‘ARYANS’, ‘DRAVIDS’AND ‘NAGAS’---SOME LIES, SOME MYTHS AND SOME LEGENDS-PART ONE

Who are Dravidian people? Are they ethnically same? Do they owe their origin to South India? Strange questions I ask and strange answers I will give. I will quote from known written sources but deduce based on what the ORAL HISTORY of the people would dictate to me. Firstly, DRAVIDIAN PEOPLE are neither one nor ethnically same. The origin of the word is interesting. As I Go through WIKIPEDIA article, it makes certain amusing observations. These are:-

-The word first time finds mention in SANSKRIT TEXTS in and around seventh century AD. It was used by KUMARILA BHATTA in his book TANTRIKAVARTTIKA. It is alleged the word was used to describe TAMIL LANGUAGE. It was an Englishman, namely, Robert Caldwell, who used this phrase to describe people of South India. He coined the term DRAVIDIANS in the 19th Century. How ironic—there are people in South India whose ancestors coined this dergatory term to describe lowly people but today they as descendants of 'ANCIENTS GREATS' are also clubbed into the same category.

-The Origin of the word DRAVIDA is attributed to the Sanskrit word “DRAMILA” or “DAMILA”, which later corrupted to Tamil or Tamil speaking people. It has been done by Linguists and they have gone to the extent of equating these words with TAMIL or TARMIZ. However, I have a different definition. I personally feel the word has been coined out of old Sanskrit and ancient PERSIAN words. There is a Persian word “DRI-CHE-SHAK”, meaning undoubtedly or without doubt. Here, DRI stands for WITHOUT and ‘SHAK’ for ‘DOUBT’. Even in SANSKRIT the word ‘DRI’stands for “LACKING- IN”. The word DRAVID is made of two Sanskrit words “DRI” and “VID”. DRI, as explained, would stand for ‘Lacking-in or poor’ while “VID” means KNOWLEDGE. Thus DRAVID was a person who did not have the knowledge. It was used to refer to people who were considered INFERIOR---as till a few years back or even today, NON-ENGLISH speaking people are viewed. It was not referring to a race or one ethnicity but was used as a derogatory term.

-Robert Caldwell, a renowned linguist, in his book “Grammar of the Dravidians or the People of South India, published in 1856, recognized 73 Dravidian languages spoken from South India to Baluchistan(PAKISTAN),Western Iran, Afghanistan and Urals. It is now believed they were the people who established Pre –Aryan or the HARAPPAN civilization .I call it the civilization of NAGA people who were the worshippers of lord Shiva. The VEDIC knowledge belongs to them which had been usurped by the ARYANS because by that time, say around 1900 BC to 2800 BC NATURAL UPHEAVALS had devastated the NAGA CIVILISATION. Anyway at this stage, dates are not important.

The more I dig into VEDIC and ARYAN myths and legends, the more I am astonished at the written volumes of BRITISH-INTERPRETTED accounts of ancient Indian History. I do not blame the BRITISHERS for this gaffe but the obedient servants of HIS MASTER’s VOICE---the genre of modern Indian historians of colonial and post-colonial era. My pointer is towards the callous neglect of the ORAL HISTORY while interpreting ancient Indian history. There was a need for a deliberate effort to establish a linkage of ORAL HISTORY with the archaeological sites. The BRITISHERS couldn’t have done this. They did not understand the local facts of customs, traditions, folklores, food habits and the development of language and local dialect to include, sayings, maxims, phrases and the grammar. Let me explain my point regarding the impact of historical events on language, dialect, customs, traditions and children games. I will do so with some examples from rural Punjab of yesteryears to show as to how do games, phrases and idioms evolve?

There was a game in rural PUNJAB, some 3-4 decades back, which the young children used to play. In this game, they drew out a square on the ground. Divided it into five rectangles from top to bottom. The third and fifth rectangles were further subdivided vertically into two equal rectangles each. The own side of the side is called ‘GHAR’ (Home). The far side is called ‘SAMUNDAR’ (THE SEA). And then they throw a dice sequentially from the HOME SIDE rectangle first and go towards the SEA SIDE rectangles step by step. Each time they have to go hopping on one leg to the rectangle where the dice is lying and push it out of the square. It is done in turns. Should the dice go out sideways or land in the opponent’s square—the player is considered out. Should you successfully bring the dice out of the square---you own the rectangle where you had thrown the dice. There are two players or two teams. It is called “ADDEE –CHHARAPPA”, meaning “HEEL- HOPPING”. Now, how would you interpret this game? If I write it, for your convenience as “ADDEE-CH-HARAPPA”, then, what would you say? Let me translate it for you: HARAPPA UNDER MY HEEL. Are you raising your heckles? Why not? This is what the game means—if you follow its basic characteristics.

