Faces of Keeladi

Venkat Subramanian

When it comes to choosing where to settle in life, one is usually in the crossroads whether to choose the hustle bustle of a city, or the quiet life of a village. As the big cities offer more opportunities, an increasing number of people usually make the leap and settle in the rush, instead of choosing to live in the village that they were born in. For me it was an instant decision. In spite of a high flying engineering degree from the prestigious Anna University, I was hardly tempted to find my place in big cities, but was always eager to serve the little village where I was born in. Destination seemed clear to me, as my heart found its beat in Keeladi. As I reminisce my college days at Anna University, Guindy, during the 80’s and later on in the Department of Management Studies at University of Madras, I realize that it molded me into a responsible person who believes in giving it back to the society that I grew up in, in some form or the other. I charted a path for myself that is quite unexplored, and I take pride of the road I chose for myself. Belonging to a family of professionals and academicians, I was the youngest and fiercely independent. My education and experience added immense value to the way I approached the issues and challenges of my village. It became an integral part of me, very early on, as I was exposed to real heart wrenching issues of villagers. My father who was a retd. RDO to whom the village looked upon, mentored and coached me. I walked in his footsteps, but approached disputes, livelihood issues, poverty, medical problems from my own perspective, experience and learnings. With this background, the circumstances was such that I became the president of the village at the age of 32. Those 5 years under my father’s mentorship, I had the opportunity to serve the people and implement schemes for the betterment of the village and its people. After almost 2 decades, now again I’ve taken up the responsibility of guiding the sangam era civilized village. Being the son of Keeladi, the village I spent my childhood and the name of the village that has gained the attention worldwide is a huge transformation to myself and to my fellow villagers. Keeladi excavation site is a Sangam period settlement that lies on the bank of the Vaigai River and it reflects the ancient culture of Tamil people. The excavation that started off as an experiment, unearthed some amazing facts about Sangam era, and this is truly the game changer. This village is a family to all those who’re a part of it. We hope that this website gives you a glimpse of this tiny hamlet that holds significant archeological evidences of what was found in Tamil literature. .