Caste and Colour in India : A genomic pointer to the Aryan Invasion/ Migration Theory ??

Caste and Colour in India : A genomic pointer to the Aryan Invasion/ Migration Theory ??

(This post is under revision/ editing/ additions)

NB: I have referred to caste/ colour etc only for the purposes of identification.

In the last few years a number of genomic research projects have been carried out on South Asian populations. In my opinion, two of these stand out in explaining the extant population mix and caste-related physiognomy. The 2 are:

· Genetic Evidence for Recent Population Mixture in India by Priya Moorjani,* Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Nick Patterson, Mark Lipson, Po-Ru Loh,,Periyasamy Govindaraj, Bonnie Berger, David Reich,and Lalji Singh Sept 2013. http://www.sciencedirect.com/sci...

· Genomic reconstruction of the history of extant populations of India reveals five distinct ancestral components and a complex structure by Analabha Basu, Neeta Sarkar-Roy, and Partha P. Majumder (NIBM and ISI Kolkata ) July 2015.http://www.pnas.org/content/113/...

What I am trying to do here is to present the findings from these 2 research studies in layman’s language (and considering that I am myself a layman in genomics, there could be some mistakes)

Before I get on to the findings of the research projects a little background information is in order. A majority of the world’s current population derives from 3 ancestral races/ lineages: Negroid (dark/ dark curly hair/ dark eyes), Mongoloid (pale/ straight dark hair/ slit eyes) and Caucasoid (white / eyes may be light or dark/ hair may be dark or light and straight or curly) . As the names suggest the three lineages have distinct physical features associated with them. I want to clarify that these are ancestral lineages. Existing population groups will exhibit features that may be a combination of the 3 types depending on the degree of historical mixing or isolation.

In addition there is one more lineage, the Australoid (dark/ dark curly hair) which is not very large but of interest to us in India.

The names of the specific genes applicable to the Indian population are Ancestral South Indian (ASI from Negroid)., Ancestral North Indian (ANI from Caucasoid), Ancestral Tibeto Burman (ATB from Mongoloid) and Ancestral Asia Australoid (AAA from Australoid)

Now the main finding of the 2 research studies are do with the admixture of the genes in the current population and the dates when the admixture started and ended.

1. · Existing population groups of India are a mixture of 2 or more of these 4 groups. (no group is 100% pure ie from a single lineage, though some groups have a very high percentage of a single lineage). A table with details is given in the appendix .
2. · There is a distinct pattern of gene admixture depending on caste / tribe and geography.
3. · ASI and ANI and combinations form the largest part of the non-tribal total population with higher castes showing more ANI and lower caste showing more ASI. This is true both for North India as well as South.
4. · There is a reduction of ANI as we move from North India to South India. And a corresponding increase in ASI as we move from North to South.
5. · The ASI/ANI admixture started only approx 4200 years ago. Before that time there was no ASI-ANI admixture.
6. · ASI is exclusive to South Asia, not found elsewhere. ANI is seen in Iran / Afghanistan/ Central Asia.
7. ·While ASI ANI admixture abruptly stopped about 1900 years ago all over India, the ANI-AAA admixture continued for some more time.
8. · AAA is mostly seen in high percentage in tribals of central and eastern India
9. · ATB is more pronounced in the North East.

Now if you put the points above together, you can see a distinct connection between lineage and caste/ tribal status.

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Appendix. (UC =Upper Caste, MC= Middle caste, TR=tribal)

Populations in bold letters are the ones that have a very high percentage of a single lineage...ie very little admixture.

Of Burqas and Turbans

From my childhood in 60’s and 70’s I remember several newspaper reports of the following type (name is fictitious):

Mr Kartar Singh, a Sikh Bus driver in with the Metropolitan Bus Service, London was denied the right to wear a turban (at work) by his employer. He appealed to the courts on the grounds that his religious beliefs required him to wear a turban The courts after hearing his case directed the employers that Mr Singh cannot be be forced to NOT wear a turban.

