- IIT Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382055 Gujarat, India
Michel Danino
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Earth Sciences, Faculty Member
- French-born Indian scholar, author and educationist. Has been living in India since 1977: in Auroville, in the Nilgir... moreFrench-born Indian scholar, author and educationist. Has been living in India since 1977: in Auroville, in the Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu), near Coimbatore, and currently at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (Gujarat). Has lectured widely on aspects of Indian civilization in many cultural and educational institutions. Currently visiting professor at IIT Gandhinagar, where he is assisting the Archaeological Sciences Centre (https://asc.iitgn.ac.in/), giving courses on Indian civilization, and coordinating a course on Indian Knowledge Systems (https://iks.iitgn.ac.in/).
Writes in English and French. Has contributed papers to "Man and Environment", "Puratattva", "Dossiers d'archéologie", etc, and over 30 book chapters. His recent books are "L'Inde et l'invasion de nulle part" (Les Belles Lettres, Paris, 2006); "The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvati" (Penguin Books, New Delhi, 2010); "Indian Culture and India's Future" (DK Printworld, New Delhi, 2011); "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", co-edited with Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Textbook for Classes XI (2013) and XII (2015); "Sri Aurobindo and India's Rebirth", as editor (Rupa, New Delhi, 2018); "The Dawn of Indian Civilization and the Elusive Aryans" is (still) under preparation.
Life member of the Indian Archaeological Society (New Delhi), the Indian History and Culture Society (New Delhi), the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies (Pune), and the Indian Society for the History of Mathematics.
Former member, Indian Council of Historical Research and Indian National Commission for History of Science.
Currently a member of: Central Advisory Board on Culture (Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India); National Steering Committee for the development of National Curriculum Frameworks; National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (both under Ministry of Education, Govt. of India); Academic Council of Indic Academy; International Advisory Council, Auroville Foundation; International Advisory Council, Chanakya University.
Michel Danino's YouTube channel has links to some 100 talks and lectures, with more on the way:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtK2rjmZlrnzXsXI2vj3_nwedit
A wide range of factors has been invoked to explain the decline and disappearance of the urban phase of the Indus or Harappan civilization. Earlier theories based on invasions or man-made conflicts have been increasingly discarded; on the... more
A wide range of factors has been invoked to explain the decline and disappearance of the urban phase of the Indus or Harappan civilization. Earlier theories based on invasions or man-made conflicts have been increasingly discarded; on the other hand, there has been growing evidence and acceptance that climatic and environmental factors played a significant role.
While climatic studies from the 1970s to 1990s tended to support the view that a marked trend towards aridity had set in even before the urban or Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BCE), more recent studies have pushed this shift to the end of the third millennium BCE. This is also the time when, in the eastern domain of the Harappan civilization, the Sarasvati dwindled to a minor seasonal river, while floods appear to have been caused by a shifting Indus in the west. Other possible causes include the pressure put on remaining forests by intensive industrial activities. In any case, the archaeological evidence records the abandonment of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s central basin, and a migration of Late Harappan settlements: north-eastward towards the foot of the Shivalik Hills, eastward across the Yamuna, possibly too westward towards the Indus plains and southward towards the Vindhyas.
This paper attempts to correlate archaeological evidence with sedimentological, palynological and other palaeoclimatic studies and suggests a few possible conclusions and lines of further exploration.
While climatic studies from the 1970s to 1990s tended to support the view that a marked trend towards aridity had set in even before the urban or Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BCE), more recent studies have pushed this shift to the end of the third millennium BCE. This is also the time when, in the eastern domain of the Harappan civilization, the Sarasvati dwindled to a minor seasonal river, while floods appear to have been caused by a shifting Indus in the west. Other possible causes include the pressure put on remaining forests by intensive industrial activities. In any case, the archaeological evidence records the abandonment of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s central basin, and a migration of Late Harappan settlements: north-eastward towards the foot of the Shivalik Hills, eastward across the Yamuna, possibly too westward towards the Indus plains and southward towards the Vindhyas.
This paper attempts to correlate archaeological evidence with sedimentological, palynological and other palaeoclimatic studies and suggests a few possible conclusions and lines of further exploration.
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An overview of the tangible and intangible heritage transmitted from Harappan times to India's classical civilization (published in BBC Knowledge)
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Calculation of the master unit used by Harappans to lay out the city of Dholavira (Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat) with multiple enclosures obeying strict proportions.
