Why ‘The Hindu’ newspaper has chosen to revisit Prof. Nilakanta Sastri’s 1964 lecture at this time, especially when more recent studies have emerged in the field.
- The timing of The Hindu’s publication of this article appears intended to support the hypothesis of rebranding the Indus Civilization as the Saraswati Civilization, with the aim of presenting the Aryans as the indigenous people of India.
Dr. J Ravikumar Stephen
Founder, Dravidianism Revival Centre
Introduction
It is curious why The Hindu newspaper has chosen to revisit Prof. Nilakanta Sastri’s 1964 lecture at this time, especially when more recent studies have emerged in the field. Contemporary research in anthropological genetics has provided new insights, confirming that Homo sapiens originated in Africa. Studies by Prof. Dr. R Pitchappan have further mapped migratory patterns, showing genetic evidence that links the Nadar, Ezhava, and Thiyya communities with the L1 haplogroup. L1 is one of the earliest branches of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tree, descended from L and diverging early in human history. This lineage is predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa. L1 likely originated around 140,000 to 170,000 years ago in Africa, where it diversified. Its sub-lineages, such as L1b and L1c, are present in African populations today. This genetic connection suggests that the ancestors of these communities were among the first to settle on the Malabar Coast, predating migrations to other parts of South India.
Chronology of Anthropological Migration
Around 70,000 years ago, with the onset of the Ice Age, human groups began migrating to various regions.
One group migrated towards the Arctic, relying on fatty and robust animals like mammoths, mastodons, and saber-toothed cats, as well as seals and narwhals, for sustenance. The Rig Veda (Mandala 1, Sukta 133, Richa 13) describes a region where the early Aryans resided. This verse reveals that they inhabited a place where the Sun rose only once a year, with dawn lasting for an extended period—a characteristic of the Arctic Circle. This insight is further supported by the Zoroastrian scripture, the Avesta (Vendidad, Fargard 1).
Another group migrated toward the eastern seashores, surviving on marine life beneath the icy seas. They journeyed along the shores, reaching the western coast of India before eventually arriving in Alaska, via Australia. Geneticists from Madurai Kamaraj University discovered the gene marker “M130” in 2008 in Virumandi and 12 other individuals from a tribal village near Madurai, confirming that the ancestors of Australian Aborigines passed through India on their route from Africa to Australia. This migration continued until they reached the southern tip of Chile. This group, which settled in South Asia, was later labeled “Dravidians.”
A third group lived along the Mediterranean coast, sustaining themselves on marine life. After the Ice Age, as ice melted and flooded the levant region, some migrated to the Zagros mountains, while another group, led by “Ashur,” one of grandsons of Noah moved northward, establishing a settlement in Arjika, present-day Kazakhstan.
The group that migrated to the Arctic eventually identified as “Devs.” After the Ice Age, they moved southward and reunited with their kin in Arjika, where Ashur’s followers had founded a city. The “Devs” were permitted to settle in Arjika, but tensions soon arose over offerings (food) being cast into the sacrificial fire during worship. Ashur’s followers had domesticated wheat and barley and built an irrigation dam on the Ili River, which limited water access for the Devs’ livestock, sparking the “Dev-Ashur Sangram.” Despite initial successes, Ashur’s group was ultimately defeated and migrated from Arjika to build the city of Nineveh, later forming the Assyrian civilization.
With Ashur’s departure, life in Arjika became challenging for the Devs, prompting them to migrate as well. One group settled along the Amu Darya delta in present-day Uzbekistan, where they abandoned the title “Devs” and identified as descendants of “Manu,” (Vedic equivalent of Abrahamic Noah) later becoming known as the Medes or Magis. Another group migrated southward, settling in what is now Iran.
The Medes domesticated horses around 2200 BC. Mounted on horseback, they invaded the Levant, where they encountered their Dev relatives in modern Iran. Both groups identified as “Aryans,” meaning noble, while they referred to outsiders derogatorily as “Ahi” in the Vedas and “Azi” in the Avesta.
The Dravidians domesticated rice in the Narmada Valley approximately 13,000 years ago, while the Gond Dravidians mastered iron smelting around the same time. Homo sapiens encountered their earlier cousins, such as the Denisovans, approximately 40,000 years ago, suggesting the Dravidians arrived in South Asia between 28,000 and 11,000 BC.
The Aryans invented the spoked wheel around 2000 BC. This innovation allowed them to design horse-drawn chariots, which they used to invade neighboring regions, including South Asia. Aryan incursions into Harappan cities likely occurred between 2000 and 1500 BC.
Later waves of Aryan invasions into South Asia included groups like the Jats, Rajputs, Ahirs, Gujjars, Baloches, and Pathans from Central Asia in the 7th century BC. This was followed by a Zoroastrian (Parsi) Aryan king from Iran, Darius I, in 515 BC, and subsequently by Alexander the Great in 326 BC from Macedonia.
