RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Refutes Aryan-Dravidian Migration Theory

By A Staff Reporter

Nagpur, Maharashtra | In a recent address, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat contested the long-standing Aryan-Dravidian migration theory, describing it as a fabricated narrative introduced during British colonial rule to sow discord among Indians.

Bhagwat asserted that the British propagated the idea that the majority of India's current population descended from external groups. He recounted the colonial narrative: "At that time, the Dravidians had driven them into the jungle. Then came the Aryans who pushed the Dravidians further back." This portrayal suggested a history where successive external groups invaded and subjugated the indigenous populace, fostering a belief that ruling was alien to the native ethos.

He emphasized that such theories were deliberately implanted in the Indian psyche through British dominance and the populace's lack of awareness. "This theory has been rejected all over the world, no one believes in it and there is a lot of evidence about it. But it is still taking time to get it out of people's minds," Bhagwat remarked, urging a reevaluation of these historical perspectives.

The Aryan-Dravidian migration theory has been a subject of extensive debate among historians and scholars. Initially posited by colonial historians, it suggested that Indo-Aryan speakers migrated into the Indian subcontinent, displacing or assimilating the existing Dravidian-speaking populations. Critics argue that this theory was employed by colonial powers to justify their own dominance by portraying Indian society as perpetually divided and subjugated. Recent genetic and archaeological studies have provided nuanced insights, challenging simplistic invasion narratives and highlighting the subcontinent's complex demographic history.