Racial Groups of India

India is a melting pot of races. It is an ethnological museum. The ancestors of the majority of present population have migrated to India from surrounding territories across the Himalayas. Indian population is constituted of major races of the world. We find people of different races in India. The present population of the Indian subcontinent can be divided into five racial groups- the Negritos, Western Brachycephals, the Proto-Australoids, the Mongoloids, and the Mediterraneans. The Negritos were the first of the racial groups that came to India. Proto-Australoid race came here just after the Negritos and their sources are Australian aborigines. The Mongoloids came to India through the passes of northern and eastern mountain ranges. The Mediterraneans came to India from the south-west Asia.

1. The Negrito: According to him the presence of Negrito race in India is a controversial issue. However, it is claimed that there is an element of Negrito race in Indian population and Negrito element is found in the blood of Andaman Islanders. Further, it is also pointed out that Negrito element is found in the blood of some South Indian tribal people like the Kadar and blood of Nagas.

There are some who maintain that there are is no weighty evidence to prove conclusively the existence of Negrito element in Indian population. Whatever evidence is available, according to them, is inadequate to establish the presence of Negrito element in Indian population.

Although there is controversy, it may be stated that the Negrito race existed in the past and has left little trace in India.

2. The Proto-Austroloid: The Proto-Austroloid is also known as the Pre-Dravidian race. Dr. Guha says that the tribal population of central India is fairly dominated by this racial element. The Santhals, the Mundas, the Juangas, the Soaras, the Kondhs are some of the many tribes belonging to this racial type.

3. Mongoloid: People of this racial ancestry are mainly found in North-Eastern India. Dr. Guha divides this race into two types, namely (a) The Palaeo-Mongoloid and (b) The Tibeto-Mangoloid.

(a) The Palaeo-Mongoloid: This racial type is further divided into two types, one the long headed type and the other Broad headed type.

(b) The Tibeto-Mongoloid: The people of Sikkim and Bhutan are said to belong to the Tibeto-Mongoloid branch of Mongoloid race.

4. The Mediterranean: This race is one of the dominated race in India. Mediterranean is divided into three types. They are (a) Palaeo-Mediterranean (b) Mediterranean, (c) Oriental.

(a) The Palaeo-Mediterranean: This racial type is represented by the Tamil and Telugu Brahmins of the South.

(b) The Mediterranean: People of this racial type are believed to be the builders of the Indus valley civilization.

(c) Oriental: Oriental type is very much similar to the Mediterranean type.

5. Western Brachycephals: This race is of three types, namely (a) the Alpenoid, (b) the Dinaric, (c) the Armenoid.

(a) The Alpendoid: People belonging to this race are found in Sourashtra, Gujarat and also Bengal. (b) The Dinaric: This strain is found among the people of Bengal, Orissa and Coorg.

(c) The Armenia: The Parsees of Bombay are the representatives of this racial type.

6. Nordic Race: People of this racial origin came to India from the North and South-East Asia spread all over Northern India during the 2nd millennium B.C. This race is mainly found in North India in a mixed form with the Mediterranean race. The people of this stock are believed to have greatly enriched Indian culture. The first three races such as the Negrito, the Proto-Austroloid and the Mongoloid constitute the tribal population. The other three, namely the Mediterranean, the Western Brachycephals and the Nordic races constitute the general population of India.

It can be stated that the Indian population is composed of important races of the world. All the races in India, over the past centuries, have got mixed up with one another due to intermarriages. As such, now there is no race in India which is completely pure. Therefore, in true sense no rigid separation of these races is possible.