The remarks that the Governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N. Ravi, made last week, on Aryan-Dravidian differences being geographical and not racial, offer remarkable insights into the contemporary political state-of-affairs. In stark contrast to other Governors in non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States, Mr. Ravi has walked into the ideological thicket. The linkages Tamil Nadu has to the Dravidian political ideology are inalienable and the remarks made by Mr. Ravi must be viewed with some concern. While such interventions by unelected Governors in non-BJP ruled States have become par for the course, it is imperative to look closely into the merits and veracity of the claims raised by Mr. Ravi, for these go to revising the well-established idea of India itself.
Linguistics and race
The statements made by the Governor, initially at a function to commemorate the Vellore Sepoy Mutiny and then repeated at a function at Madurai Kamaraj University, can only be described as historical negationism. In the past, various leaders have strongly contested the Aryan Migration theory and have attributed the emergence and the evolution of the Aryan-Dravidian distinction to the British. By wading into this hotly contested ideological battle, Mr. Ravi has attempted to shake up the political discourse in Tamil Nadu.
