It gives me pleasure to invite attention to Bhagwan S. Gidwani's Return of the Aryans - published in India and Canada by Penguin Books. This highly researched book, written in form of a novel, brings out the glory and greatness of Sindhi culture and heritage from pre-ancient times, even before the advent of the Vedic era. Mainly, ‘Return of the Aryans’ is concerned with telling the story of the birth & beginning of Hinduism, along with the dramatic account of how Aryans originated from India (and from nowhere else); their exploits and adventures in West Asia and Europe, including Iran, Eygpt, Mesopotamia, Russian lands, Finland, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania & Baltic States and Germany; and finally their triumphal return to India. Even so, here are some of the main facts about ancient Sind, emerging from the book.
Birth & beginning of Hinduism took place in Sind, along Sindhu river, prior to 8,000 BC. It was a man from Sind who first uttered the auspicious 'OM' Mantra, and devised the salutation of NAMASTE, (to highlight 'TAT TVAM ASI' - THAT THOU ART - or to acknowledge that other is God in you, and to Him and to you we salute).
Similarly, the 'SWASTIKA' seal & symbol was originated in Sind to spread the message of 'Daya, Dana & Dharma' (Later, after the Aryan migration to Europe, 'SWASTIKA' came to be adopted in Europe, initially for auspicious purposes, though in the modern era, in the Nazi period, it was used for inauspicious, corrupt practices and racial hatred).
It was SINDHIS from SIND who discovered the routes to Ganga, Dravidian, Bangla, and other regions in 5,000 BC; and civilizations of all these regions, then, came under spiritual guidance of SIND, in a spirit of equality and mutual respect. All these regions joined together to form Bharat Varsha.
It was a Sindhi - he was known as Sindhu Putra who, 7,000 years ago, was acknowledged as MAHAPATI in GANGA region to indicate his spiritual supremacy over GANGAPATI (ruler of GANGA region). Sindhu Putra was also recognized as the PERIYAR (Supreme authority) in Dravidian regions. Everywhere else too, he was honored, with highest titles and respectful submission.
The ancient name of Bharat Varsha was given to India to honor the memory of Bharat who was the 19th Karkarta (supreme chief) of the Hindu clan in Sind in 5000 BC, long after he retired as a hermit at the age of sixty.
Sind had profound influence on RIG VEDA, doctrines of KARMA; MOKSHA, AHIMSA & DHARMA; and also on the pre-ancient roots and lofty ideals of Sanatana Dharma.
Rig Veda, the first and foremost of our Vedas (and the worlds most ancient literature), hardly mentions Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Only one late hymn mentions Ganga. For Rig Vedic poets, the river par excellence was Sindhu, mentioned repeatedly, respectfully and glowingly, in Rig-Veda. (This, as 'Return of the Aryans' explains, is said not in arrogance, for Sindhis worship Ganga, but the fact is that the earliest songs of Hindus were naturally about their home-ground which began with the Sind region, as the birth-place of Hinduism).
It was along Sindhu river, that the worlds first written language or the script was evolved. They called it 'the language that can be seen'. Sindhi is today written in the wrong way - in Arabic script. But it is Sanskritic. 72 percent of its words were Sanskritic - till 1947. Since 1947, its Sanskritic content is being eroded by inclusion of Urdu, Persian and Arabic words. Today Sindhi is written in Sindh in the Arabic script. In India, Devnagri is mainly used. The Government of India recognizes both scripts
Sind was one of the major home-grounds and cradle-grounds of Aryans when they left India in 5000 BC, and returned back to their home-town and heritage of Sind. The exploits and adventures of Aryans of Sind can fill a thousand volumes. Unfortunately, the way our history is written, they occupy only a tiny place in our national memory.
Reservations & Explanations:
While, research in Return of the Aryans is unassailable on practically all aspects, the author himself points out that his presentation of the journey of Aryans of Sind and India, to distant lands (and their return) should be treated as alternative history, which needs to be researched further in the light of the evidence he, and others, have unearthed. (Note: Mainstream historians have looked to the West as the Aryan home-ground. The fact however is that Gidwani's effort is backed by enormous research of 18 years, while historians offer no evidence, apart from pointing out 22 regions from which Aryans could possibly have emerged. The difficulty of the mainstream historians in picking one single place from the 22 regions is understandable. None of these regions showed the slightest link with the high civilization and classical art and literature of Sind and India; and even as the historians came under the spell of compelling fascination of the Vedas, the spiritual vision of Upanishads, the philosophic content of the Bhagvadgita and the inspiration of the enduring epics of India, they wondered: how could it be that Aryans came from this or that foreign region, when that region itself showed no evidence of such philosophic development or artistic achievement or spiritual heritage? û specially as all these flowered in India independently, and unrelated to any other region, with no parallels or precedents elsewhere.
The main argument, thus far, that the Aryans originated from outside has been that Sanskrit had many words common with Greek, Latin and all the languages known as Indo-Iranian and Indo-European. Somehow, it did not occur to the mainstream historians that these Western languages were influenced by Aryans moving out of India. "Return of the Aryans" clearly shows how Sanskrit went out with the Aryans of Sind and India, and enriched the language of many regions, and was itself enriched by them. The second argument of the mainstream historians is weaker still. It relies on the divergence of skin-colour and the physique of the various races in India. 'Return of the Aryans' clarifies at length how this divergence arose and its irrelevance to the question of Aryans. The third argument of the mainstream historians, was also flawed. It referred to evidence of Aryan influence (such as Swastika) abroad, to support the theory that Aryans came from outside. Actually this argument can be turned around to support the thesis that Aryans of Sind and India went to the West, and left their enduring influence there, including the imprint of their language and some cultural affinities. The link between the pre-ancient Hindu and Aryan should have been clear by now, given the plethora of the clues that exist. Return of the Aryans offers innumerable such clues, and gives a mosaic of a long-forgotten past to show that Aryans did not belong to a different species, culture or race; and there is an unbroken continuity û spiritual, racial, social, and secular û between the pre-ancient civilization of Bharat Varsha and the Aryans of 5,000 BC. Further as author Gidwani adds, "I have read every word of Vedas, Upanishads, epics, and other Aryan literature. If Aryans came from the West, it would be amazing that they who wrote so much on so many diverse subjects, simply forgot to mention their original homeland.") Author Gidwani is on firm ground as he conclusively demolishes the frivolous theory of the Aryan invasion of Sind and India. Piling evidence on evidence, he succeeds in proving that Aryans were born, grew up and died as Hindus, anchored in the timeless foundation of Sanatana Dharma. (NOTE: Initially, the mainstream historians held the view that the entire culture of India had to be refracted through the prism of Aryan life and that only decadence and darkness existed in the land until the Aryans emerged to invade India. But then, after the historians had so spoken, as Return of the Aryans points out, in one of history’s more subtle ironies, came the excavations of Mohanjo daro, Harappa and others. These excavations clearly pointed to a flourishing civilization that existed thousands of years in the past, distinct from all others, independent and deeply rooted in the Indian soil and environment. After these discoveries, there never was a serious attempt to explain the origins of Hindu civilization in terms of immigration or invasion from outside).
The myth of Aryan invasion of India must now be regarded as entirely untrue. Due to inertia or pride of authorship, Indian historians may have failed to correct their earlier papers in which the myth of Aryan invasion was mentioned. Even so, in all those earlier papers, not a shred of evidence was ever offered to support the theory of Aryan invasion of India. It was simply a case of each historian quoting other historians in support of the theory, but without even a single fact or evidence. It should also be noted that Bharat Varsha of 5,000 BC, formed with Sindhis guidance, was far more extensive than the present-day territory of India, Pakistan & Bangladesh, as it included additionally : Avagana (Afghanistan), after Sadhu Gandhara of Sind established his Ashram at a place which in his honour was called Gandhara (now known as Qandhar), and later at Hari Rath (now known as Herat). Incidentally, Gandhari of Mahabharta fame came from Gandhara or Qandhar, though it is not certain if she was a descendant of Sadhu Gandhara of Sind or simply from that region of Qandhar. From Afghanistan, Bharat Varsha extended to parts of Iran, beyond Lake Namaskar (now known as Namaksar), where many Hindu hermits resided; In North, Bharat Varsha territory went across soaring peaks of Himalayas to Tibet to reach Lake Mansarovar, Mount Kailash, upto the source of mighty Sindhu and Brahmaputra rivers, and beyond; Bharat Varsha included also Land of Brahma (Burma) and beyond; Kashmir; Lands of Sadhu Newar (Nepal); Bhoota (Bhutan); and Land of Vraon (Sri Lanka).
Return of the Aryans has also many other gripping tales about Sind and Sindhis - their battles and romance, adventures and exploits, valor and sacrifice, art and culture, well before the dawn of recorded history. It shows clearly:
- that Sind, along with Bharat Varsha in its entirety, is the most ancient civilization in the world - more ancient than China, Japan, Mesopotamia, Iran and Egypt.
- that Sind and Bharat Varsha, were there before Rome was built, and before Jerusalem, Carthage, Greece, Damascus and Istanbul were founded.
When Europeans lived in caves, our people along Sindhu river had two-story houses of brick and stone, with drainage system, public parks, public baths, art-works, fountains and granaries.
Along the banks of Sindhu, our Sindhi ancestors founded the ancient order of Sanatanah, well before 8,000 BC, and again, along the banks of Sindhu, from this root of Sanatanah sprang Sanatana Dharma, the ageless religion of the Hindus.
Clearly, it has to be noted that "Return of the Aryans" is not exclusively devoted to the glory and greatness of Sind. It also presents the story of India as a whole, and of the birth and beginnings of Hinduism. It speaks glowingly, lovingly of the Ganga, Dravidian and other civilizations of India as well - and shows that they too had much to teach, as also to learn from the people of Sindhu in regard to the marvels of irrigation, engineering skill, broad streets, well-built houses, elegant temples, chariots, drainage systems, granaries, boats, gardens, baths and fountains and more so, in the field of art, culture and aesthetics.
Sindhi Hindu society has always retained its Hinduism, and essential Hindu culture but never did it reject goodness in other cultures. For instance:
Sindhis rejected Vedic Societys strangle-hold of caste system, knowing that caste system was never a basic tenet of Hinduism, but merely a custom, evolved to meet a temporary situation.