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A hitherto neglected component of Harappan town‐planning is the systematic use of specific proportions in the dimensions of major structures as well as fortified enclosures. While a few dimensions have been occasionally noted—especially... more
A hitherto neglected component of Harappan town‐planning is the systematic use of specific proportions in the dimensions of major structures as well as fortified enclosures. While a few dimensions have been occasionally noted—especially at Dholavira—many have escaped notice. More importantly, the implications of this non‐utilitarian feature in terms of cognitive archaeology have not been explored. This paper summarizes the evidence and attempts to excavate the Harappan mind so as to make sense of this use of proportions and give it its place in the evolution of Indian architecture.
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A system of linear units had been earlier proposed for Dholavira's elaborate town-planning and the specific proportions for its successive enclosures. This paper discusses objections to the proposed system, and presents fresh evidence on... more
A system of linear units had been earlier proposed for Dholavira's elaborate town-planning and the specific proportions for its successive enclosures. This paper discusses objections to the proposed system, and presents fresh evidence on the accuracy of the published dimensions of Dholavira's fortifications. It then interprets new data about the city's reservoirs in terms of the proposed linear units.
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A summary of the archaeological evidence on metrology in the Harappan civilization
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A summary of the evidence for the use of specific proportions in Harappan town-planning and linear units to apply those proportion on the ground.
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The human-landform interaction in the region of the Ghaggar-Hakra palaeochannel in the northwest Indo-Gangetic plains during the Bronze Age Indus/Harappan civilisation (~4.6-3.9 thousand years before the present, ka BP) remains an... more
The human-landform interaction in the region of the Ghaggar-Hakra palaeochannel in the northwest Indo-Gangetic plains during the Bronze Age Indus/Harappan civilisation (~4.6-3.9 thousand years before the present, ka BP) remains an enigmatic case due to a paucity of evidence regarding the hydrology of the then existing river. Here, we estimated the palaeohydrology of the foothill Markanda River in the sub-Himalayan catchment of the Ghaggar-Hakra (G-H) palaeochannel. Our morphology and chronology results show aggradation of a fan (57.7 ka) during the Late Pleistocene and T-1 to T-5 fluvial terraces (13.1 to 6.0 ka) during the terminal Pleistocene to Holocene, and deposition of palaeoflood sediments (3.9-3.8 ka) over the T-3 terraces during the Late Holocene. Considering the known uplift rates along the Himalayan frontal thrust, and our estimated aggradation rates, we derived channel palaeogeometry and calculated peak discharge at the site of palaeoflood deposits. We conclude that the Markanda River's peak discharge was several orders of magnitude higher during the Late Holocene than the modern-day peak discharge of 100-year return period. The palaeoflood deposits represent larger flooding of the foothill rivers that sustained flows in the downstream reaches of the Ghaggar-Hakra palaeochannel during the Late Harappan civilisation.
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The Sarasvati River, though long lost, has kept ink flowing on the front page of our dailies or in the electronic media, but generally for the wrong reasons: Was it a “mythical” river? Are communal forces behind the assertion that there... more
The Sarasvati River, though long lost, has kept ink flowing on the front page of our dailies or in the electronic media, but generally for the wrong reasons: Was it a “mythical” river? Are communal forces behind the assertion that there was once a mighty river flowing through Haryana, Punjab, northern Rajasthan and on to the Rann of Kachchh? In reality, those issues were well settled way back in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth, the discovery of the Indus or Harappan civilization did not immediately affect the Vedic river’s status, and most archaeologists readily associated the name of “Sarasvati” with the Ghaggar–Hakra bed. The first part of this paper sums up some basic data on the river and explains why, in the 1980s, the river’s accepted identification suddenly became “controversial.”
The second part briefly surveys ten of the most recent scientific investigations in the Ghaggar’s basin and the issues they have tried to address, such as the existence of a mega-river, contributions to it from the Sutlej and the Yamuna, the chronology of the mega-river’s decline and disappearance, the Ghaggar system’s fluvial condition during the Mature Harappan period, and the impact of its decline on the Harappan settlements in its basin. The resulting picture holds some elements of answer, but remains incomplete in view of the complexity of the issues involved: the Holocene’s hydrology, climate, environment have their say, besides local tectonics. Nevertheless, a few of the old theories can now be revised.
The second part briefly surveys ten of the most recent scientific investigations in the Ghaggar’s basin and the issues they have tried to address, such as the existence of a mega-river, contributions to it from the Sutlej and the Yamuna, the chronology of the mega-river’s decline and disappearance, the Ghaggar system’s fluvial condition during the Mature Harappan period, and the impact of its decline on the Harappan settlements in its basin. The resulting picture holds some elements of answer, but remains incomplete in view of the complexity of the issues involved: the Holocene’s hydrology, climate, environment have their say, besides local tectonics. Nevertheless, a few of the old theories can now be revised.
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In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do... more
In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, knowledge and the arts, grew in stature and became one of the fountainheads of India’s classical civilization.
But there is another side to the story, which began in 1855 with the identification of the river’s dry bed, currently named Ghaggar–Hakra. From the 1940s, archaeological explorations initiated by Marc Aurel Stein have unearthed hundreds of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s basin (the Yamuna–Sutlej interfluve). Recent satellite, climatic, geological and river studies have completed the picture, confirming in particular a connection between the disappearance of the Sarasvati in its central basin and the break-up of the Indus–Sarasvati civilization.
But there is another side to the story, which began in 1855 with the identification of the river’s dry bed, currently named Ghaggar–Hakra. From the 1940s, archaeological explorations initiated by Marc Aurel Stein have unearthed hundreds of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s basin (the Yamuna–Sutlej interfluve). Recent satellite, climatic, geological and river studies have completed the picture, confirming in particular a connection between the disappearance of the Sarasvati in its central basin and the break-up of the Indus–Sarasvati civilization.
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An article in Financial Chronicle giving a brief historical background to the rediscovery of the Sarasvati River and an outline of some of the recent research in the field.
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An overview of the issue concerning the Sarasvati River, its identification and disappearance, and recent geological studies.
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A brief discussion of the possible revival of the Sarasvati river, and a comparison with today's Ganges.
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Colonial and racial stereotypes imposed on the Rigveda have led to serious misreadings of this text, many of which stubbornly survive in endlessly recycled secondary sources. This paper revisits the alleged military context of the hymns... more
Colonial and racial stereotypes imposed on the Rigveda have led to serious misreadings of this text, many of which stubbornly survive in endlessly recycled secondary sources. This paper revisits the alleged military context of the hymns by scrutinizing the Rigvedic horse, chariot, spoked wheel and alleged warfare. It highlights faulty or forced interpretations at every step, which wilfully ignore the transparent hints that the Rigvedic hymns never fail to offer us.
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The Indo-European debate has been going on for a century and a half. Initially confined to linguistics, race-based anthropology and comparative mythology, it soon extended to archaeology, especially with the discovery of the Harappan... more
The Indo-European debate has been going on for a century and a half. Initially confined to linguistics, race-based anthropology and comparative mythology, it soon extended to archaeology, especially with the discovery of the Harappan civilization, and peripheral disciplines such as agriculture, archaeometallurgy or archaeoastronomy. The latest entrant in the field, archaeogenetics, is currently all but claiming that it has finally laid to rest the whole issue of a hypothetical migration of Indo-Aryan speakers to the Indian subcontinent in the second millennium BCE. This paper questions the finality of this claim by pointing to inherent limitations, methodological issues and occasional biases in current studies as well as in the interpretation of archaeological evidence.
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While we are often told that the Aryan invasion /migration theory (AI/MT) is no longer a theory but a firmly established fact, making counter views a 'waste of time,' it is surprising that prominent scholars presenting evidence for the... more
While we are often told that the Aryan invasion /migration theory (AI/MT) is no longer a theory but a firmly established fact, making counter views a 'waste of time,' it is surprising that prominent scholars presenting evidence for the theory have so often had recourse to unethical scholarship. This paper presents cases involving (1) invention of nonexistent texts; (2) deliberate mistranslation of texts; (3) distortion of archaeological evidence; (4) invention of nonexistent archaeological evidence; (5) basic methodological flaws such as circular reasoning; (6) recycling long-discarded theories, such as racial ones; (7) misquoting, blanking out or demonization of scholars opposing the Aryan paradigm. This collection highlights how 'eminent' historians and linguists, apart from miscellaneous other writers, have indulged in such scholarly malpractices, some of which qualify as fabrication.
