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India Today
3 days ago
- General
- India Today
The age of historical disagreements
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 9, 2025)In times when historical controversies can raise enough dust to bury entire civilisations, the ancient Tamil site of Keezhadi has re-emerged as a flashpoint. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has asked the site's lead archaeologist to revise his final report of January 2023—essentially, to locate the site on a much later timeline than the 6th-8th century BC originally suggested by the has sparked fresh allegations of political interference in historical research. 'Post-dating' the site would take away all the excitement from a discovery that had conferred greater civilisational depth to Tamil Nadu, pushing back its Sangam era by three K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, who led the early phases of excavation, has rejected the ASI's demand, stating that he stands by his 982-page report. His conclusions, he says, were based on unimpeachable scientific methods like stratigraphy and accelerator mass spectrometry. The state of the art in radiocarbon dating, the latter method has a precision of 40 years for recent antiquity. A MATTER OF TIMETo be sure, Keezhadi still awaits full scholarly consensus, specifically on whether the prime evidence for antiquity—potsherds with early Tamil inscriptions—are coeval with the carbon-dated charcoal layers. Also, whether its ceramic style accords with ancient Tamil Nadu's pottery chronology. But the ASI's May 2025 letter doesn't just seek corroboration. It calls for 'necessary corrections' and insists the earliest layer not be dated before 300 BC. Ramakrishna isn't the only one who spies a prejudicial edge in the ASI adopting such an approach to 'well-reasoned findings'. For many in the South, it's part of a broader pattern—one where 'science is subordinated to ideology, and archaeological evidence inconvenient to the dominant historical narrative is sidelined'.advertisement Keezhadi offers signs of a literate, urban Tamil civilisation along the Vaigai river dating back over 2,600 years. Nearby sites like Agaram and Konthagai buttress that idea, with some lines of inquiry even suggesting possible evolutionary links of early Tamil-Brahmi to the Indus script. The trouble this runs into, of course, is that it challenges the Centre's Vedic-centred view of antiquity. Hence, the ASI missive is seen by many experts less as pure academic scrutiny, more as a formal curb on the kind of story Keezhadi can tell. If fully unfurled, that narrative can subvert the privileged space conferred on the Vedic/Sanskritic lineage, suggesting a parallel civilisational track in the South—with its own language, script and cultural norms. A putative continuum with Harappa would deepen that as Keezhadi's findings were gaining national and international attention, Ramakrishna was abruptly transferred from Tamil Nadu to Assam in 2017 and ASI-led excavations slowed, later declaring no significant discoveries. In response, the state archaeology department took over Keezhadi work. Over time, that unearthed over 7,500 artefacts that buttressed Ramakrishna's hasn't been enough, it seems, to persuade New Delhi. 'The ASI has never been eager to acknowledge Keezhadi's truths,' says CPI(M) MP and writer S. Venkatesan, who has written extensively on Keezhadi. 'The BJP pushes mythology as history, but it works just as hard to erase our real past. But Tamil antiquity cannot be erased by government order.'BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan counters that the Centre had funded the initial excavation. 'The report was likely returned for administrative reasons, perhaps to avoid future questions,' she says. In response, Venkatesan asks: 'Why did you stop funding? If an excavation yields nothing, you may stop. But Keezhadi yielded everything. You stopped because what was discovered unsettled the very history you have been narrating.'Subscribe to India Today Magazine
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Civilisation and its discontents
Civilisation and culture are deeply entwined in the identity of any society and attempts to reinterpret or regulate them often invite political consequences. Over the past fortnight, this became clear when political parties in Tamil Nadu put up a resistance on two fronts — one regarding the State's ancient civilisation and the other, its financial practices. In the first instance, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) asked archaeologist K. Amarnath Ramakrishna to revise his 982-page report on the Keeladi excavations. Mr. Ramakrishna, who unearthed the ancient urban settlement near Madurai nearly a decade ago, had submitted the report in January 2023. The report pointed to a flourishing civilisation dating back to the Sangam era — suggesting a parallel, if not earlier, timeline to the Vedic civilisation. The ASI said the request for corrections was based on inputs from two independent experts and aimed to enhance the report's authenticity. However, the timing and nature of the move rekindled long-standing political suspicions in Tamil Nadu that the Centre was seeking to downplay the antiquity of Tamil civilisation. Mr. Ramakrishna declined to revise his report, asserting that his findings were backed by detailed documentation. The ruling DMK and its allies — notably, the CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi — condemned the ASI's request. They accused the Centre of attempting to suppress evidence that might challenge the primacy of Vedic civilisation in India's historical narrative. Historian and former IAS officer, R. Balakrishnan, author of Journey of a Civilisation: Indus to Vaigai, described the ASI's demand as arising from 'the pressure of history'. He cautioned against historical bias in a multicultural nation such as India, stressing the need for responsible scholarship. In response to the criticism, the Union Ministry of Culture, through the ASI, issued a clarification, calling the allegations 'misleading' and 'contrary to the truth.' It insisted that the vetting process was standard and devoid of bias. Still, given that previously, Central funding and excavations were halted midway, forcing the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology to step in, the issue remains politically charged. The second controversy involved the Reserve Bank of India's Draft (Lending against Gold Collateral) Directions, 2025. Among the proposed measures were a 75% cap on loan-to-value ratio, proof of ownership for pledged gold, and limits on the quantity of gold that can be pledged — 1kg for ornaments and 50 gm for coins per borrower. These proposed restrictions struck at the heart of Tamil Nadu's financial culture, where gold loans play a primary and critical role, especially for women, farmers, small traders, and rural communities. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, described gold as not just an ornament but a vital financial safeguard for households. He warned that the new regulations would drive vulnerable borrowers into the hands of predatory lenders and exploitative loan apps. State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu called the draft guidelines 'deeply insensitive' and accused the RBI of perpetuating 'systemic injustice' against economically weaker sections. Even allies and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, including the AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Maanila Congress, and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, opposed the RBI's move. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami argued that the new rules would hurt the poor and middle class, who comprise the bulk of India's population. Recognising the political ramifications, the Union Finance Ministry intervened. It suggested exempting small-ticket borrowers — those seeking loans below ₹2 lakh — from the stringent norms to ensure their continued access to timely credit. In both the Keeladi excavation dispute and the proposed gold loan regulations, Tamil Nadu's assertive response forced the Centre to respond. These episodes underscore how deeply issues of civilisation and financial practice resonate in the State — and how political sensitivity to these dimensions can quickly escalate into broader controversies. By stepping in, the Centre may have averted a volatile flash point, at least with regard to the gold loan regulations, in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections.