This news was reported as a triumph of an Indian against his former colonial masters. Indeed ,I agreed with this view of a triumph, as did, I am quite sure , the rest of India.

Only much later in life it struck me that it was as much as triumph for Mr Singh , as it was a triumph of the British judicial system and its principles of fairness which in turn came from the British democracy.

Could such a thing have happened in the 60’s in another country? Say Germany ? or USA ? or South Africa?

Fast-forward to 2016. I see a lot of criticism on the custom of Indian Muslim women wearing a Burqa. Though I am personally of the opinion that the Burqa is a relic of the middle ages, I think Muslim women should be the ones to decide for themselves if they wish to or do not wish to wear a Burqa

Fresh Paint Smell

Have you noticed freshly painted rooms and furniture have a distinctive smell that goes off after a few days ? Do you know why ?

Here is how it works. Paint as sold in shops has 3 main ingredients. A Binder, a solvent and a pigment. Out-of-the-can paint is usually very thick and difficult to apply to surfaces. So a liquid thinner is added to make the paint easier to spread (or less viscous , technically speaking)

The thinner (also commonly known as mineral turpentine) is usually a mixture of hydrocarbons such as Aliphatic and Alicyclic C7 to C12 hydrocarbons , toluene, benzene , ketones etc. These are derived from petroleum crude oil (in a way similar to petrol/ diesel production). Similar to petrol/ diesel , thinner is a volatile substance. Once the paint (with thinner) has been applied, the thinner slowly evaporates leaving behind only the paint. The evaporation may take from a few days to a month or more (depending on the specific ingredients of the thinner). The “fresh paint smell” is the smell of the evaporating thinner. Once the evaporation is complete , the paint film becomes dry and the process is complete, the smell also fades away.

Trivia

 Trivia

Linen iron: On most steam-irons (interestingly in South India they are often called Iron Boxes) there is a dial with which you set the temperature. Nylon, Wool, Cotton etc. Most of the time Linen is also one of the settings, and it is always the setting with the highest temperature. I had wondered for many years why Linen should find a place there because it was (and is) never a commonly used fabric. Then one day it struck me that the setting was not for a fabric but for a type of items , bed-linen: bedcovers , bed-sheets , pillow covers etc. Since traditionally these items are made from thicker material they require a higher temperature setting. Big revelation that !!

Victoria in Mumbai: In the 70 s there was a movie called Victoria Number 302. It was a mystery story set in Bombay around a horse-drawn carriage. I also knew that horse drawn carriages in Bombay were known as Victoria. These are 4 wheeled carriages usually pulled by a single horse but sometimes 2 horses are also used. They were a common sight in Bombay till the 70 s. But why these carriages were called Victoria in Bombay no one seemed to know. Then some years ago I went to London. The Central bus-station in London is called Victoria Coach Station, and before it became a bus-station it was a place where the horse carriages in London were to be found. Hence the name for carriages in Bombay came to be Victoria

Why Six plates (or Glasses or Cups) in a set ? Not so long ago, crockery (and cutlery) was sold only in sets, and specifically in sets of six. No one seemed to know why this was so. Why not 4 or 8? Does anyone have an answer ?

