AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 26:

        'Chauvinism should not be allowed to enter scientific research centres studying ancient Indian civilisation as it could lead to distortion of facts pertaining to ancient cultures such as the Indus'. This was observed by Iravatham Mahadevan, an expert in Indus script, here yesterday while delivering the inaugural lecture of the Indus Research Centre set up by the Roja Muthiah Research Library Trust.

        Iravatham further said the Indus script which had not been deciphered as yet would be cracked one day as various scientists from across the globe were trying to decipher it. 'It is my firm hope that one day we will decipher the Indus script thus allowing us to have an idea of this civilisation,' he said.

        Iravatham also pointed out that books, monographs and other related paraphernalia regarding Indus civilisation should be gathered from the West and must be made available to research scholars in India. He said there was substantial evidence to suggest that there is a link between the Harappan and the Dravidian civilisations. 'One finds that at a time in ancient Indian history Dravidian languages were spoken extensively in the northern parts of India thereby revealing a definite connection between the two across the Vindhyas,' he said.

        The recent Harappan artefacts collected from the excavations in Mayavaram stands testimony to the fact that there is a definite link between the Harappan and the Dravidian civilisations,' said N Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu.