Noted epigraphist and Dravidologist Iravatham Mahadevan has suggested that Dravidian University take up inter-disciplinary studies on Indus valley civilisation.
“The varsity’s location at Kuppam, at the tri-junction of AP, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, symbolises its objective to serve the Dravidian cause,” he said and expressed hope that the Centre would make it a national centre for excellence.
Dr. Mahadevan was speaking at the second convocation of the varsity here on Thursday. He also referred to the recent breakthrough in the interpretation of the Indus script, which partially confirmed it was an early form of Dravidian scripts. “Aryan and Dravidian, the way people from the north and south are referred to generally, are just languages and not races,” pointed out Dr. Mahadevan, who is also an expert in Indus and Tamil Brahmi scripts.
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Speakers of Aryan languages merged with those of Dravidian and Munda, creating a composite Indian society with elements inherited from every source. He pointed out that his painstaking research, spanning a period of five decades, had indicated that the Indus script stood for ‘unity in diversity’.
Dr. Mahadevan was earlier presented an honorary doctorate D. Litt by Vice-Chancellor K. Ratnaiah, who officiated as the Chancellor, as Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan could not make it to the event.