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Aryan Invasion Theory or not, Dravidian languages are different

What are Dravidian languages?

Dravidian languages are a family of languages spoken (very much so in 2007) in South India, Central India, parts of North India and the Baluchi province of Pakistan. The major Dravidian languages are Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam. Dravidian languages are classified under one family basically for linguistic reasons, i.e., similarity of grammar and day-to-day words. The list of Dravidian languages is pretty long. Wikipedia goes like this:

Southern

• Tamil
• Malayalam
• Kannada
• Badaga
• Bellari
• Irula
• Toda
• Tulu
• Kanikkaran
• Kota
• Kurumba
• Paliyan

South Central

• Telugu
• Abujmaria
• Gondi
• Kui
• Kuvi
• Konda
• Koya
• Manda
• Pengo
• Sugali

Central

• Kolami-Naiki
  • Naiki
  • Northwestern Kolami (India)
  • Southeastern Kolami (India)
• Parji-Gadaba
  • Duruwa (India)
  • Mudhili Gadaba (India)
  • Parji
  • Pottangi Ollar Gadaba (India)

Northern

• Brahui (the only Dravidian language spoken in Pakistan; in the Balochistan province)
• Kumarbhag Paharia - (India)
• Kurux language (India)
• Kurux language Nepali - (Nepal)
• Malto
• Sauria Paharia (India)

Where are Dravidian languages being spoken?

The linguistic map of India is shown below (for further maps of world languages, click here):


The parts which appear reddish are areas where "Dravidian languages" are being spoken. Of course the most important Dravidian languages - Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam - are easy to see. But a closer look reveals more Dravidian languages being spoken even in Central India as well as in present-day Pakistan (the Brahui language of Baluchistan is Dravidian).

The Aryan Invasion Theory

Mostly because of the presense of Dravidian languages in North India and Baluchistan, linguists have had to come to the conclusion that an "Aryan Race" invaded India which was mostly Dravidian. They are of the opinion that the Aryans drove Dravidians to the south. This, in short, is the Aryan Invasion Theory.

Opposition to Aryan Invasion Theory

The theory is not liked by many, notable among whom are BJP and the Sangh Parivar, who think of this theory as a tool used by the British to divide North and South India. There have been many attempts to disprove the Aryan Invasion Theory, including recent claims (which have their share of opposition) of having decoded the Harappa-Mohenjodaro inscriptions about whom the "Aryan or Dravidian" question is raised by many.

Support for Aryan Invasion Theory

South Indian universities and centers of study support the Aryan Invasion Theory. In some universities, it is taken for granted. Nobody even questions the theory. For them, the difference between the two language families - Dravidian and Indi-Aryan - is enough proof for their stand about history. These universities have come up with many a PhD thesis, many a book about Dravidian languages, how they're unique, how all Dravidian languages have similar grammar, etc.

The theory is also supported by linguists all over the world. See references for details. It is these linguists who are called as people who "divide-and-rule" by the opponents of the theory.

Unscientific approaches of both camps

Both opposers and supporters of the Aryan Invasion Theory have shortcomings. It is funny how these shortcomings exist only in the Indian researchers.

The opposers of the theory (BJP, RSS & Co), although they've gone to lengths trying to disprove the Aryan Invasion Theory - something for which there is neither proof nor factual evidence, have failed to explain the similarity among Dravidian languages, and their marked linguistic difference between languages of the North which are called Indo-Aryan by linguists. In fact, the opposers even hide the fact that Dravidian languges fall into a different language family. I'd be darned if you find a map such as I've posted above in any publication of the Sangh Parivar. But the Sangh Parivar, if one has to take it seriously, must necessarily explain how their opposition to the Aryan Invasion Theory is consistent with linguistic facts. It's high time the opposers take a course in linguistics.

The supporters - people from South Indian universities - must take a scientific approach towards the theory instead of blindly agreeing with foreign linguists and historians. It is high time these people conduct deeper research into history and linguistics. Although the similarity of Dravidian languages has well been analyzed and researched, it's a pity that the Aryan Invasion Theory has been implicitly - and explicitly - assumed by these researchers. It's a grave mistake to take such things as given. It's a pity that these researchers don't come to conclusions about history on the basis of current linguistic proximity of Dravidian languages. What I mean is - they could use the fact that Dravidian languages are related in order to come to speculations - if not conclusions about the history of the speakers of Dravidian languages.

Why the Aryan Invasion Theory doesn't matter

The Aryan Invasion Theory - whether true or false - is useless in determining the future of speakers of Dravidian languages, unless it is politically engineered to determine. Why do I say that?

Whether the Aryan Invasion Theory is true or false, nobody can hide the fact that Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and every other Dravidian language is a "linguistic cousin" having not much to do with Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. Nobody can discount the fact that day-to-day words in all Dravidian languages are linguistically proximate. Scientific proof exists for the similarity of these languages, and only those who care a hoot for science can bring other theories to hide the similarity. It is such people who go around trumpeting the falsity that Samskruta is the mother of all languages (funnily, the rest of the world doesn't think so - they class Samskruta along with other european languages and provide linguistic proof for their similarity (maatru, mother, etc etc.)

