THE RETURN OF THE ARYANS---A HISTORICAL NOVEL BY BHAGWAN S GIDWANI

RETURN OF THE ARYANS---A NOVEL BY BHAGWAN S. GIDWANI

        This is a novel written by an ex-IAS officer who was India ’s DIRECTOR GENERAL of civil aviation and additional director of TOURISM in 1978. He gives a different perspective on the ORIGION and SPREAD OF ARYANS. According to him, ARYANS originated in INDIA ; migrated to different places like SOUTH EAST ASIA , EUROPE and MIDDLE EAST. Thereafter, they returned to INDIA around 1500 BC. It is a different theory with its own pluses and minuses. He rejects any other place of origion of ARYANS. ( HISTORIANS SUGGEST 22 PLACES as the LIKELY PLACES OF ORIGIN OF ARYANS, including INDIA) He does not support this proposition with any SOLID ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE--which is a serious flaw in his 'INDIGENOUS ARYAN' THEORY.

        In this epochal work of amalgmating 'historical truths' with fiction by GIDWANI, the reader is confronted by thousands of fictional characters, who come and go, while the readers go through a journey of 8000 years on the subcontinent and the world around. The story begins with the birth of SINDHUPUTRA around 5068 BC and it rushes through various facets of social life in the ARYAN society. It initiates the tale with the renunciation of worldly life, on attaining the age of sixty, by BHARTA-- the KARTA( CHIEF EXECUTIVE) of a COMMUNITY--- settled along the banks of INDUS River. The post of a KARTA was by UNANIMOUS ELECTION BY THE COMMUNITY. It was not dynastic. All arrangements for his life of a HERMIT are made by his wife who stays back with the family. One day, BHARTA, comes across a newly born child in the INDUS RIVER(SINDHU,) whom he names as SINDHU PUTRA.
        This book explains many heresay stories on the ARYANS with a difference . Starting with" KARTA" of a community to the explanation of the word 'ARYA', he has explained many phenomenon with his own logic. It is very very interesting but not entirely true because it is not based on any archaeological evidence. But to be fair to him, he has based his thesis on ORAL HISTORY of NATIONS and SOCIETIES which come down in the form of FOLKLORES. So, he has discussed GERMAN FOLK SONGS, ARABIC PARABLES, and SOUTH EAST ASIAN STORIES. UKRAIN has been his favorite haunt for INDO PERSIAN SYNTHESIS of ancient ARYAN CULTURE. His story of the NOVEL runs into 944 pages. Of course, it is too much clubbed with minor details of FICTIONAL FAMILIES, which causes disinterest in the serious reader of HISTORY.

        No doubts, this novel is an excellent work based on oral history but it loses its significance due to fictionalization of HISTORY. Gidwani painstakingly takes you through Middle East, EUROPE and UKRAINE for establishing links with the ARYAN JOURNEY over a huge land mass for over 4500 years (from 6000BC to 1500BC) and gives out the account of this excursion through his interpretation of songs in various regions which he says adds to the proof of ARYANS having been there. It is an interesting hypothesis but unsubstantiated by any other evidence.

       The book is published by PENGUIN GROUP. It is 1994 INDIAN edition with me. The book has been published in USA and UK too. The author had also scripted the best selling book, ‘THE SWORD OF TIPU SULTAN”—which was also made into a TV serial in the 90’s. In his introduction to the book, the author has clarified his point as to why he had to resort to fictionalized HISTORY. According to him it is because of various MISSING LINKS in the story which he fills up with his own beliefs. This is where there is a question mark on an otherwise a brilliant effort.

        To be very frank, this book makes a very heavy reading. It is for serious students of HISTORY or the INDOLOGISTS looking to satiate their quest on various unanswered portions of INDOLOGY. Here is a view, which might fascinate some of them. He thinks HARIDWAR was HARI HAR DWARA in old days as was VARNASH the name given to VARANASHI. ‘ARYA’ as a word owes its origion to root “RIYA” which in Sanskrit meant “PEOPLE” or “SUBJECTS OF ARYAN KINGDOM”. This book has many more such tidbits. Read it, you might like to at least enrich your geographical knowledge.

As the author proclaims, his novel traces following facts:-

· The origion of HINDUISM. Its root in SANATHANA DHARMA and the pre ancient root in Sanathana; and how the country came to be known as BHARTA VARSHA;

· The origins of OM, Namaste, Svastika,Gaytari Mantra, The sacred Thread, The Marriage Customs and SOMA wines;

· The establishment of HINDU PARLIAMENT; Guilds; Developments of ships and harbors; Legal Systems; growth of Cities; Yoga; Calender;Mathematics etc.

· Himalayan and the trance Himalayan expeditions by HINDU EXPLORERS to discover the source of GANGA , SINDHU and SARASWATI Rivers ;

· The founding of Sindhu, Ganga , Dravidian and Tribal Civilizations; The rise and fall of VARNASH (BENARAS) and other ancient cities.

 

        It is of significant to note that the author forcefully rejects the THEORY on the 22 places of origion of ARYANS. To him, it is only and only ancient INDIA ALONE. This, somehow does not go down well in one's cerebral tissues. May be he is right but there is no evidence as on date other than loud claims of emotions. The author is currently residing in MONTREAL , CANADA . In the overall analysis, it is a good filler of voids in the INDIAN HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS from ANCIENT TIMES---TILL SOME ONE PRODUCES A CONVINCING ALTERNATIVE FILLER WITH EVIDENCE. History of ancient INDIA is beginning to be undressed of its excessive clothing of JINGOISM of WESTERNISED INTERPRETATIONS.