DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi on Sept 14 sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav to protect the Indus Valley settlement. Reacting to a report in The Hindu that Indus Valley settlement razed to expand cultivable land in Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh, Kalaignar said the BJP government should take all steps to preserve the remnants of the Indus Valley civilisation.
In his epistle on the day, Kalaignar recalled a speech delivered by Arignar Anna on Sept 26th 55 years back in a meeting on the beach in which he said ‘”The DMK is a good veena; and whenever the resonance in it reduced we rectify the strings and pegs and continue to travel. Still, if anybody considers that the veena will snap, it means that they could not consume the strength of the string and the method of making of the veena and the music it emanates”.
As Anna pointed out still there are people who wishfully anticipate for the snapping of the veena and also some who eke out life trumpeting that it has snapped. Least bothering about them, we rectify the strings and pegs of this Veena whenever required and have to continue this journey of ideals, Kalaignar said.
“When we as usual are celebrating the 137th birth anniversary of Thanthai Periyar and 107th birth anniversary of Arignar Anna as ‘Mupperum Vizha’, I happened to read an excellent article written by one Mohamad Ali in yesterday’s ‘The Hindu’ daily (Sept 13) about ‘Indus Valley civilisation’ and its present condition with photographs”. When he read it, he was reminded of the article written by Anna under the heading “Inba Dravidam’, the research notes of veteran epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan and the research results of Finland scholar Prof Asko Parpola, who was presented “Kalaignar Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award’ at the Classical Tamil Conference at Coimbatore in 2010 during DMK rule, Kalaignar said.
In his article Anna citing various scholars and findings said ‘once Dravidian civilization and rule started from Tirunelveli and extended up to Sind and Punjab and beyond’.
Archeologist Iravatham Mahadevan has categorically stated that he has come to the conclusion on studying and identifying Indus Valley seals that they were inter-related and signs of early period terms. He has released a research paper compiling his study relating to this for about 50 years, in which he announced that it has come to be certain that the Indus Valley signs were Dravidian letter characters. He says the details, names and meanings explain that they are roots of Dravidian language. He explains that these Indus Valley characters were linked to the connection between ancient Tamil Nadu and Indus Valley civilization. As those who lived in Indus valley migrated towards south they might have settled in South India and hence Indus is the extension of Dravidian, are observed in southern Dravidian languages including Tamil.
Similarly, Asko Porpola says that ‘in Harappa were Indus valley civilization existed, epigraphic symbols were found in a language which could not be certainly identified in the period between BC 1870 and BC 1890. Moreover, excavations found many scripts in Mesopatomia area, on the basis of which it was ascertained that the period of Indus Valley civilization was BC 2600-1900. When Indus Valley civilization perished its scripts also vanished. Still, some scripts which were protected helped research and find the language used in Harappa. What we understand through historic languages is that the people of Indus Valley civilization (Harappa) should have spoken only Dravidian language”, said Asko Parpola.
Now Mohamad Ali in his article in ‘The Hindu’ has said that these are getting affected. He has informs:
“A 5000-year-old Indus Valley settlement located in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, stands abandoned and unprotected. The archaeological site, discovered in 1957 in Alamgirpur village of the district, is regarded as one of the most historically significant finds in the country as it showed for the first time evidence of habitation pertaining to the Harappan period in the Upper Doab region between the Ganga and the Yamuna.
However, at present the settlement, which lies just 70 km. from the national capital, faces destruction by the villagers who have flattened the centuries-old structures to expand their cultivable land. Worse, some of the villagers have built houses, memorials and temple-like structures on top of the settlement, where excavations till last year had given crucial insights about life and society during the Harappan period, also known as the Indus Valley Civilization.
During excavations of the site which dates back to the Harappan period of 3300-1300, the ASI archaeologists found ceramic items like roof tiles, dishes, terracotta cakes and figurines of a humped bull and a snake. After its discovery the site was declared “protected.” But it is anything but that now. The chief of the ASI Agra Circle, Bhuvan Vikram, underlined the importance of the settlement but also accepted the complications which led to the encroachment by the villagers.
“The settlement marks the eastern most limits of the Harappan culture and belongs to the late Harappan phase, a period starting around 1900-1800 BC when the Indus Valley Civilization, popularly known as the Harappan Culture, began to decline,” he said.