Shopping for export surplus clothes in Bangalore

Shopping for export surplus clothes in Bangalore

Bangalore is the biggest centre for software (export and domestic) in India. But what most people , even those living in Bangalore, do not know is that Bangalore is also the largest producer for stitched garments for export. The number of people employed in the industry is estimated to be between 50 and 60 thousand. In addition Tirupur (for knitted garments ) and Chennai and Ambur (for shoes and leather products ) are also nearby. All this makes Bangalore a paradise for the bargain hunter looking for high quality branded stuff. So if you are tired of shopping in malls (both because of the boring sameness of malls and also their price tags), read on for a rewarding time.
But first a word of caution: There are many “fake” surplus garments also doing the rounds, so one has to learn how to spot the fakes. I have given some tips at the end.
Since most of my Bangalore stay has been in East Bangalore (Indiranagar, Whitefiled . Koramngala , MG Road et al) I am not able to provide much information on other areas.
Stitched garments:
Garments can be broadly classified under “export surplus” , ‘export reject” and “local old stocks” . So how does a garment become surplus/ reject ? There could be a several reasons.
• Over-production: Buyers typically accept 5 % over the order quantity. So if a buyer orders a 1000 shirts the manufacturer will start with a lot of 1100 shirts anticipating some rejection. If he ends up with 1075 good shirts , he will ship 1050 and will be left with 25 “export surplus” shirts.
• Rejects (or “seconds”) In the above example, the manufacturer will also end up with 25 or less “export reject” shirts. Some of the rejects will be for very minute quality defects.
• On occasion an entire lot might become “surplus” because the manufacturer was not able to ship them by the agreed upon last date.
• Or sometimes an entire lot might be a rejected because the colour is slightly different from the specification.
• In addition surplus garments from nearby Bangladesh, Srilanka and Malaysia also find their way to India.
• Local brands (Louise Philip, Thomas Scott, etc) often remain unsold for long and then go out of fashion. Brand-owners/ retailers then sell them at very low prices to distributors who bring them to “surplus” retail.

So these are the ways the export surplus / reject garments are generated. These garments are picked up at wholesale prices from manufacturers (often on a Rs/ kilo basis) and find their way to retailers. Some of the retailers are:
• HUM India: This is the biggest and the only one of the few that has more than one outlet. They are mostly into surplus (rather than “ reject” garments) . They have outlets in Commercial Street, Church Street and Indirananagar. The range covers tops/ trousers/ shorts/ dresses/ shoes for women and shirts/ tee shirts/ trousers/ shorts/ shoes/ suits/ jackets / shoesfor men. Brands seen are Levis, Abercrombie, Old Navy, Haggar, Hacket, Tommy, Ralph Lauren and several more. Hugo Boss and Zegna suits are also available. Prices are not among the lowest . Men’s Tee shirts’ are between 550 to 1000/- , trousers from 900 to 2000/-, suits from 5,000 to 15,000/-. Most of the stuff is not fake but sometimes the Paul Smith shirts look fake. They have an annual sale which is advertised on FM radio and in newspapers
> Mota Royal Arcade, Brigade Road. The top 2 floors aree occupied by VIVA.. they stock all kind of stuff (Men , women, shoes, linen..)  including unsold inventory of local brands. Specailly good for XL and XXl  (or large) sizes.
• Password: Located in Domlur (Approx location Near TERI https://goo.gl/maps/h6KFj). Well known brands are available. The stores are not as large as HUM India but they are worth a visit. Some of the stuff (specially Tommy Hilfiger/ Ralph Lauren shirts) is fake .They have another outlet in Kormangala (Password +(91)-80-41253061, No.507, 6th Main, Koramangala, Near naga kitchen, Bangalore – 560034) .Prices are lower than Hum India but selection is not as large.
• There are a number of shops near Jyothi Niwas college selling surplus garments. They stock mainly women’s garments, but some men’s garments can also be found.
• Fashion One,Indiranagar (Near RUOSHShoeshttps://goo.gl/maps/mK5W1).
• American Colors (Koramangala 80 Feet Rd, Koramangala 7th Block, Bengaluru, 560030, ) +91 80 4131 3824 opp Raheja Arcade.

If you look around , you might spot such surplus retailers in the area that you live

A few tips to spot fakes
• Quality of fabric/ stitching will be visibly inferior.
• Most commonly faked items are Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Old Navy, Gap. Abercrombie.
• In the case of trousers, if the brand is American and the zipper is nylon, it is a fake.
• If the brand label is mutilated or cut-out, it is genuine.
… will continue later ..

Request to people who read till the end.  A. Please add additional information through the comments sectio, so that other people can benefit. B. Please let me know (again thru comments) if the information I provided was useful (or incorrect)

Was the Jana Gana Man written in praise of King George V ?

