Namaste Everyone,
I am sure that many of you have heard of the great Dalit leader, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who was also the author of the Indian constitution. This is what he had to say about the Aryan Invasion Theory:
In other words, he didn't approve of it because it was stoking the superiority complex of upper-caste Hindus. This leads to a few interesting questions:
Is it ethical for Indian schools to teach the Aryan Invasion theory? If it's going to exacerbate caste tensions, would it be a good idea to leave it out of school curricula?
I am sure that many of you have heard of the great Dalit leader, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who was also the author of the Indian constitution. This is what he had to say about the Aryan Invasion Theory:
The Aryan race theory is so absurd that it ought to have been dead long ago. But far from being dead, the theory has a considerable hold upon the people The first explanation is to be found in the support which the theory receives from Brahmin scholars. This is a very strange phenomenon. As Hindus, they should ordinarily show a dislike for the Aryan theory with its express avowal of the superiority of the European races over the Asiatic races. But the Brahmin scholar has not only no such aversion but most willingly hails it. The reasons are obvious. The Brahmin believes in the two nation theory. He claims to be the representative of the Aryan race, and he regards the rest of the Hindus as descendents of the non-Aryans. The theory helps him establish his kinship with the European races and share in their arrogance and their superiority it helps him maintain and justify his overlordship over the non-Brahmins. (76)
In other words, he didn't approve of it because it was stoking the superiority complex of upper-caste Hindus. This leads to a few interesting questions:
Is it ethical for Indian schools to teach the Aryan Invasion theory? If it's going to exacerbate caste tensions, would it be a good idea to leave it out of school curricula?