Breaking Down Colonial Narratives: ICHR's Groundbreaking Volume on Aryans Set to Redefine Indian History

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The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is poised to revolutionize our understanding of India's early history, society, and culture with a comprehensive volume on the Aryans. Titled 'The Arya: History & Culture', the project aims to move beyond outdated colonial frameworks and contribute to an emerging scholarly consensus. The volume, which is expected to be completed within the next six months, will compile three types of papers: past published works, updated versions of earlier papers, and entirely new research. These papers will be arranged across ten sub-themes, including historicity, linguistics, literature, archaeology, and genetics. ICHR chairperson Prof. Raghuvendra Tanwar emphasized the importance of addressing historical gaps and revisiting neglected themes, especially those related to the foundations of Indian civilization. 'Aryan civilizational ideas are central to the Indian context,' Tanwar said. 'Our civilization evolved over centuries, and the Arya tradition played a significant role in that long process.' The volume will include works of prominent scholars, including Kapil Kapoor, David Frawley, Vasant Shinde, and Michel Danino, among others. Rather than refuting existing theories, the volume seeks to advance a more nuanced, evidence-based understanding of early Indian history, society, and culture. According to ICHR member secretary (officiating) Om Jee Upadhyay, the old Aryan invasion theory has been revised by its own authors, shifting from invasion to migration to other models based on limited evidence. The volume aims to examine all relevant dimensions of Aryans, including archaeology, archaeometry, linguistics, literature, and scientific data, and bring together 40-55 solid papers with a foreword to present the full picture in one volume. This project comes at a time when DNA studies have challenged the Aryan invasion theory, with a 2019 study finding no evidence supporting it. The NCERT has also updated its Class 12 history textbook to include DNA findings from Rakhigarhi, stating that Harappans and early Vedic people may have been closely connected. Indologist Danino highlighted the need for a nuanced understanding of the Aryan problem, which has two separate dimensions: its colonial and racial legacy, and the actual scholarly debate involving linguistic, literary, archaeological, genetic, and cultural evidence on the origins of Sanskritic languages and culture.