The Seleucid Invasion between 305 and 303 BC established Hellenistic influence in South Asia, which persisted until the invasion of an Anaryan tribal leader, Mohammad bin Qasim, in 712 AD. Thus, South Asia experienced multiple Aryan waves over time.
In 722-721 BC, following the Neo-Assyrian (Aryans who had took control of Assyria) conquest of the northern Kingdom of Israel, the “Ten Lost Tribes” migrated to various parts of the world, Including Kashmir, Tibet, China, and eventually Northeastern India. Their presence is seen today in the Khasi-speaking communities of Meghalaya and the Hmar, Thadou, and Kuki-speaking tribes of Manipur and Mizoram. This linguistic connection demonstrates that Austroasiatic languages have ties to Semitic languages, rather than Indo-European. This proves that Fürer-Haimendorf and others have flawed in their hypothesis. It also implies that tribes such as the Bhumij, Ho, Mundari, and Santali-speaking Munda tribes are not Aryan. Genetic studies on these tribes could further trace their origins to the Levant region.
The Core of Proto-Dravidian and Dravidian: Unchanging Foundations
The term drāviḍa was first used in the seventh century AD by Kumārilabhaṭṭa in his work Tantravārttika. Later, in the 14th century, the Sanskrit text Lilatilakam used the term “Dramiḍa” to refer to the spoken languages of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Therefore, “Dravidian” likely originated as a modification by non-Tamil speakers to refer specifically to Tamil.
In an article from The Hindu, it is claimed that Prof. Shashtri quoted J. Burrow as saying, “Vedic speech was influenced not by the Dravidian languages of history as we know them, but by an earlier form, a sort of proto-Dravidian.” This likely refers to Thomas Burrow, the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University. It’s well known that languages evolve; the Tamil spoken in Chennai fifty years ago differs from today’s version. With the influx of people from Tirunelveli, the Tamil dialect in Chennai has transformed and refined. The popular comedian Vadivelu significantly contributed to popularizing certain colloquial expressions from Madurai across Tamil Nadu. One notable example is āṭṭaiya pōṭutall (ஆட்டைய போடுதல்), primarily meaning “stealing” in Madurai parlance. Interestingly, the phrase has an alternate literal meaning: “sheep laying.”
Language is not static; it evolves with the feelings and expressions of the people who speak it. The Tamil spoken by the ancestors of the Nadar, Ezhava, and Thiyya communities in Africa would undoubtedly differ from the Tamil they speak today. In the case of the Ezhava and Thiyya communities, their Tamil evolved into Malayalam roughly 1,200 years ago under Aryan influence, which introduced Sanskrit. Similarly, the Tamil spoken 3,000 years ago would be different from the Tamil of today. Yet, the core remains the same—a core that Tholkappiar captured in his grammar. This continuity in Tamil’s core elements, despite linguistic changes over time, is why classical Tamil is still grouped with modern languages.
Polarized Distribution of Linguistic Layers
Imagine the native languages of South Asia as a layered cake. The “baked” core of the cake represents the expressions and emotions of the people, while the “icing” on top symbolizes Proto-Dravidian. Each wave of invaders added unique garnishes to this base—fresh fruits, edible flowers, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, piped buttercream, fondant, candied fruit, toasted nuts, meringue, glaze, chocolate ganache, or herbs like mint. The degree of admixture from each invader shaped the flavor of this linguistic “cake.” For example, when the Gujjars from Central Asia invaded India around the 7th century BC, the region they controlled became known as Gurjaram, and the language of the Gujjars blended with Proto-Dravidian to form Gujarati. The people of Tirunelveli, on the other hand, retained more elements of Proto-Dravidian, as this region remained largely untouched by Aryan invasions—even Malik Kafur’s conquests did not extend beyond Madurai.
Fürer-Haimendorf linked etymology to language origins in a way that some consider inaccurate, suggesting that words define emotion rather than the other way around. Er Vishvanath Khaire, in his book Adakula Madakula, argues the opposite: emotions precede words. Invaders and traders often arrived without their women and took local wives after establishing settlements. The children born to Proto-Dravidian-speaking mothers, though they adopted their fathers’ Indo-Aryan tongue for daily communication, retained emotional expressions taught by their mothers during early childhood. One such expression in Marathi is the exclamation *iśśa* (इश्श), used to convey shyness or other emotions. Khaire traces iśśa back to Tamil expressions like cī (சீ), cīcī (சீசீ), and cīccī (சீச்சீ), as well as Kannada expressions like chi (ಚಿ) and chichi (ಚಿಚಿ). Many Marathi speakers assume that the Marathi exclamation arē (अरे – “Hey”) originated from Sanskrit, but Khaire demonstrates it actually evolved from aṭē (அடே), showing how Marathi and Tamil frequently exchange ‘R’ and ‘Ḍ’ sounds in their vocabulary.