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A review and discussion of the archaeological and genetic evidence for an Aryan migration into the Indian subcontinent in the 2nd millennium BCE.
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The presence or absence of the horse in the Indus-Sarasvati civilization has long been a matter of debate, especially in the context of the Aryan invasion theory. The argument is familiar: the Rig-Veda uses the word ashva over 200 times,... more
The presence or absence of the horse in the Indus-Sarasvati civilization has long been a matter of debate, especially in the context of the Aryan invasion theory. The argument is familiar: the Rig-Veda uses the word ashva over 200 times, ergo the Vedic society must have been full of horses, ergo the Harappan civilization, from which the noble animal is conspicuously absent, must be pre-Vedic and non-Aryan. The horse must therefore have been brought into India around 1500 BCE by the invading Aryans, who used its speed to crushing advantage in order to subdue the native, ox-driven populations. However, on closer scrutiny, there are serious flaws at every step of the argument — and indeed several concealed steps. This paper first examines the physical evidence of the horse from various Harappan sites, both in terms of skeletal remains and depictions, before turning to problems of methodology that have compounded the confusion, in particular the double-edged use of negative evidence, and the persisting colonial misreadings of the Rig-Veda.
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A popular article in BBC Knowledge on the Aryan theory
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In India the race discourse was distorted in the nineteenth century by pseudo-scientific anthropological classifications of Indian populations. Long lists of fictitious races filled academic publications -- and sometimes continue to be... more
In India the race discourse was distorted in the nineteenth century by pseudo-scientific anthropological classifications of Indian populations. Long lists of fictitious races filled academic publications -- and sometimes continue to be taught today, even though the race concept collapsed long ago. In the last two decades, population genetics has emerged as a powerful tool of inquiry into prehistoric migrations, and several studies conducted by multinational teams have cast a fresh look at India’s huge genetic diversity. Most have concluded that genetic connections between North India and Europe are much more ancient than the proposed dates for the Aryan invasion / migration, and failed to note a major addition to India’s gene pool in the second millennium BCE. Other important conclusions, such as a genetic continuum between Indian castes and tribes, are bound to radically alter our understanding of Indian populations. This paper presents a summary of recent findings in the field.
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A brief essay (published 2005) on issues connected with the search for the homeland of Indo-European languages and other aspects of the Aryan migration theory.
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The recent find of a stone axe in Sembiyan-Kandiyur bearing signs that look like Indus signs has brought fresh attention to the question of a relationship between Harappan and Tamil cultures and languages, and in particular to the theory... more
The recent find of a stone axe in Sembiyan-Kandiyur bearing signs that look like Indus signs has brought fresh attention to the question of a relationship between Harappan and Tamil cultures and languages, and in particular to the theory that the Harappan language might have been proto-Dravidian. However, the issue often tends to be oversimplified owing to faulty methodology. For instance, in view of Harappan contacts with Dilmun, Mesopotamia or Margiana, exchanges with South India are quite likely and have long been suspected; this could explain a few instances of Harappan script in the South — the presence of the script tells us nothing about its authorship. Also, if some communities did adopt a Harappan-like script, they may have used it to write their own language, not the Harappan language — script and language are distinct issues. Further, the absence of any Harappan artefacts and features south of the Vindhyas as well as recent findings on the Central Indian origin of Brahui,...
A rejoinder to RS Sharma's misrepresentations and misquotations regarding the Aryan issue.
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A summary of the archaeological evidence (or lack of it) for Aryan migrations into the Indian subcontinent. (An article in French in Dossiers d'Archaéologie.)
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This paper, the first draft of a work in progress, attempts till the close of the 19th century to collate in chronological order what several disciplines — archaeology, epigraphy and history in particular — have contributed to our... more
This paper, the first draft of a work in progress, attempts till the close of the 19th century to collate in chronological order what several disciplines — archaeology, epigraphy and history in particular — have contributed to our knowledge of the ancient city of Ayodhya, allowing important stages and events to unfold before our eyes. It sets a proper background to the Ram Janmabhumi – Babri Masjid controversy.
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A discussion of the majority-minority binary in India in relation to secularism.
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The logical consequences of a recent petition in India's Supreme Court for a "secular" solution to the Ayodhya dispute.
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A survey of some new findings on the origins of Indian civilization (Fifth Pupul Jayakar Memorial Lecture, held on World Heritage Day on 18th April, 2013)
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Article in The New Indian Express on the background to Indian history
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A brief review of problems inherent to Indian history, especially as regards current dominant models, their factual and theoretical distortions.
