
Are Tamil-speaking people descendants of those who lived in Andhra-Karnataka borderland?
Hyderabad: Kamal Haasan, the legendary South Indian actor-turned-politician, made a bold declaration that sent shockwaves through the linguistic landscape of the South: 'Telugu, Kannada, and Tulu,' he claimed, 'are all derived from Tamil.'
His comments sparked widespread outrage. In Karnataka, protests erupted, and academics along with cultural advocates labelled his words inaccurate, bordering on a 'supremacist ideological slur'—a colonial echo masked in modern identity politics.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Kamal Haasan, preparing for his likely Rajya Sabha debut under the DMK banner, stood firm in his convictions and refused to apologise. Despite receiving significant backlash from the Karnataka High Court for making insensitive comments, he is moving forward with plans to release his upcoming film, 'Thug Life,' on June 5.
Supporters among pan-Dravidian intellectuals and politicians rallied behind him, claiming Tamil's recorded antiquity ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 years and asserting that it predates Sanskrit.
They further argued that Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu and other South Indian languages were not even around when the Tamil language with its script was flourishing.
However, far from the noise of television studios and political rallies, the quiet village of Jwalapuram in the Kurnool district of Rayalaseema tells a different story that makes the claims of Haasan's pan-Dravidian ideology topsy turvy.
Experts indicate that archaeological excavations at this site uncovered tools and evidence of life that date back significantly further than any of the modern languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu. This archaeological site indicates that people lived there 75,000 years ago, right after the eruption of Mount Toba, a cataclysmic event in Sumatra that nearly eradicated humanity. Only about 3,000 to 10,000 human beings are reported to have survived the eruption.
At Jwalapuram, however, it is known that a small group of humans endured and adapted to the aftermath of Toba's catastrophic impacts. In the shadow of modern Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border areas, these survivors lived long before any known script existed. Additionally, the words 'Jwala' (fire), 'Puram,' 'Pura,' and 'Pur' (which mean village or town) are prevalent in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Tulu. This raises the question of whether these terms are remnants of human memory from the post-Toba era.
It further points out that the people currently residing in Tamil Nadu may not have been native to that region but could have migrated from the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Their language may have originated from a common tongue spoken by those who migrated to present-day Tamil Nadu.
However, Hassan's supremacist remarks come from 'Dravidian' – an umbrella term coined by the British Christian missionary Robert Caldwell, who published a seminal work on the comparative grammar of South Indian languages in 1856. This raises the question of whether the film star-turned-politician's claims are based on 18th and 19th-century colonial studies, ignoring later developments, archaeological findings, and human migration studies.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
40 minutes ago
- Economic Times
DMK not afraid of 'ordinary persons' like Modi, Shah: A Raja
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The DMK was not afraid of "ordinary persons" like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and has a "counter-ideology" to that of the BJP that would ensure the saffron party doesn't gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, senior party leader A Raja said here on a press conference here in response to Amit Shah's criticism of the ruling DMK in Madurai on Sunday, Raja claimed the BJP veteran's remarks on various issues were "blatant lies, disgusting and divisive."The Lok Sabha MP asserted that the BJP cannot gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, where Assembly polls are due next year, unlike Delhi or Maharashtra since the Dravidian ideology was a counter to the saffron one."How did (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal come to power (in Delhi)-- he only opposed corruption, did he have an ideology, were there leaders behind are not afraid of Amit Shah and Modi-- after all, they are ordinary persons. The political ideology behind them is invading everywhere and winning, but why is it unable to win here. Because we have an alternative to that ideology," he said referring to the Dravidian philosophy."As long as Dravidian ideology is there, they cannot gain foothold in Tamil Nadu. We are not Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana. We are Tamil Nadu, we are Dravidam, (BJP) cannot come here," he on Sunday asserted that the NDA would form governments in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal next year and targeted the DMK regime in the state by firing fresh "corruption" salvos, including the Rs 4,600 crore sand mining scam. BJP is part of the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Raja said the DMK can disprove Shah "word-by-word," on whatever he spoke in Madurai, the people of Tamil Nadu will not accept such things from the BJP leader."His remarks don' suit his office of Union Home minister. To put in a nutshell whatever he spoke, they were blatant lies, disgusting and divisive," Raja union minister made "baseless charges," against the ruling dispensation, he said."TN Chief Minister M K Stalin has ensured law and order and despite central funds being not available on many occasions, has implemented growth schemes from state funds quickly and unable to digest this, the Centre and the BJP brought Shah to Tamil Nadu," he also lashed out at the Centre over issues including the proposed census and the Centre approving a caste census, he recalled the BJP's earlier opposition to it and criticism of those demanding such an enumeration and wondered why it has changed its stand the BJP's upcoming conference on Lord Muruga in Madurai, Raja claimed it was being held with the intention of creating communal rift and derive political mileage out of that.


Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
SP MP Ramji Lal Suman threatens nationwide stir if Ambedkar statue not installed in Gwalior HC
Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman on Monday threatened to launch a nationwide stir if a statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, is not installed at the premises of the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He alleged that authorities are preventing him from travelling to Gwalior, where he intended to raise his voice over the issue. Addressing a press conference in Agra, Suman claimed he and his supporters were stopped from proceeding to Gwalior despite their peaceful intentions. "We are being prevented from travelling not just to Gwalior but also to other districts of Uttar Pradesh. This is a direct attack on our democratic rights," he said. Suman expressed deep concern over what he described as "deliberate efforts to create controversy and disharmony in society". He alleged that even though the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had approved the installation of the Ambedkar statue, the directive was not being followed. "This is not just a violation of a court order, it is an insult to the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar,' he said. Warning of widespread protests, Suman said: "If the statue of Babasaheb is not installed at the premises of the Gwalior Bench, a nationwide movement will be launched." He also made a controversial comparison during his press conference, pointing out that a statue of Manu Maharaj -- believed by many to be the author of Manusmriti -- is installed outside the Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur, while Ambedkar's statue is being resisted in Gwalior. "Manu Maharaj was against the dignity of women and Dalits. And yet his statue stands tall, while Babasaheb, who gave us the Constitution, is being disrespected," he said. This isn't the first time Suman has stirred controversy. Earlier, he drew sharp criticism after calling 16th-century Rajput ruler Rana Sanga a "traitor" during a speech in the Rajya Sabha, which sparked outrage from political opponents. Suman said the current developments reflect the Madhya Pradesh government's worrying attitude towards Dalit representation and historical justice. "The message is clear -- certain forces are not comfortable with Ambedkar's legacy," he said.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Supreme Court to hear plea on threats of violence linked to the screening of Thug Life in Karnataka on June 13
The Supreme Court on Monday (June 9, 2025) agreed to hear on June 13 a plea to ensure the safe and unimpeded screening of Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie 'Thug Life' in Karnataka, and direct the State government to take action against elements who have issued threats and incited violence against theatres and the makers of the film. A Vacation Bench headed by Justice P.K. Mishra scheduled the case for hearing this week on the basis of an oral mentioning made by the advocates for the petitioner, M. Mahesh Reddy, a Bengaluru resident, represented by advocates A. Velan and Navpreet Kaur. Ms. Kaur, seeking urgent listing of the writ petition, said 'fringe elements' were threatening arson against the theatres that screen the film. Mr. Velan said the move to appeal to the apex court had been necessitated by the fact that the Karnataka High Court had 'distressingly appeared to prioritise appeasement'. 'Instead of a clear directive to the State to stop the illegal threats and protect a certified film's exhibition, fundamental to restoring law and order, the discussion reportedly focused on whether Mr. Kamal Haasan should apologise to the very fringe elements intimidating him and threatening public order. This effective endorsement of coercive censorship by suggesting compromise with perpetrators makes the High Court pathway currently ineffective for securing justice, compelling this urgent appeal in the Supreme Court as the ultimate guardian of the Constitution,' the petition submitted. The petition questioned the Karnataka government's 'flagrant failure' to maintain law and order in the State, and protect constitutional freedoms. It said the 'unconstitutional extra-judicial ban' in Karnataka stems not from any lawful process but from a deliberate campaign of terror, including explicit threats of arson against cinema halls, incitement to large-scale communal violence targeting linguistic minorities, and a chilling call for a repeat of past anti-Tamil riots. 'This serious situation occurs within a disturbing societal context where chauvinistic elements have targeted linguistic minorities such as Hindi speakers in Bengaluru with impunity, fostering a climate of fear that now directly threatens constitutional order over this film… Even as Victory Cinema, a movie theatre in Bengaluru, announced its intent to screen 'Thug Life', forces of intimidation struck openly. Mr. T.A. Narayana Gowda of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) publicly threatened to 'set theatres on fire' while social media was used for inciting a violent revival of the 1991 anti-Tamil riots,' the petition highlighted.