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Churns of Time

Throughout human existence, expression has changed forms. The journey has been long and seldom rewarding, from cave paintings to ballads, journals, and memes. Because most often, the authority ascertained to a particular medium of information tends to discredit its predecessor. There is little complaint against this since newer technology promises truth. Ballads, as we know, were changed over time to appease patrons, something that books couldn't do. But what happens when we look at a civilisation's history through the lens of writers who were perhaps biased. There is little doubt about their calibre, but to rule out all bias would be folly. With more intro, let's examine the Indo-Aryan Theory, predicaments and preconceptions.

The Harappan Mohenjodaro civilization has long been clouded under an unclear end, without a good theory as to why or where the inhabitants of these well-planned city-states migrated. Given the trade and craftsmanship of the Indus valley civilization, there was always a theory that the population would have survived in this subcontinent, improving their craftsmanship skills. However, in the nineteenth century, the Indo-Aryan invasion theory, often credited to Max Muller, claimed that Aryans from the West migrated to the Indian subcontinent, decisively shaping the Vedic culture here. The two predominant claims of this theory are the occurrence of horses in our Vedas, which wasn't an animal of choice in the Harrapan. The other was the racial side of the idea. This theory has often been challenged by Indian historians. Recent DNA evidence has confirmed that the matriarchal genome is not quite the same, ensuring that there was no migration of Aryans into the land. There is an established link in patriarchal DNA, which points to the fact that armies from the West infiltrated India, like many others that happened in the middle ages.

The pertinent question, however, is, if not the Aryan invasion, what explains the militaristic shift in the late Harrapan culture and the rise in equestrian rearing. The answer is Sinuali. A recent excavation has, among others, found copper burial sites with advanced sword designs buried in the tombs of both males and females. There is suggestive evidence of a chariot, an important Vedic artefact ridden by horses. These are the most suitable answer to what the Vedic culture portrays; even the predominance of female warriors and mother goddess figures signal Sunauli as India's missing link. Another important question here is that was were Indian intellectuals, for years, whitewashing their own Vedic culture to bear more resemblance to the western theory. It is similar to NCERT books praising Asoka and Akbar as peace-loving, secular rulers whose massacre was a tiny tax for the culture they propagated. Leaving this apart, the debunking of the Indo-Aryan theory should instigate us to have a deeper look into the undebated facets of history only because the West believes in it.

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