The civilization, which is known for its superior urban planning, is believed to have flourished in the period between 3300 BC and 1300 BC in what is today Pakistan, northwest India and parts of Afghanistan and Balochistan. With the continued encroachment by the villagers, the overall area of the protected settlement has been reduced from 28 bighas to just 6 bighas now.
“It is true that the area is protected but the land rights of the place are still with the farmers and the villagers cannot be stopped from farming on the land.” The ASI, he said, was making efforts to ensure that there was no further encroachment. “Whatever has been encroached, we cannot take back from the villagers. Our priority now is to prevent further encroachment,” he added.
However, a senior ASI official in Meerut told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that given the construction and flattening of the protected mound, there was a likelihood that the ancient heritage might have already suffered great harm. “The farmers and villagers have in the last few years cut the mound and reduced the protected area at a disturbing pace to increase their farming land. I am afraid that important articles of the ancient heritage might have already been destroyed,” he said. He also said that the ASI had written to the State repeatedly to prevent encroachment and fence the area off to prevent further encroachment. But there was lack of awareness in bureaucratic circles about ancient heritage. ASI officials also expressed helplessness. The ASI notice warns the inhabitants against any kind of construction within a radius of 100 metres of the protected site. But the warning has never been heeded.
Locals recall how they built, one by one, four samadhis, on top of the mound without any objection from the administration or the ASI. “The four samadhis were built in memorial of the great souls of the village,” said Dharmendra Raghav, a villager in his late thirties who had seen the mound since he was born. While pointing to the huts, built atop the protected mound, he said it was “good” that the “old structure” was of some use to the villagers. “We got to know that old things were found during excavation in this mound. But, you tell me, is archaeology more important than farming. How can you ask a farmer not to till his land and grow crops. What will he eat if he doesn’t get the land to do farming,” said Raghav, who works at a construction site in Delhi, while questioning the logic of not flattening the mound for farming”.
Kalaignar said that “this article has come attracting our attention when we are conducting Mupperum Vizha in Chennai. I carry these details to the Centre, and request the BJP regime at the Centre and U.P State government to help safeguard Indus Valley civilization and protect the ancestry of the areas of early periods without even a bit of ruin, when we are celebrating the 107th birth anniversary of Arignar Anna. I again urge in particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.P. Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav to involve themselves in this issue with diligence and historical perspective and come forward to protect the signs of Indus valley civilization and the area of that civilization”, Kalaignar said.
In his epistle on the day, Kalaignar recalled a speech delivered by Arignar Anna on Sept 26th 55 years back in a meeting on the beach in which he said ‘”The DMK is a good veena; and whenever the resonance in it reduced we rectify the strings and pegs and continue to travel. Still, if anybody considers that the veena will snap, it means that they could not consume the strength of the string and the method of making of the veena and the music it emanates”.
As Anna pointed out still there are people who wishfully anticipate for the snapping of the veena and also some who eke out life trumpeting that it has snapped. Least bothering about them, we rectify the strings and pegs of this Veena whenever required and have to continue this journey of ideals, Kalaignar said.
“When we as usual are celebrating the 137th birth anniversary of Thanthai Periyar and 107th birth anniversary of Arignar Anna as ‘Mupperum Vizha’, I happened to read an excellent article written by one Mohamad Ali in yesterday’s ‘The Hindu’ daily (Sept 13) about ‘Indus Valley civilisation’ and its present condition with photographs”. When he read it, he was reminded of the article written by Anna under the heading “Inba Dravidam’, the research notes of veteran epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan and the research results of Finland scholar Prof Asko Parpola, who was presented “Kalaignar Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award’ at the Classical Tamil Conference at Coimbatore in 2010 during DMK rule, Kalaignar said.
In his article Anna citing various scholars and findings said ‘once Dravidian civilization and rule started from Tirunelveli and extended up to Sind and Punjab and beyond’.
Archeologist Iravatham Mahadevan has categorically stated that he has come to the conclusion on studying and identifying Indus Valley seals that they were inter-related and signs of early period terms. He has released a research paper compiling his study relating to this for about 50 years, in which he announced that it has come to be certain that the Indus Valley signs were Dravidian letter characters. He says the details, names and meanings explain that they are roots of Dravidian language. He explains that these Indus Valley characters were linked to the connection between ancient Tamil Nadu and Indus Valley civilization. As those who lived in Indus valley migrated towards south they might have settled in South India and hence Indus is the extension of Dravidian, are observed in southern Dravidian languages including Tamil.