Nor would it be politically correct or desireable to prove that Dravidian languages are derived from Samskruta (as the Sangh Parivar thinks). Dravidian languages are on the rise - contrary to what the English media led by the Times of India tries to propagate. Kannadigas, Tamilians, Telugus and Malayalis are becoming increasingly aware of their uniqueness and fighting for linguistic rights.

Truth alone wins. satyamEva jayate.

References

1. http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/april/DravidianLanguageFamily.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languages
3. Dravida Bhashavijnana - Dr. Hampa Nagarajaiah, D.V.K. Murthy Publishers, Maisooru - 4.
4. Toulanika Dravida Bhasha Vijnana - Dr. K. Kempegowda, Bharati Prakashana, Maisooru
5. Dravidian Etymological Dictionary - Burrow and Emeaneau

Karnataka’s linguistic inferiority complex

1. Kannada can be used only for “simple conversations and light stuff like poetry, drama and other non-scientific things”
2. English is the best language for “conversations between intelligent people; definitely the language for any scientific topic”
3. Samskruta is the only language for anything even slightly spiritual
4. Hindi is more important than Kannada in India

The first inferiority complex can be traced to India’s colonial past. The British who opened English schools instead of Kannada and Samskruta schools sowed the seed of linguistic inferiority complex. School students used to get punished for speaking in Kannada (this is seen even today in most of Bengalooru schools) and rewarded for every small achievement in English. With this a sense of achievement got attached to English and a sense of non-achievement to Kannada. Kannada came to be slowly regarded as a language fit only for simple conversations and light stuff like poetry, drama and other non-scientific things – because the British simply didn’t let anything other than that to go on in Kannada. They truly didn’t think Kannada was fit for anything at all. Even after independence and consequent formation of linguistic states, Kannada is not fully implemented in administration, education or industry.

Since the British introduced English as the panacea in the atmosphere of inferiority which they themselves created, it slowly replaced Kannada as the language for conversations between intelligent people; definitely the language for any scientific topic. The English education system was nothing but an engine producing more and more people with this fatal inferiority complex, fit to serve the British crown. Those who came out of the system took pride in hating Kannada, making fun of Kannada and being able to speak English. The flawed arguments that English (as opposed to knowledge) is the strength based on which we can win global markets today, that English is the language of science and technology, stem from this very same inferiority complex continuing to pollute a Kannadiga’s blood. Although examples exist of countries like Japan, Israel, France, etc., which have all their systems in the language of the land, a Kannadiga is blind to this because of this second inferiority complex.

Samskruta enjoys a special place in Karnataka because of the huge corpus of spiritual literature which exists in it (not that we read or understand it). Almost every spiritual thinker of India – real or fake – has resorted to Samskruta as the language for his spiritual literature. This has been disastrous from the point of view of dissemination of true spiritual thinking among Kannadigas. Even today, most of Karnataka remains spiritually challenged because of this single mistake. Kannadigas have come to believe that spiritual literature cannot exist in Kannada, that our Gods understand only Samskruta! We are so spiritually blind and so mesmerized by Samskruta that we think anything and everything written in Samskruta is divine, that even the language and its grammar are divine and worth imitating in Kannada. It’s a pity that even our grammarians have bought into the flawed theory that Kannada – a Dravidian language – is derived from Samskruta, a theory proven totally wrong by linguists all over the world. This is our third inferiority complex.

The issue of Hindi (at best a budding language when it comes to age or achievement compared to Kannada) is more recent but reminiscent of British imperialism. Although there is no constitutional provision granting Hindi the status of “National language”, Karnataka has been made to believe so. Hindi is merely – but undemocratically – the only official language of the Indian Union, but schoolchildren in Karnataka are taught the blatant lie that Hindi is the National language of India. The central government invests hundreds of crores of rupees every year to impose Hindi on Kannadigas in education and central government institutions, even banks, using every medium possible. In the name of urbanization, entertainment media has very tactfully imposed Hindi on Kannadigas and made us believe that real entertainment can exist only in Hindi. Slowly, therefore, the suicidal feeling that Kannada is “not enough” to get on to Mainstream India has crept into a Kannadiga’s thinking. Kannadigas have come to believe that Hindi is a more important language than their mother-tongue in India. This is our fourth inferiority complex.

Linguistic inferiority complex is draining the life-blood of Kannadigas, turning us into inferior individuals building an inferior Karnataka. It has already brought about a class divide in Karnataka. The “higher class” slights Kannada and Karnataka, experiences physical pain living in Karnataka, is devoid of self-respect, cannot compete with westerners in true intelligence because of having to use a foreign language, and is waiting in long visa queues to escape from reality. The “lower class” – which cannot slight Kannada and Karnataka – is removed from education, science and technology (due to English) and commerce (due to English/Hindi). Both classes are removed from spirituality (due to Samskruta). It is clear that linguistic inferiority complex must be rooted out from the mind of every Kannadiga if at all we wish to progress. There is no option but to think of ways in which Kannada can completely replace English in education, science and technology, and Samskruta in spirituality and religion. Hindi together with the baggage of lies must be removed from school syllabi and the constitutional priority of Kannada in Karnataka must instead be taught; Kannada must replace it in central government offices, banks and commercial institutions.

One resolution worth making this new year

Derecognition of schools and prostitution on paper