Author: T.S. Ranganna
Publication: The Hindu
Date: June 24, 2006
URL: http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062412870400.htm
He says studies prove this; conclusion that
Aryans came here 15,000 years before Christ does not hold water
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests of blood
samples from people in the Indian subcontinent have confirmed that the human
race had its origins in Africa and not Europe or Central Asia as claimed by
a few historians.
The test has classified the people in north
and south India as belonging to one gene pool, and not different ethnic groups
such as Aryans and Dravidians.
Giving the information to The Hindu here,
Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research D.N. Tripathi said geneticists
from Pakistan had collected samples for genetics analysis of the people of
Indian subcontinent and sent them to cellular and molecular biology laboratories
in the U.S. Scientists in Pakistan concluded from the test results that the
human race spread out of Africa 60,000 years before Christ. They settled in
the subcontinent. Geneticists in Pakistan concluded that people living in
the northern and southern regions of India and those in the West Asian region
were from the same gene pool, he added.
Asked about the argument of many historians
tracing the lineage of people in north India to Aryans, Prof. Tripathi said
test results had proved this wrong. "We have the results of studies.
The conclusion of some historians that Aryans came here 15,000 years before
Christ does not hold water," he added.
Earlier, Prof. Tripathi presided over a function
at which lecture-series publications of the ICHR's southern regional centre
were released. He appealed to Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University H.A.
Ranganath, an expert in genetics, to encourage research and lectures on the
subject. The ICHR, he said, was ready to cooperate.
Prof. Tripathi said the ICHR was engaged in
genetics and linguistic studies on inscriptions from the days of the Vijayanagar
Kingdom. Inscriptions collected from south India would be made available in
six CD-ROMs, he added.
M.G.S. Narayanan, former ICHR Chairman, released
publications.
Prof. Ranganath advised students and members
of faculty of all the university departments to interact with historians to
preserve their knowledge for future generations.