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A brief history of history textbooks in India in recent decades
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The article analyzes the reasons for the neglect of India's knowledge traditions (especially as regards ancient science and technologies) and argues that the proliferation of exaggerated claims and misinterpretations is partly due to a... more
The article analyzes the reasons for the neglect of India's knowledge traditions (especially as regards ancient science and technologies) and argues that the proliferation of exaggerated claims and misinterpretations is partly due to a void created by the denial of such traditions by mainstream scholars, historians included.
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A response to an article by Meera Nanda claiming Chinese origins for the Pythagoras theorem and the decimal place-value system of numeral notation.
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First Dr. Govind Chandra Pande Memorial Lecture. India’s past scientific and technological advances have been well documented, even if mainstream history of science is yet to take full notice of it. What is generally overlooked, however,... more
First Dr. Govind Chandra Pande Memorial Lecture. India’s past scientific and technological advances have been well documented, even if mainstream history of science is yet to take full notice of it. What is generally overlooked, however, is the cultural framework within which those advances took place. Because Indian savants were steeped in specific cultural concepts involving a quest for infinity, the equivalence of microcosm and macrocosm, and a certain cosmic order, we find these concepts reflected in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine and architecture, and giving Indian developments in these disciplines a specific stamp.
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Numerous systems of units were developed in India for lengths, angles, areas, volumes, time or weights. They exhibit common features and a continuity sometimes running from Harappa to Bhaskaracharya, but also an evolution in time and... more
Numerous systems of units were developed in India for lengths, angles, areas, volumes, time or weights. They exhibit common features and a continuity sometimes running from Harappa to Bhaskaracharya, but also an evolution in time and considerable regional variations. This paper presents an overview of some issues in Indian metrology, especially with regard to units of length and weight, some of which are traceable all the way to the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. It discusses, among others, the angula and its multiple variations, and the value of yojana and its impact on calculations for the circumference of the Earth.
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Espérant pouvoir observer le transit de Vénus en 1761, l’astronome français Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière, mieux connu sous le nom de Le Gentil, s’embarque pour l’île Maurice puis, de là, pour... more
Espérant pouvoir observer le transit de Vénus en 1761, l’astronome français Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière, mieux connu sous le nom de Le Gentil, s’embarque pour l’île Maurice puis, de là, pour Pondichéry. Bloqué en pleine mer, il ne peut se livrer à des observations satisfaisantes, et décide de demeurer dans ces contrées jusqu’au prochain transit, huit ans plus tard. Il débarque à Pondichéry en 1768, mais un temps soudain nuageux réduira ses préparatifs à néant. Brisé, il entreprendra un retour difficile en France. En
fin de compte, ce sont ses observations aiguisées et remarquablement impartiales sur la culture locale et sur l’astronomie indienne qui se sont avérées précieuses, ces dernières étant à l’origine d’une longue controverse quant à la précision et l’antiquité de la tradition astronomique de l’Inde.
fin de compte, ce sont ses observations aiguisées et remarquablement impartiales sur la culture locale et sur l’astronomie indienne qui se sont avérées précieuses, ces dernières étant à l’origine d’une longue controverse quant à la précision et l’antiquité de la tradition astronomique de l’Inde.
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Sri Aurobindo’s faith in a resurgent India was sown during his student days in England and grew in width and depth with his revolutionary action in Bengal. Till his passing it never wavered, even as he remained conscious of the stumbling... more
Sri Aurobindo’s faith in a resurgent India was sown during his student days in England and grew in width and depth with his revolutionary action in Bengal. Till his passing it never wavered, even as he remained conscious of the stumbling blocks and pitfalls on the long road to rebirth.
In countless speeches, articles, talks and writings, Sri Aurobindo laid out a clear vision for India to “rejuvenate the mighty outworn body of the ancient Mother.” This involved profound changes in India’s physical, vital and intellectual life and in her central will. It also meant a frank dealing with issues of polity, education, communal and international relations, and the very nature of the Indian nation.
Sri Aurobindo’s vision is fundamentally spiritual, yet practical and realistic, taking into account as it does the country’s actual conditions. In his view, India’s resurgence is not only an absolute necessity for her very survival, but also a requirement for the world’s evolution.
