Welcome to INSTUCEN
India Study Centre
The INSTUCEN Trust, ever since it was founded in April 2010, has made waves in the field of archaeology, geology and biodiversity education and outreach in Mumbai and beyond. The Trust, helmed by Dr. Mugdha Karnik (former director of the Centre for Extra- Mural Studies, University of Mumbai) is not affiliated to any university, although it has collaborated with the University of Mumbai; Sanjeevan Trust, Mumbai; Mumbai Educational Trust, Bandra, Mumbai; Prabodhankar Thackeray Kreeda Sankul, Vile Parle, Mumbai; Birla Education Trust, Pilani and the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune for multiple programmes.
INSTUCEN Trust is known for organizing and sponsoring:
The Annual Explorations in Maharashtra Workshop (2014-2019) wherein professional and amateur archaeologists alike have presented their findings (Proceedings available);
The Annual Archaeology of Maharashtra (International) Conferences (2013-2018) where many renowned speakers like Prof. Arvind P. Jamkhedkar (Chairman, ICHR & Chancellor, Deccan College), late Prof. M. K. Dhavalikar, late Prof. Walter Spink, Prof. Geri Malandra, Prof. Vasant Shinde (ex-Vice-Chancellor, Deccan College), Dr. Tejas Garge (Director of Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of Maharashtra), Dr. Kurush Dalal, late Dr. Shridhar Andhare, Dr. Abhijit Dandekar, Dr. Pushkar Sohoni and many others have participated and presented papers (Proceedings of AoM 2 available; 1, 3, 4& 5 in preparation);
The Annual Geology and Archaeology Mega-Exhibition (2013-2018), single-handedly organised by Dr. Mugdha Karnik, attended by over 20,000 people and widely covered in the media;
The annual Kanheri Site Seminars (2014-2019) conducted by renowned Buddhist studies experts;
Many other workshops in Stone tools, Heritage Walks, Arabic Epigraphy & Calligraphy, Ancient Indian Games, Site Seminars on the Caves of Mumbai and other subjects;
ArchaeoBroma, the first-ever conference on the archaeology, history, ethnography and sociology of food organised in May 2018 by Dr. Kurush Dalal and Raamesh Gowri Raghavan;
The 2012-2015 Archaeological Excavations at Chandore, Raigad District, Maharashtra, directed by Dr. Kurush Dalal, several aspects of which have been published in peer- reviewed journals;
The 2015 & 2016 seasons of the Salsette Explorations Project, a much-regarded project on explorative urban archaeology;
A much-appreciated Multi-disciplinary Course in Forts & Fortifications at the Maharashtra Seva Sangh, Mumbai.
Glory of September, nature trails in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to highlight the biodiversity of the northern Konkan
The Archaeological Excavations at Mandad, Raigad District, with a view to understanding ancient and medieval marine trade
Playing with the Past: The first-ever National Conference on Ancient and Medieval Games on June 1st & 2nd, 2019, followed by Playing with Memories, an online international conference on board games.
Adapting swiftly to changed circumstances, INSTUCEN Trust launched online lectures in April 2020 on subjects as diverse as Archaeology, Forts and Fortifications, Archaeo- Astronomy, Epigraphy, Evolution, Genetics, Literature, Numismatics, Board Games, Language and Literature, Geology, Indian Classical Music, etc. to cater to students from all fields around the humanities, arts and sciences, and all allied fields that are a delight to study. Apart from courses in humanities and sciences, we have also hosted a myriad of guest lectures.
Over 8,000 students from all over the country have benefited from these 100+ online courses and 35+ free public lectures conducted so far. The faculty for these courses includes some of the best names in the respective fields drawn from the world of academia.
Talks by eminent scholars such as Dr. Kurush F. Dalal, Prof. Arvind P. Jamkhedkar, Dr. Walter Crist, Sheila Lewis, Sharmila Phadke, Prof. Shashikumar Chitre, Dr. Madhav Deshpande, Nihaarika Sinha, Prachi Maya Gajanan, Nilufer Bharucha, Shrikant Mane, Mayank Vahia, Mahesh Shetti, Jacob Schmidt-Madsen, Sunil Limaye, Mugdha Karnik, Prof. Preeti Shirodkar, Yamini Telkar, Prof. Selvakumar, Rochelle Potkar, Dr. Shantanu Abhyankar, Dr. Shailendra Bhandare, Dr. Shubhangi Kardile, Ms. Bindu Urugodawatte and Prof Anura Manatunga, Ms. Vaishnavi Murthy and Dr. Renate Syed.
A unique Tree Walk for Women at Jijamata Udyan on the occasion of Women’s Day 2020 INSTUCEN Trust took like a fish to water to the online education format, delivering hundreds of hours of education and awareness on subjects as diverse as:
Civilizations of the World
Evolution and Genetics
Indian, European, and American literature
Linguistics and Diversity of Indian Language
Introduction to Indian Classical Music
Tribal and Adivasi Music
Prehistory and Protohistory of India
Forts and Fortifications
The Trust has also sponsored and otherwise supported many young researchers, who have done exciting work in mapping Gadhegals in Maharashtra and Goa, the ethnoarchaeology of the Bene Israel and exploring and reviving Ancient Indian Games.
CONTACT US:
In case of any queries, you can reach us at: –
Email- instucentrust@gmail.com