neolithic and other sites was prepared. The excavation single handedly (otherwise also true) carried out by him at Sangankallu in the town of Bellary, though on a small scale, was well exccuted and soon became a classic as it carried us a stage further back in the past than Sir Mortimer Wheeler's work at Brahmagiri.
While at the Deccan College, Subbarao had the unique opportunity of obtaining training in several fields of Archaeology. He underwent extensive field training in the excavations at Harappa, Brahmagiri, Kolhapur and Langhnaj and also secured his Ph.D. degree in 1949 from Bombay University (Deccan College, Pune was then part of the Bombay University). His external referee was no less a person than Sir Mortimer Whecler. The overall training that Subbarao received under the hard taskmaster Professor H.D. Sankalia amply demonstrated that he was a competent young archaeologist who
ulas Suits – 8415-1022-24722012, 2003 • E