Was the Jana Gana Man written in praise of King George V ? 

(Note: It is not my ontention to blame anyone or ask/ suggest  that the Jana Gana Mana be replaced.) 

There is sometimes a debate around our Indian National Anthem, the Jana Gana Mana . Some people say that Tagore wrote it in praise of King George V of Britain on the occasion of the King's visit to India in Dec, 1911 , the event which is known in history as the Delhi Durbar , and for the which the Gateway of India was erected at Mumbai.

Now I have sung the Jana Gana from childhood and I love the song, but there seems to be some truth in argument that it was written as a song of praise for King George V , rather than as praise for the land that later became India. The lyric was written in 1911 and thus neatly coincides with the Delhi Durbar event. If we look at the words themselves , they read

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindhu, Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.

The reference to a person (of power) , is rather obvious. “Thou Art” cannot be construed to be Indian nationhood / India /People of India. It must also be remembered that all literary references to India , even in pre-indepencence times are for “Mother India/ Bharat Maata”, and this is not seen in the Jana Gana Man.

Finally take a look at the geographical areas mentioned . They are Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravid (Tamil Nadu) Utkal (Odisha) Banga, Vindhya (MP) , Himachal, Yamuna Ganga (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar) . How and why did Tagore miss JnK, Rajasthan (then known as Rajputana) , Karantaka (then Mysore ) and Kerala ? Now if one looks at the Map of Indian British Empire in 1910, we find that these areas were Independent nations which were under the alliance / political protection of the British but were not considered British territory. ( see Map of India 1910 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/British_Indian_Empire_1909_Imperial_Gazetteer_of_India.jpg

Why is it easy to be a godman in India?

Why is it easy to be a godman in India?


We have so many godmen in India. The other day I asked myself this question.. and of course there is an answer.. all thought up by yours truly. In my opinion there are 6 reasons. Of course the prime mover is the fact that in our culture, and perhaps other cultures as well, people have a need for religion in their lives. They need it and they want it and when they can’t get it from traditional sources, they will get it from godmen.

• Godmen must have a size-able following before they are recognized as godmen. Here they have a bumper opportunity. With India’s 1.1 billion population, no shortage of followers / devotees. If you have a relevant (or even sometimes irrelevant or even no message at all) becoming a godman is easy on India.
• Another reason is that Hinduism is a very unstructured and open religion. If someone is seen as a godman or proclaims to be one, there is no Pope or Ayatollah like figure to question the claim. Also, since popular Hinduism is not mono-theistic (we have Vishnu, Shiva, Ram, Ganesh, Lakshmi and many more), the existence of a godman does not contradict any popular Hindu belief.
• A third reason is that the traditional religious heads, such as the Shankaracharyas of various Mathas/ Mutts are very reclusive. They are hardly seen in public and they do not engage with their followers on any noteworthy scale. They do not point out a moral path or provide spiritual solace to the masses of Hindus in India. In effect they have ceded religious leadership and there is a leadership vacuum ready to be filled by godmen.
• Traditional Hinduism prior to Independence looked down upon dalits and backward classes. They were not allowed to enter temples. Even now the leaders of Hinduism are very aloof, even apathetic, to dalits and backward classes. So people from dalit and backward classes are very willing to align with a godman who promises religious inclusion with social equality.
• To be a godman in India one des not need any special knowledge or scholarship or spiritual ability. Instance are available where people have become revered by doing such odd and ordinary things as not speaking for an year , standing on one foot for a long time or living on a machaan (a raised wooden platform) for a period of time. Even the ones who appear on TV channels have no special ability. One has to only watch one 30 minute episode to see that most of them talk pure nonsense.
• For godmen it is easy to attract urban middle-class women followers because attending a bhajan gathering or a satsang is a socially acceptable and even desirable for a woman in conservative / orthodox families. One of the things that surprises me about the upper caste TV godmen is preponderance of women in their audience.