{
  "id": 18433484,
  "title": "Tamil Nadu man made thousands of ancient inscriptions searchable for free",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/tamil-nadu-man-made-thousands-of-ancient-inscriptions-searchable-for",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-06T03:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/in-2007-a-tamil-nadu-designer-began-putting-kolam-drawings-online-19-years-later-udhaya-shankar-has-made-thousands-of-ancient-inscriptions-searchable-for-free-and-won-a-rs-50000-heritage-award/articleshow/135584679.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Udhaya Shankar, a young designer from Tamil Nadu, envisioned sharing traditional kolam designs on the internet in 2007. This early initiative evolved into Udhayam.in, a digital platform preserving over 8,500 ancient Tamil inscriptions. The project, recognized with the THT Prof. S. Swaminathan Heritage Award 2026 and a Rs 50,000 prize, showcases Shankar's dedication to heritage preservation. Despite working full-time and dedicating six hours daily to the endeavor, the majority of Udhayam.in's maintenance costs are self-funded. The platform's success hinges on accurate research, with Shankar overcoming challenges in identifying the modern locations of ancient inscriptions.",
  "summary": "Udhaya Shankar embarked on his journey by showcasing traditional kolam designs, but soon his focus shifted towards safeguarding Tamil inscriptions. Through his initiative, Udhayam.in, over 8,500 ancient texts have been made available for online searching. Balancing a design career, Shankar dedicates approximately six hours a day to this labor of love, showcasing his unwavering commitment to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "6am movie screenings are back in Tamil Nadu as cinemas get a six-show daily limit",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/6am-movie-screenings-are-back-in-tamil-nadu-as-cinemas-get-a-six-show",
        "published": "2026-11-04T02:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}