CHENNAI: Tamil Iyakkam and Tamil Iyal and Panpattupulam, in association with Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), organised centenary celebrations of ‘Sindhu Samaveli Aaivu’ – Indus Valley civilization findings (from 1902 to 1928) by John Marshall, an archaeologist and the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The event was presided over by G Viswanathan, the founder and president of Tamil Iyakkam and the Chancellor of VIT University.
In his address, Viswanathan said: “There are differing opinions about the language of the people outside the Indus Valley, which existed approximately 4,500 to 5,000 years ago. It’s clear that the Indus Valley civilization is not an Aryan civilisation.”
He added that the Dravidian movement was not limited to just two political parties (DMK and AIADMK), but it had a long history. “The Dravidar Sangam was established in 470 AD in Madurai, which advocated for Tamil and a casteless society,” he recalled. “This movement evolved with the formation of the Dravida Mahajana Sabha in 1891, the Dravidian Kazhagam in 1908, which later became the Justice party – the first political outfit that introduced reservation in the country.”
Viswanathan also recalled that in 1944, the Justice Party was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam, which eventually led to the formation of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under CN Annadurai. Later, AIADMK was founded by MGR in 1972.
Urging both the Centre and the State to arrange visits to Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley civilization, he emphasised more archaeological excavations, including marine explorations off the coast of Tamil Nadu.
During the function, the speakers, especially Amarnath Ramakrishnan, a senior archaeologist, lauded Chief Minister Stalin’s announcement that a life-size statue of British archaeologist John Marshall would be installed in the State to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Indus Valley civilization.