Go to SANGHOL—an archaeological site of HARAPPAN period---near Chandigarh, some 60 kms South West of it on the road to Ludhiana. They say it lay on the banks of river SATLUJ when it was a tributary of river SARASWATI. The excavations reveal that it was a well planned city—which one day, some distant time in the past, just banished. The folk lore says that it was the outcome of the curse of a woman of the village. They tell you the story of the curse of a widowed girl of the village who, being harassed and troubled, wanted the TOWN to cave in---or in typical Punjabi word---“NIGGHAR JAAVE”. And Lo! It caved in one evening with the sound “GARH—GARH—GARH---GARH---GARH”. Is the name “GHAGGAR”—the name of the dry stream—alleged to be ancient SARASWATI CHANNEL based on this sound “GARH ---GARH---GARH”? Just think about it? Go to Ropar, some 50 Kms WEST of Chandigarh on the road to Jalandhar/Hoshiarpur. It is on the banks of river SATLUJ as it comes out of the Shivalik Hills. The excavations, there too, tell a similar story. How about Chandigarh itself? The museum in the Punjab University tells the story of its linkage with Harappa sites. In India, the story of our historical evolution has been greatly mystified in our attempt to glamourise our past based on certain epochal stories. We tend to be emotional in claiming everything as indigenous. Let me illustrate this in succeeding paragraphs.

Take the case of evolution of Hinduism. I t must be understood that unlike other religions, it was not founded by any MESSIAH, PROPHET or a SAINT. It evolved itself by the confluence of various TEMPORAL PHILOSOPHIES, both indigenous and external. It graduated from geographical identity to religious identity over 1000 years. Primarily, it emerged with the synthesis of two diametrically opposite philosophies---SHAIVISM and VAISHNAVISM. While SHAIVITES were NON-VEGETERAIANS; VAISHNAVITES are VEGETARIANS. Even today KASHMIRI PANDITS—the Staunch SHAIVITES ---eat MEAT and that too ‘HALAAL’ and not JHATKA’. ‘Shaivites’ had Lord Shiva as its presiding deity; Vaishnavites had Lord Vishnu. ‘Shaivites’ believed in LIVING LIFE HAPPILY TODAY---thus their guiding principle was: EAT, DRINK and BE MERY. Vaishnavites believed in the betterment OF FUTURE through ‘GOOD DEEDS TODAY’.

SHAIVISM is indigenous and VAISHNAVISM is imported. In the times bygone, both of them were competitive temporal philosophies. In the history of ‘Chalukyas’, a dynasty ruling in the peninsular India around 1000-1200AD, there are instances of kings patronizing SHAIVISM and prosecuting the Vaishnavites. It is alleged that one of the Chalukya kings, namely Kullothunga Chola II, had removed the statue of Lord Vishnu from the SHIVA shrine at CHIDAMBRAM. History and EPOCHS tell us that LORD SHIVA had been the most revered deity of ancient India. The mythical RAVANA of RAMAYANA was worshipper of LORD SHIVA. Balmiki, who wrote, original RAMAYANA was a CHANDAL—who were SHIVA followers. But, over a period of time the competition between SHAVITES and VAISHNAVITES has gone and both of them merged to create HINDUISM---which further gave birth to Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Both of them had so well meshed into one another, today, that it laid the foundation of the basic two TENETS of TOLERANCE and PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE of Hinduism. Their merger gave rise to the concept of COLLECTIVE WISDOM and MULTIPLICITY of GODS---so as to give freedom of choice in religious matters. They had merged so well that each lost its individual identity. The emergence of HINDUISM, around 530 AD, did exactly the same to INDIA what GLOBALISATION was doing to the WORLD, today. I may add here that the emerging “INDIANISM or INDIANESS” of today, might have the finer characteristics of al prevailing major religions in India, as did HINDUISM in the 6th Century AD. Geography and climatic environments do play their part in shaping the course of history as for as traditions, customs and lingual peculiarities are concerned. The point is we have to study our history in unison with ORAL TRADITIONS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES and AVAILABLE WRITTEN RECORDS.

The excavations of the archaeological sites and historical monuments do not tell the true tale of our HISTORY unless we take into account the folklores, food habits, dresses, traditions, customs and lingual dialects. All this make oral history besides some written accounts. Purely basing your judgment on the artifacts discovered gives out only a disconnected and disconcerted story. Most of the ancient Indian History has been interpreted on the bases of potteries and metal works and ‘periods’ have been assigned by a process of elimination. This is amongst the reasons that after the excavations at HARAPPA—the ancient history has fallen prey to the reasoning and argument whether HARAPPA was PRE-VEDIC / ARYAN or POST VEDIC. Equally ironical is the fact that it has been dubbed as INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION—whereas it might be SAPTA SINDHU or NAGA CIVILISATION.

