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This is an eagle with folded hands - the seal of Shilaharas - who ruled Konkan and Kolhapur from 8th to 12th Century, click for details This is an eagle with folded hands - the seal of Shilaharas - who ruled Konkan and Kolhapur from 8th to 12th Century, click for details
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Science, history and the dissemination of knowledge


CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 81, NO. 5, 10 SEPTEMBER 2001 435

What can progress in science and dis-semination of such knowledge aid in accurate interpretation and widespread understanding of one's own history? Very little apparently. Your readers are probably aware that over the past couple of years, new research - to be exact - three papers (Human Evolution: The Southern Route to Asia, Current Biology 1999 Dispatch R295; Deep Common Ancestry of Indian and Western Euro- pean Mitochondrial Lineages, Current Biology, 1999; Fundamental Genomic Unity of Ethnic India is Revealed by Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA, Current Science, 2000, 79), have been published, the last one just recently on both the genetic breakup of modern Indian popu-lations as well as likely conclusions regarding the time, magnitude and type
of their original migrations into the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Since the facts are pertinent to make a case later on, here are the simplified facts in a nutshell. The published findings essen-tially draw upon the by-now well-known facts relating to mtDNA data breakups within and outside the Indian popula-tions, viz.
(1) In general, East Africans, most Europeans and most Indians possess haplogroup U - considered a prime West European marker.
(2) Some East Africans from Ethiopia, some coastal Arabians, most East Asian populations and almost all Indians have haplogroup M. Haplo-group M is considered a basic East Asian Marker. This is however conspicuously absent in Europeans.
(3) The coalescence age of haplogroup M is considered about
60,000 YBP and that of haplogroup U around 55,000 YBP.
(4) Among Indian populations within each gene pool, tribal populations have greater haplogroup M than any other, North Indians have more haplogroup U than haplogroup M, South Indians have more haplogroup M than haplogroup U, and as one moves up the caste ladder - whether in North Indians or South Indians - more haplogroup U than M is present. From these, researchers have broadly come to a consensus that there were most likely two migrations into India.

Each probably a small group of females (or more females than males). One carrying haplogroup M around 60,000 YBP start-ing from Ethiopia, rounding the Arabian coast, landing into the Indian subconti-nent, some of whom must have pro-ceeded eastwards to populate SE Asia, Australia and beyond. Then around 55,000 YBP, a second group of females carrying the haplogroup U marker got out of Africa, and on reaching the Middle East - split into two groups - one headed west to Europe and the other east towards India, merging with the forerunners, i.e. the haplogroup M. This explanation would reconcile all of the above listed facts. Though there are some data to indi-cate smaller admixtures around 32,000 YBP and a much smaller one centering over a time period ~ 9000 YBP, the researchers point out that none of these or any other data indicate any major splash in our gene pool occurring in the recent past. Now, what should all this lead our eminent historians to declare vis-à-vis the
conventional take on our ancient history?

For starters, one would think that the Aryan invasion theory would be pro-nounced dead. And yet this theory has persisted, not only among seasoned researchers within the ASI, ICHR and other historical organizations entrusted with documenting our history, but also finds its way into respected mainstream magazines from time to time. Pick up any recent issue of an in-flight magazine and odds are, you will to run into the old-familiar 'when the Aryans overran Harappa around 1500 BC. . .', etc.

Why would such notions persist in spite of seemingly water-tight facts being now available? The reasons are not hard to find. For one thing, the information is simply not widely known. For another, it is still complex enough not to be easily susceptible to sensationalism in the popu-lar press. It is far easier to misinterpret some other data and breathtakingly declare 'European gene found in upper caste Indians'. But more importantly, when non-mainstream historians pointing to the new facts draw 'non-traditional' conclusions, cries accusing them of being revisionist-history-fanatics or pro-Hindutva or some bogey is raised to pare them to size. And mainstream academics? Well, in their safe positions, they are by and large unwilling to rock the boat and say anything seemingly radical, if at all. On the contrary, much efforts are directed at belittling the new-fangled interpretations. The end result is that our history text-books continue to carry outdated and disproven theories and our popular magazines blithely mouth inaccuracies oblivious of recent developments.

VENKATESH NARAYANAN
2A/302, Rajgiri,
Siddhachal,
Thane West 400 601, India
e-mail: venkatesh_narayanan@vsnl.com

 


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