Bharat Beyond Aryan Invasion Myth: National Seminar busts the myth of Aryan-Dravidian divide; lends an Indic perspective to history

Pragna Bharati and Indic Academy jointly organized a day-long national seminar, Bharat Beyond Aryan Invasion Myth on December 7, 2019 in Hyderabad

To present the multi-disciplinary research that is taking place which debunks the Aryan Invasion Theory, Pragna Bharati and Indic Academy organized a day-long national seminar for academics, writers and intellectuals `Bharat beyond Aryan Invasion Myth’ on 7thDec 2019 at ISB, Hyderabad. In the light of recent discoveries and mounting evidence against the Aryan Invasion theory, writing by opinion-makers have become more strident. Rakhigarhi DNA analysis, excavations from Sanauli and Keezhadi, more evidence on river Saraswathi and other multi-sectoral evidences from the fields of geological studies, DNA studies and Genetics, Paleobotanical studies, hydrological studies are all adding to the strengthening of research in Indology. Several well-known historians, archaeologists, geneticists, linguists presented the multi-faceted research happening in the last few years.

Author and professor Dr Joydeep Bagchee presented a brilliant analysis on the `Historical context of the early origins of Aryan Invasion Myth’, and how German Christian theologists like Schlegel brothers, Christian Lassen mischievously created the Aryan-Dekhanistic divide and also postulated that Aryan homeland is Caspian sea and later positioned it towards Bactria. Benes created the hitherto unknown racial entity `Aryan’. Just as old testament is absorbed into `new testament’, the church’s theological move played into Hinduism, sowing seeds of long-standing conspiracy that created havoc for more than three centuries in India. The process of delegitimization of India’s own history continued, and false narratives were created which further degenerated into `racial’ and `linguistic’ studies. Keynote speaker, author Dr Michel Daninofrom IIT Gandhinagar, presenting on `The return of Aryan myth’ spoke about the eight approaches thru which the AIT can be unraveled- linguistic, geographical, archaeological, cultural, bio-anthropological, archaeo-genetic, archaeo-astronomical and linguistic and gave indepth details of these approaches. He also pointed out that some European scholars like Edmund Leach have said long ago that Aryan invasions have never happened at all. Keynote speaker, Dr K. Thangaraj, from CCMB Hyderabad gave a detailed presentation on `Chronicle of Indian Sub-continent- Genomic perspectives’ mapping the routes various population groups have taken out of Africa millions of years ago. He said India is a veritable `ethnic museum’ with 4635 well-defined population groups and 532 tribal groups.

Reputed authors and thinkers Dr Shrikant Talageri and Dr Koenraad Elst speaking on `Linguistics and Comparative Mythology’ explained the various false theories constructed over the mythical `Aryan homeland’ based on the affinity of Sanskrit with many European languages, this homeland trajectory moved from Caucasian to Bactria and so on, in their desperation to place it as closer to Europe as possible. Max Mueller in league with missionaries thought it to be Caspian sea area, whereas the gigantic demographic of India cannot be connected to thinly populated groups of Central Asia. Linguistics can be shown not to exclude, even mildly support Out of India theory. Dr Talageri based on his vast work stated that till 1813, there was no theory that Aryans is a separate race, and infact OIT was the original theory. Later on British missionaries working in India, distorted the truth by a fraudulent exercise and constructed a hypothetical PIE, from which they generated AIT. Contrary to AIT, all known evidences establish the truth of OIT, and also proves that northern India was the original homeland of all the 12 branches of Indo-European languages till 3000BCE, and then migrations out of India started and languages have separated . All including extinct languages are mentioned in the Vedas and puranas. He said AIT supporters are now depending on genetics whereas there is no connection of languages with genetic ancestry.

Dr Vasant Shinde of Deccan college who headed the Rakhigarhi study gave an elaborate presentation on the Sindhu -Saraswati basin andwhat the DNA analysis of rakhigarhi reveals. He said the samples don’t reveal any genetic signatures from Iranian or steppes related ancestry. Intermixing didn’t happen till 1000BCE. Harappans moved towards west asia;vedic knowledge, agricultureare all totally indigenous and not brought from outside. The cultural sequencing of the beginnings of a settled life, domestication of animals, wheat and barley farming, ornamentation are all found, whether in Mehergarh or Rakhigarhi, with over 2/3 settlements located in Saraswati basin. Dhola- vira is a good example and completely corroborates the three-layered towns and fire altars that Rigveda mentions. Rakhigarhi DNA