Abstract:
The lecture delves into the basics of Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics and their umbilical relation to the larger subject of History. The speaker believes History definitely benefits from the information given by all three fields; however, the same would be ignored if viewed in isolation by respective subject experts only.The three fields have had their own evolution in India and thus followed a different trajectory after Indian independence. This has resulted in a broken connection between the three fields and the larger field of History. The speaker hopes to demonstrate the innate connection between them and their employment in highlighting History more effectively by basing it on material remains of the past.

About the Speaker:
Mahesh Kalra did his Masters in Numismatics and Archaeology from the University of Mumbai topping the subject in 2010. He used the period during and after his Masters to acquire proficiency in the Ancient Scripts of Greek, Bactrian Greek, Brahmi and Kharoshthi along with medieval scripts of Arabic and Persian. He used this knowledge to teach and conduct courses on Numismatics & Epigraphy,first at his alma mater itselfbetween 2011and 2014, and then at various institutions and museums across the country.He acquired his Doctorate in History from the University of Mumbai defendingthe thesis titled ‘Deccan under the Mughals c. 1595-1748: Based on Coins & Inscriptions’. The thesis relies on data from extant coin specimens examined and photographed in various museums in the U. K., Germany, Austria and Belgium in addition to few Indian museums and private collections. The numismatic data thus compiled was examined and weighed against existing epigraphic and contemporary historical sources for the region to examine historical ‘facts’ and events of the era.