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Origin of Christianity in India- A Historiographical Critique

The identity of the original Indians has been a matter of wide research and unending discussions down the decades. However, the issue remains as unsettled and controversial as it was when it started. Were the Aryans, the Dravidians or someone else the original inhabitants of this subcontinent?

In this context, ‘The Original Indians’ by Dr. A. Desai deserves a pat on the back as it throws light on the subject from various scholarly studies and arrives at a conclusion which, in the present days of political, cultural and religious acrimony, is thought provoking.

The pre-history and the history of the Aryans are like riddles, stories, myths and facts – all submerged in the ocean. To find where lies the truth is not easy. However, quoting from various scholars and historians, Dr. Desai says that Harappan civilisation was the handiwork of the Dravidians. Even before the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the Harappan civilization authored by Mediterranean people (later called Dravidians) existed. The Indo- Aryans came only towards the end of Harappan civilization.

In the final analysis, the question that confronts us is that whatever be the distant past, the people of today should know to live together in peace and harmony, recognising the country’s unity in diversity. That alone will make life worth living in this subcontinent considering the pluralistic nature of the country. It would be futile to try to impose one culture or language on the ‘whole people of this country of plurality.