The title of Khaire’s book, Adakula Madakula, references lullaby sounds used by Marathi mothers, yet the meaning of these lullabies can’t be fully understood through Mahashtri or Prakrit, which heavily influenced current day Marathi. Their significance, however, becomes clear when analyzed through the Tamil lexicon. Khaire is not just any writer; he is a Sanskrit scholar, a Sahitya Akademi Award winner, and his book Adakula Madakula won a State award in 1982.
The Aryan Identity and South Asian Egalitarian Thought
The term “Dravidian” was an exonym given by the Aryans, whereas “Aryan” was a self-designated autonym. In modern times, this claim to the Aryan identity has resurfaced, such as when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, adopted the title “Aryamehr” in 1967, meaning “Light of the Aryans.” This context invites a fresh look at Max Müller’s interpretations of the Aryan legacy.
When considering ideas around eugenics and social hierarchy, we need not look only to Julian Huxley of the 20th century. South Asia’s foundational thinker, Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, who likely lived between the 1st century BC and the 6th century AD, made a revolutionary declaration at a time when Aryan-imposed caste divisions had permeated the society. He proclaimed, piṟappokkum ellā uyirkkum— “All people are equal at birth.” This bold stance defied the inequality introduced by the Aryans, who had established themselves at the pinnacle of a rigid caste hierarchy. Huxley, unfamiliar with India’s caste system, couldn’t have known the deep-seated discrimination it fueled. A significant step towards dismantling racial and social inequality, therefore, lies in abolishing India’s caste structure and discarding texts that uphold caste-based discrimination.
Read – Echoes of Ages Past: A Saga of Dravidian Resilience and Aryan Encounters
Poongunranar, a Tamil philosopher and astronomer from around the 6th century BC, also left a lasting legacy in the wake of Aryan invasions by groups like the Jats, Rajputs, Ahirs, Gujjars, Baloches, and Pathans. With his visionary statement, Yātum ūrē yāvarum kēḷir — “Every city is your city; everyone is your kin” — he encouraged a sense of unity and kinship that diffused potential conflicts among the South Asian people. His wisdom cultivated harmony and safeguarded against civil strife, reinforcing a shared sense of belonging across the region.
The Misconception of Lemuria and the Sangam Era
Tamils often attribute a deep antiquity to their literature without fully aligning these beliefs with scientific evidence. Lemuria, once hypothesized as a sunken land bridge linking India and Australia, was thought to explain certain biogeographical discontinuities. However, this concept has been made obsolete by modern plate tectonics. While sunken land masses like Zealandia in the Pacific, and Mauritia and the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean, have been discovered, no geological structure in the Indian or Pacific Oceans would have served as a land bridge between these continents. The drifting of tectonic plates occurred well before the emergence of complex animal life, rendering the Kumari Kandam legend scientifically untenable.
Though Tamil coastal cities and their literary archives were indeed lost to historical tsunamis, the Sangam literature we possess today was composed only between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. Since Aryan incursions into South India took place before the Sangam period, references to Aryan deities and influences naturally appear within this literature. According to Prof. Dr John Samuel of Institute of Asian Studies, the very word Sangam itself does not conform to Tholkappiar’s grammar, as, according to Tholkappiam, words cannot begin with the letter “ca” (ச). Thus, while rich in heritage, Tamil historical narratives should consider scientific insights to more accurately contextualize their ancient origins.
Conclusion
The timing of The Hindu’s publication of this article appears intended to support the hypothesis of rebranding the Indus Civilization as the Saraswati Civilization, with the aim of presenting the Aryans as the indigenous people of India. This narrative further suggests that the Indus script is rooted in Vedic tradition and promotes an “Out of India” migration theory. However, references from the Rig Veda—Mandal 1, Suktas 116 (verses 3–5), 117 (verses 14 & 15), and 182 (verse 6)—themselves indicate the Caspian Sea region as the Aryan homeland. Given the historical, anthropological, genetic, and linguistic evidence, it is puzzling how the Aryans could claim India as their homeland and assert that the Indus script is Vedic Sanskrit.
Under the leadership of Vasant Shinde, Vagheesh M. Narasimhan, Niraj Rai, and David Reich, genome mapping was conducted on 61 skeletal samples from the Harappan archaeological site at Rakhigarhi in the Hisar District of Haryana, India. DNA was extracted from these samples and converted into libraries, with some treated with uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) to significantly reduce the error rates from the typical cytosine-to-uracil lesions found in ancient DNA. The findings suggest that the Harappan civilization was not cosmopolitan in nature; its genetic makeup shows no contribution from Steppe pastoralists or western Iranian farmers or herders, who later influenced the ancestry of South Asians.
Read: Pre-Aryan Civilization had No Personality Cult or Royal Tombs
________________
Dr. J Ravikumar Stephen G., is the Founder, Dravidianism Revival Centre, Peace Coalition of the People of South Asia, and Sages of the New Covenant. He is also the Presiding Bishop of General Convention of the Episcopal Churches in Southern and South Eastern Asia. The Dravidianism Revival Centre is located in Badlapur, Greater Thane Maharashtra, India.