Who were Aryans? I agree with ROMILLA THAPAR on their LINGUAL IDENTITY. I am not going to indulge in the debate whether they were indigenous or from outside. Before I go further, let me ask you some pertinent questions. Who are the ENGLISH SPEAKING people of modern India? Are they ethnically one? Are they fair complexioned or dark complexioned? “What silly questions”, some of you would say? Yes, they are very very silly and stupid questions. Frankly speaking, they are as stupid as has been the case of the ARYANS identity with some superior ethnicity or VEDIC KNOWLEDGE. How did English language come to India? It was not of Indian origin. Today, a major chunk of URBAN India, reads, writes and may be, speaks English. It does not make them ethnically one. Linguistic uniformity does not represent ethnic connectivity. Same is true of ARYANS. It only speaks of their Lingual affinity and not of racial. I would say same of the word, “DRAVID”.

Let me emphatically state that there were no ETHNIC identities of the words ‘ARYANS’ or ‘VEDIC’ and ‘DRAVID’. The DRAVIDS do not have even the lingual similarity. They might include ‘EARLY ARYANS’, ‘NAGAS’ and various nomadic tribes who lived in the forests of a region EAST of ‘SARASWATI-SINDHU’ basin. As I have stated above, ‘DRAVID ‘was a word concocted by SANSKRIT speaking ARYANS to represent NON-SANSKRIT SPEAKING people. It had the similar connotation as the ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE of today have towards NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING native PEOPLE. It had some derogatory and disrespectful implications—like CRUDE, BARBARIAN or an uneducated person might be referred to. I will come back to it a little later.

‘Aryan’ is a word used for people who spoke probably, a crude dialect of a language now recognized as SANSKRIT. They were the people who branched off from a tribe which migrated to ancient PERSIA from steppes of Central Asia. ‘Crude Sanskrit had many similarities with ancient Persian language AVESTAN. SANSKRIT was reformed and perfected around FIRST CENTURY AD by PANINI---“SAMAST KRIT---meaning PERFECTED”. It is after this that dissimilarities might have cropped up in the two languages. Modern day IRAN (ancient PERSIA) derives its name from the word ARIANA. It was in the 19th Century and early 20th Century that the word was glamorized, by GERMAN SCHOLARS who, too, claimed to be descendants of the same tribe. It was thus accorded an ethnic supremacy—which was exploited by HITLER to discredit Jews and other European people.

When ‘Harappa’ and ‘Mohan Jodaro’, both in Pakistan, were excavated around early 20th Century, a myth was woven around the supremacy of ‘Aryans and Vedic’ people, based on the architectural greatness of these two towns. In the absence of any available written historical records, it was assumed that crude and brute people of India could not have such an advanced civilization in the past. No attempt was made to seek a connection with ORAL HISTORY of the land. Thus a theory of ARYAN INVASION and CONQUER of INDIA was forwarded and accorded legitimacy. Thus was created a myth of VEDIC PEOPLE and INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION. To this, confusion was added by some INDIAN SCHOLARS who claimed INDIA as the origin of VEDIC or the ARYAN PEOPLE. Both were eccentrically wrong.

The word VEDIC or VEDAS has it roots in a SANSKRIT word ‘VID’, which means knowledge and education, as explained previously. Thus, the VEDAS do contain KNOWLEDGE but it PRE-EXISTED the arrival of ARYANS. The four VEDAS have their amplifications given in BRAHMANAS, PURANS, UPNISHADAS and ARYANIKAS. This knowledge belonged to people who lived in the region called SAPTA SINDHU and ALP-GANHSTHAN (AFGHANISTAN). They were neither ARYANS nor DRAVIDS—they were SAIVITES—or the followers of Lord SHIVA or what I would say “NAGA PEOPLE”. Mythology tells us that NAGAS owe their origin to RISHI (SAINT) KASHYAP. These RISHIS used to live in the forests with their families---the ARYANAKAS are the explanatory notes by them on various forms of VEDIC LITERATURE. Rishi KASHYAP or KASHPYO in GREEK is reported to have given his name to CASPIAN SEA and KASHMIR. There are different mythological stories to be told but at some other times. Here, suffice to say the descendants of KASHYAP still exist as a CASTE amongst Hindus. They claim themselves as KASHYAP RAJPUTS but worked as WATER BEARERS or PLANQUIN BEARERS in the good old days.

The Naga civilization was spread from modern day Afghanistan to East up to Assam and Kashmir in the North to Karnataka in the South. They generally lived along the water bodies such as lakes and rivers, that is why also called ‘WATER PEOPLE’. Bulk of the civilization was around rivers SARASWATI -SINDHU and their tributaries. Ninety percent of the HARAPPAN sites are located in this region. These people had trade links with the west right up to Greece, Mesopotemia and River Oxus or AAMU River.

They had their own script---closer to BRAHMI or PRAKRITI which resembles more with Indo-Dravidian or Tamil or South Indian Language. Some 434 characters have been identified. It needs to be deciphered. Efforts are on to do so. The seals recovered at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro tell the tale of family histories. Most prominent one is of a UNICORN BULL—not a known animal species these days. I will come back with some detailed interpretations of these seals.

----TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO