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Human Diversity and Ancestry in India* NEWS MEETING REPORT Human diversity and ancestry in India* A discussion meeting on ‘Human Diver- weaponry. She then discussed the arc- He also cited recent studies (yet to be sity and Ancestry in India’ brought haeological evidences along the Kanda- published) that have established a Steppe together scholars from archaeology, his- har–Bolan pass pre- and post-Harappa DNA in the Swat valley, which indicates tory, linguistics, anthropology, sociology and Mohenjo-Daro. Moving to southern a central Asian movement into South and genetics at various institutions. The India, she talked about the Palghat camp, Asia around 1250 BCE. meeting discussed Indian ancestry and an Iron Age and late Iron Age site. Her The next session dealt with history and migration trails to reconcile the inconsis- talk ended with a linguistic perspective, language. In the talk ‘Ancient India: tencies, differences and chronologies in- concluding that the introduction of San- what do we know and how?’, Rajesh ferred from analyses of relevant data skrit was not solely owing to immigra- Kochhar (Panjab University, Chandi- from these domains. This report covers tion. garh) interpreted historical and geo- key excerpts from the lectures delivered Pranay Lal (International Union graphical content of the Vedas and by various discussion leaders from each against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Puranas by drawing evidences to South of the domains. Paris), in his talk ‘Ancestry of people of Asia. He indicated that Indic speakers The session on archaeology and pre- India – confounding the legacy’, high- from the North West, who arrived only history began with a talk by Shanti Pap- lighted the push and pull in dates owing after the decline of the Harappan civili- pu (Sharma Centre for Heritage to recent studies in archaeology, anthro- zation (urban or mature Harappan phase Education, Chennai) titled ‘where we pology and genetics. However, he felt lasted from 2600 to 1900 BC), were re- have come from – perspectives from pre- that the singular challenge is to reconcile sponsible for coming up with the Rigveda. history’. Pappu tackled the question from the different archaeological and genetic From the evidences of the swastika sym- the point of view of human origins and fossils, climatic and logical evidence that bol in Namazga VI, Kochhar concluded prehistory. She emphasized that it is also shape our ancestry. Another problem in that the Indo-Aryans were in south essential to understand the taphonomy or the origins and diversity of modern Turkmenistan in 2100 BC on the way to the way in which sites are formed or the humans is the definition of endogamy in Afghanistan, Iran and India. He suggests way in which landscapes are interpreted, early groups, which requires an under- the soma cult, common to Rigvedic and before interpreting their behaviour or standing both in terms of genetics and Avestan, originated in the Indo-Iranian migration or timing. Highlighting recent archaeology. Since Lal’s particular inter- period and that River Sarasvati could be developments in palaeo-anthropology, ests lie in the impact of climate and ecol- the Haraivati, a tributary of River Hel- genetics and archaeology, she went on to ogy on population size, he provided mand in Afghanistan. If it is proved that discuss how South Asia fitted into the suggestions for further studies in that the Rigvedic Sarasvati was located out- global changes that are on-going and area. side India, it would conclusively prove recent findings that are pushing back the A talk by Michael Witzel (Harvard that the Vedic people came to India from date of occupation of Eurasia to much University, USA) titled ‘Beyond the outside. Kochhar suggested an archaeo- earlier than previously thought. flight of the falcon: early “Aryans” with- logical exploration of south Afghanistan Shereen Ratnagar’s (Jawaharlal Nehru in and outside India’, provided evidences to look for more evidence on ancient University, Delhi) talk on ‘Glimpses of from studies in multiple disciplines to Indian history. movements and connections in the midst show that Vedic rituals and Vedic civili- Sonal Kulkarni-Joshi (Deccan College of uncertain interpretations of archaeo- zation fitted the date of around 1200 BCE Post-Graduate and Research Institute, logical data in social terms’, discussed and not 3000 BCE. He indicated that text Pune) in her talk ‘Linguistic history and the movements of Hittites of Anatolia, from the Mitanni realm referencing Ved- language diversity in India: views and the earliest known Indo-European group, ic deities must be older than the Rigveda counterviews’ provided an overview on and the Mitannians (contemporaries of and after 1400 BCE. He also referred to how linguistic evidence is being used to the Hittites) who showed clear Vedic recent climate change studies of the reconstruct the linguistic prehistory of connections. Citing E. E. Kuzmina, Rat- pre/late Indus civilization, early Vedic India. The major part of her talk focused nagar drew archaeological references to period, etc., which aligns with what is on early linguistic observations that led the Indo-Iranian homeland culture that known from the texts. He then discussed to the Aryan migration hypothesis (the included Kurgans, horses, chariots and geological studies that showed that Sa- Aryan language speakers were related to rasvati was not a Himalayan river as it European language speakers, and the did not have any Himalayan sediment. ancestral language of this entire group *A report of a discussion meeting on ‘Human Stating that phalanges (bones at the back must have come from outside India), and Diversity and Ancestry in India’ held at of the hooves) need to be evaluated to the Dravidian substratum or substratum Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scien- tific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru from 19 identify a horse skeleton, he concluded hypothesis (the speakers of Dravidian to 21 September 2018. The meeting was that horses were imported into India gradually shifted to an Indo-Aryan jointly organized by National Institute of around 1800 BCE. He cited archaeologi- language, and in the process carried fea- Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani and JNCASR cal evidence going back to 2000 BCE in tures of Dravidian language to the Aryan and supported by the Indian Academy of the Sintashta civilization of Ural Moun- language, which explains the features of Sciences, Bengaluru. tains, where the chariot was developed. non-Aryan origin). In her talk she also CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 115, NO. 12, 25 DECEMBER 2018 2195 NEWS cited evidence which has become availa- scholars have chosen different post- Jews are the oldest Jewish community ble for the out-of-India hypothesis. Harappan cultures as a sign of advance that migrated in the 5th century BCE and The session on anthropology and soci- or the arrival of the Aryans in India, the Parsis migrated to South Asia around ology began with a talk by Kailash C. especially with no accepted criteria for 1200 years ago. The admixture in Parsis Malhotra (Indian Statistical Institute, defining Aryans at the material level. was strict compared to the Jews, with Kolkata) on ‘Development of typological Since archaeology never supported an more males migrating in both cases. classification and its relationship to aggressive Aryan invasion model, a Analabha Basu’s (National Institute of microdifferentiation in ethnic India’. He peaceful and less military-type migration Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani) talk covered details on studies conducted by raises the problem of numbers. Danino ‘Reconstructing the ancestral footfalls in Sir Herbert Risley, Giufrida-Ruggeri, A. also highlighted other methodological South and South East Asia using C. Haddon, Fuherer von Eickstedt, B. S. problems, such as reliability of the ance- genomic data’ highlighted key conclu- Guha and S. S. Sarkar showing typologi- stral North India (ANI)/ancestral South sions from his 2003 study. According to cal/racial elements of India. In all studies Indian (ASI) definition, 1 : 1 mapping of this study, the earliest settlers in India are undertaken until Sarkar, populations race/ethnic group and language in several the Austro-Asiatic tribals. The Tibeto- have been identified using language, genetic studies, and the use of caste in Burman tribals share considerable genetic geography or biological characteristics of population genetics. He concluded that commonalities with Austro-Asiatic tri- the Negroid, proto-Australoid, Caucasoid there is a lot of scope for cleaning up bals, but the two groups are considered and Mongoloid races. Malhotra con- methodologies, not just in genetics, but different in terms of their Y-chromosomal cluded that there are more than 1000 stu- in archaeology and other disciplines. haplotypes. The study also concluded dies in the country using anthropometry. A talk by K. Thangaraj (Centre for that there was a massive migration into With the results of these studies, anthro- Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyde- India through the northeast. The Dravi- pologists conclude that there is enormous rabad) titled ‘Peopling of India: ancient dian tribals who were probably wide- amount of biological diversity in the DNA perspectives’, cited recent studies spread across India, moved to South Indian population, with all populations that argue that initial dispersal of modern India because of the arrival of Indo- having come from outside. humans from Africa to South Asia European speaking nomads. Also, the Shalina Mehta’s (Panjab University, occurred before the volcanic eruption of tribal and caste populations are highly dif- Chandigarh) talk was titled ‘Contested Toba volcano (Sumatra, Indonesia) ferentiated with upper castes showing domains of biological similarity and at 74,000 years BP, possible as early as closer genetic affinities to Central Asian socio-cultural diversity’. She described 120,000 years BP. Other studies date the populations. Moving to ancient DNA, India as the world’s largest democracy dispersal at 60–50,000 years BP. Tangaraj Basu highlighted that Indian populations and presented the world view of India also discussed human genome studies did not show any Neanderthal admixture.
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