HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION AND TAMILIANS

 THE WORLD CLASSICAL TAMIL CONFERENCE  IS JUSTIFIABLY A MOMENT  OF PRIDE FOR THE INDIANS IN GENERAL AND TAMIL SPEAKING PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR. THE SCHOLAR AND THE DISPASSIONATE HISTORIAN HOWEVER HAVE MUCH TO FLINCH ABOUT. LET US TRY NOT TO HURT TAMIL SENTIMENTS BUT NEVERTHELESS ATTEMPT AN HONEST JOB OF HISTORICAL PROBING  !
ASKO PARPOLA THE FINNISH INDOLOGIST IS AT THE CONFERENCE TO PRESENT HIS RESEARCH FINDINGS ON PROBABLE LINKAGES OF THE MOHENJODARO-HARAPPA CIVILIZATION WITH THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF TAMILS AND FOR THIS HYPOTHESIS PARPOLA IS BEING FETED BY THE CONFERENCE. ASKO PARPOLA WHILE LABOURING HARD TO DECIPHER THE INDUS VALLEY SCRIPT AND SURELY STILL NOT THERE, BELIEVES HE HAS DECODED A FEW LETTERS THAT WOULD SOUND SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO OLD TAMIL WORDS.
WHO REALLY WERE THE HARAPPAN PEOPLE ? WERE THEY REALLY THE DRAVIDIAN TRIBES THAT MIGRATED TO THE SOUTH OF INDIA IN FACE OF SUCCESSIVE INVASIONS THROUGH THE NORTH BY ARYAN TRIBES ? WELL, THIS IS WHAT POPULAR HISTORY WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE ! AND THE HYPOTHESIS HAS GENERALLY GONE UNCHALLENGED OVER AN ENTIRE CENTURY OF HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP ! BUT MAN MAKETH THE MYTH ! THERE IS GLORY IN CLAIMING THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION TO BE ONE'S OWN.THIS CIVILIZATION WAS URBAN, VERY MODERN FOR ITS TIME AND IS MYSTERIOUSLY LOST TO HISTORY. IF THE TAMIL SPEAKERS WISH TO BELIEVE THAT THE ABANDONED CITIES OF 3000 YEARS AGO WERE THEIRS ONCE - HAPPY INHERITANCE TO THEM BUT  IN THIS TWENTY FIRST CENTURY ATLEAST WE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HARD FACTS TO EMERGE AND HONESTLY ACCEPT WHAT COMES OUT AS THE MOST FACTUAL IMAGE OF OUR GLORIOUS OR INGLORIOUS PAST.