Historical knowledge is often referenced from the mandatory text books during the school years. These formative years are also those during which a child imbibes the information and more often than not becomes deep rooted in the mind. The data presented in these books become the basis for future course. Indian education system often has been criticised for continuing with the biased works of a select few in the past, due to which many myths have come accepted as reality. One such myth is the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) which is a topic of huge intellectual debate in academia as well as social media. There have been numerous studies on this topic, which continues to evolve every passing day. Dr. Shiv Sastry has brought out this book that tries to address the myth of Aryan Invasion, by providing anecdotal evidence from various works across the world.
Dr. Shiv Sastry is a retired Surgeon and a known expert speaker on defence and military related topics. Dr. Shiv Sastry hails from a prestigious family with his grandfather Sri. Sosale Garalapuri Sastry being a famous chemist and earned the nickname Soap Sastry for establishing the Mysore Sandal factory & creating the iconic soap. Dr. Shiv Sastry’s research is reflected in the meticulously documented references at the end of the chapter. One of the highlights of this book is the extensive and informative references at the end of every chapter which makes for some very interesting read.
As the adage goes “History is written by the conqueror and not the vanquished”, a lot of Indian history has been documented by European researchers and writers in the last 3 centuries. A lot of modern writing has derived or has been sufficiently influenced from the writing of these sources. The author clearly highlights the superiority mindset of the colonisers to establish their dominance over their colonies. The book tries to address the various common myths through some very detailed and scrupulous research. The author identifies 4 hoaxes to be addressed in the book - Aryans, Dravidians, Avestan Language, Proto-Indo-European Language (PIE).
A good portion of the book captures the deep connect between the Indian and Persian regions and their similarities tracing back to Zoroastrian times. Aryan or Arya is derived from Vedas or rather the translated versions of Vedas by European authors. Dravidian word is an invention, an antonym for Aryan, to capture a populace or race of dark skinned people speaking an alien language. Needless to say, Aryan supremacy is established with vested interests, whose ramifications are felt in multitudes even today in the modern society. The whole myth surrounded on a superior language and culture being inherited from people who came from far off lands and established a race of civil people. Even horses are not spared and are employed in the establishing the myth of migration.
The chapters on Zoroastrians and Avestan language are very interesting and quite frankly, shocking. The similarities between the Vedic rituals and hymns with Zoroastrian culture is unmistakable. The portion of Zend Avesta being related in some form to Bhrigu portion of Atharva Veda is quite illuminating. The concept of Mitra, Varuna, Indra and their interplay makes one wonder about the reach of our ancient Vedic wisdom and knowledge. Apart from the detailed research on linguistics, the author also tries to shed light on the genetics and impact on languages - an interesting part. Towards the concluding portion of the book, the author provides insight into the famed Saraswati river, astronomical references as well as potential dating of Sanskrit and Vedas.
In a nutshell, this is a well researched book loaded with rich references and anecdotes for further reading for those interested. On the flip side, the author has repeated some of the content in great detail at multiple places. Perhaps the book could benefit from a crisp re-edit so that information overload could be avoided.
Recommended Read.
Link to Buy: https://subbupublications.com/product/ss1/
Article on S. G. Sastry aka Soap Sastry : https://theverandahclub.com/article/soap-sastry-the-sandalwood-of-mysore-931
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