Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, citing new research on pre-modern history, stated that archaeologists have concluded that the Iron Age first began in Tamil Nadu. According to this research, iron smelting was introduced in Tamil Nadu 5,300 years ago, with precise dating indicating its first use in the region around 3345 BCE. Stalin emphasized the significance of this finding for understanding the historical timeline of the Indian subcontinent. He proudly declared, “I’m constantly saying that the history of India will be written from Tamil Nadu,” underscoring the potential of this research to reshape historical narratives. But how relevant is such a discovery to the present day?
In many cases, the claim of being the “first comers” has been used by nationalist and ethnic groups to assert dominance over society. For instance, in Sri Lanka, the Sinhala ethnic nationalism, which claimed that the Sinhalese were the first inhabitants of the island, led to severe oppression of the Tamil minority. Similarly, in India, Hindu nationalism has propagated the idea of “foreign religions” like Islam and Christianity being outsiders, while asserting that Hindus—equated with Aryans—are the original inhabitants of the land. This claim was articulated by M.S. Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, in his book We or Our Nationhood Defined (1939). He wrote, “We—Hindus—have been in undisputed and undisturbed possession of this land for over 8 or even 10 thousand years before the land was invaded by any foreign race,” thereby asserting that India is inherently “Hindustan,” the land of Hindus (Golwalkar, 1939, p. 6).
This narrative contrasts with the views of Lokmanya Tilak, who argued that Aryans originated from the Arctic region, as detailed in his work The Arctic Home in the Vedas. Golwalkar attempted to reconcile this contradiction by suggesting that the Arctic region was originally located in the Odisha-Bihar area before shifting northward. He wrote, “If this be so, did we leave the Arctic Zone and come to Hindustan, or were we all along here, and the Arctic Zone left us and moved away northwards in its zigzag march?” Such intellectual gymnastics were necessary to uphold the claim that Aryans are native to India, as undermining this narrative would weaken the propaganda against Muslims as “outsiders.”
The Aryan-native theory faces a significant challenge in the form of the Indus Valley Civilization, which predates the arrival of the Aryans. This civilization, with its urban settlements, was distinctly different from the pastoral Aryan culture. To bridge this gap, some attempts were made to manipulate archaeological evidence. For instance, a *Frontline* article revealed that a horned bull seal from the Indus Valley was digitally altered to resemble a horse, a symbol of Aryan culture, by distorting the image of a unicorn bull.
Today, the Aryan race theory stands discredited. It was largely a colonial construct used to justify racial superiority and the right to rule. Similarly, Brahmanical ideology claimed that Brahmins and upper castes were descendants of a superior race, thereby justifying their dominant position in society. The Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished before the arrival of the Aryans, was likely destroyed by a natural calamity, leading to the migration of its inhabitants southward.
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| Tilak, Golwalkar |
Despite the clarity provided by genetic studies, the BJP-led central government has formed a committee to document a 12,000-year history of India. Given the overwhelming evidence that Indians are a mixed population, the purpose of such a committee appears to be political—to reinforce the claim that Hindus (Aryans) are the original inhabitants of the land. This narrative serves to assert greater rights over the land and its resources.
Over the centuries, societies have undergone numerous transformations—from pastoral communities to kingdoms and now to nation-states. While national boundaries are a present reality, one can envision, with Tagore, a world without such divisions—a vision that remains utopian today.
The assertion of being the “first comers” is a hallmark of sectarian nationalism, which runs counter to the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Equality for all citizens, regardless of language or religion, should be our guiding principle. The politicization of history, driven by ideological agendas, has no place in modern politics. Such matters are best left to academics and professionals in the field, rather than being used as the foundation of political ideology.
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