Similarly, Asko Porpola says that ‘in Harappa were Indus valley civilization existed, epigraphic symbols were found in a language which could not be certainly identified in the period between BC 1870 and BC 1890. Moreover, excavations found many scripts in Mesopatomia area, on the basis of which it was ascertained that the period of Indus Valley civilization was BC 2600-1900. When Indus Valley civilization perished its scripts also vanished. Still, some scripts which were protected helped research and find the language used in Harappa. What we understand through historic languages is that the people of Indus Valley civilization (Harappa) should have spoken only Dravidian language”, said Asko Parpola.
Now Mohamad Ali in his article in ‘The Hindu’ has said that these are getting affected. He has informs:
“A 5000-year-old Indus Valley settlement located in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, stands abandoned and unprotected. The archaeological site, discovered in 1957 in Alamgirpur village of the district, is regarded as one of the most historically significant finds in the country as it showed for the first time evidence of habitation pertaining to the Harappan period in the Upper Doab region between the Ganga and the Yamuna.
However, at present the settlement, which lies just 70 km. from the national capital, faces destruction by the villagers who have flattened the centuries-old structures to expand their cultivable land. Worse, some of the villagers have built houses, memorials and temple-like structures on top of the settlement, where excavations till last year had given crucial insights about life and society during the Harappan period, also known as the Indus Valley Civilization.
During excavations of the site which dates back to the Harappan period of 3300-1300, the ASI archaeologists found ceramic items like roof tiles, dishes, terracotta cakes and figurines of a humped bull and a snake. After its discovery the site was declared “protected.” But it is anything but that now. The chief of the ASI Agra Circle, Bhuvan Vikram, underlined the importance of the settlement but also accepted the complications which led to the encroachment by the villagers.
“The settlement marks the eastern most limits of the Harappan culture and belongs to the late Harappan phase, a period starting around 1900-1800 BC when the Indus Valley Civilization, popularly known as the Harappan Culture, began to decline,” he said.
The civilization, which is known for its superior urban planning, is believed to have flourished in the period between 3300 BC and 1300 BC in what is today Pakistan, northwest India and parts of Afghanistan and Balochistan. With the continued encroachment by the villagers, the overall area of the protected settlement has been reduced from 28 bighas to just 6 bighas now.
“It is true that the area is protected but the land rights of the place are still with the farmers and the villagers cannot be stopped from farming on the land.” The ASI, he said, was making efforts to ensure that there was no further encroachment. “Whatever has been encroached, we cannot take back from the villagers. Our priority now is to prevent further encroachment,” he added.
However, a senior ASI official in Meerut told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that given the construction and flattening of the protected mound, there was a likelihood that the ancient heritage might have already suffered great harm. “The farmers and villagers have in the last few years cut the mound and reduced the protected area at a disturbing pace to increase their farming land. I am afraid that important articles of the ancient heritage might have already been destroyed,” he said. He also said that the ASI had written to the State repeatedly to prevent encroachment and fence the area off to prevent further encroachment. But there was lack of awareness in bureaucratic circles about ancient heritage. ASI officials also expressed helplessness. The ASI notice warns the inhabitants against any kind of construction within a radius of 100 metres of the protected site. But the warning has never been heeded.
Locals recall how they built, one by one, four samadhis, on top of the mound without any objection from the administration or the ASI. “The four samadhis were built in memorial of the great souls of the village,” said Dharmendra Raghav, a villager in his late thirties who had seen the mound since he was born. While pointing to the huts, built atop the protected mound, he said it was “good” that the “old structure” was of some use to the villagers. “We got to know that old things were found during excavation in this mound. But, you tell me, is archaeology more important than farming. How can you ask a farmer not to till his land and grow crops. What will he eat if he doesn’t get the land to do farming,” said Raghav, who works at a construction site in Delhi, while questioning the logic of not flattening the mound for farming”.
Kalaignar said that “this article has come attracting our attention when we are conducting Mupperum Vizha in Chennai. I carry these details to the Centre, and request the BJP regime at the Centre and U.P State government to help safeguard Indus Valley civilization and protect the ancestry of the areas of early periods without even a bit of ruin, when we are celebrating the 107th birth anniversary of Arignar Anna. I again urge in particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.P. Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav to involve themselves in this issue with diligence and historical perspective and come forward to protect the signs of Indus valley civilization and the area of that civilization”, Kalaignar said.
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