In countless speeches, articles, talks and writings, Sri Aurobindo laid out a clear vision for India to “rejuvenate the mighty outworn body of the ancient Mother.” This involved profound changes in India’s physical, vital and intellectual life and in her central will. It also meant a frank dealing with issues of polity, education, communal and international relations, and the very nature of the Indian nation.
Sri Aurobindo’s vision is fundamentally spiritual, yet practical and realistic, taking into account as it does the country’s actual conditions. In his view, India’s resurgence is not only an absolute necessity for her very survival, but also a requirement for the world’s evolution.
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Thoughts on India's cultural unity underlying her diversity.
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This combination of a few published articles (in revised form here) takes a hard look at the Indian concept of secularism, its inherent contradictions and the intellectual hypocrisy that goes with it.
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The concluding part of a 12-article series in The New Indian Express, summing up the cultural specificities that together help define Indian civilization.
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A rebuttal of the popular notion that knowledge in ancient India was the preserve of the social elite, i.e. the upper castes.
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Offers insights into the organicity of some institutions of ancient India, whose impact can still be seen today, especially in the economic sector.
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How Indian civilization has ceaselessly created knowledge in a mind-boggling range of fields.
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How Indian civilization does not stop at dharma, however broad this concept may be, but reaches beyond all dharmas and beyond the mind for the true consciousness.
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How the elastic concept of dharma has generated many specifically Indian systems of ethics.
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This sixth article in a series for The New Indian Express conveys India's philosophy of simple living, a much-needed antidote to our reckless race for consumption and wastage.
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A discussion of how ancient India tried to harmonize the collective's demands and pressures and the individual's aspiration, by encouraging a multiplicity of paths and schools within an overarching concept of Dharma.
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Fourth article in a series in The New Indian Express on the master ideas of Indian civilization.
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An insight into the concept of consciousness in Indic traditions and some of its applicability.
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Second article in a series on the master ideas of Indian civilization (published in The New Indian Express).
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First article in a series on the master ideas of Indian civilization (published in The New Indian Express).
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Discusses the misconceived notions of majority and minority in the Indian context.
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Discusses what the application of a blinkered vision of secularism to the educational field has meant in practice.
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This article discusses whether some of India's best-known freedom fighters were "secular" by current definitions.
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A scrutiny of the concept of secularism in India
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An article summarizing the challenge of defining Hinduism
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A personal journey to the meaning of Indianness
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Random thoughts on the Indian tradition of debate and how it seems to have been lost in today's public discourse.
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A critical look at some prejudices against Indian culture voiced rather unthinkingly in our public spaces.
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An introduction to India's traditional knowledge systems
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Article in The New Indian Express on some of India's cultural foundations
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A look at the concept of marginality in ancient India with reference to Indian tribes
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A brief survey of the impact that the discovery of Indian literature, philosophy and spirituality had on French thought and literary movements from the 18th to the 20th century.
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Rebuts the notion that knowledge in ancient India was reserved for "elites".
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Executive Summary for a 2005 survey of over 11,000 students from all over India and across diverse types of schools and mediums, which provides first-hand feedback from the students as regards the cultural and value content of the... more
Executive Summary for a 2005 survey of over 11,000 students from all over India and across diverse types of schools and mediums, which provides first-hand feedback from the students as regards the cultural and value content of the curriculum (Standards 9-12) and other aspects of the educational system. The students’ voice came out clearly in favour of: (1) integrating Indian culture in the curriculum; (2) reducing the syllabus; (3) evolving a less mechanical, more stimulating and practical-oriented pedagogy; (4) improving the quality of the teacher; (5) reducing the book load as well as examinations. In other words, the Survey has not merely brought out the students’ widespread dissatisfaction with the education they receive, but has resulted in positive and valuable suggestions, which could help formulate a better, more fulfilling educational system.
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Few attempts, if any, to reform in India’s school system have involved the students themselves. This 2005 survey of over 11,000 students from all over India and across diverse types of schools and mediums, provides first-hand feedback... more
Few attempts, if any, to reform in India’s school system have involved the students themselves. This 2005 survey of over 11,000 students from all over India and across diverse types of schools and mediums, provides first-hand feedback from the students as regards the cultural and value content of the curriculum (Standards 9-12) and other aspects of the educational system. The students’ voice came out clearly in favour of: (1) integrating Indian culture in the curriculum; (2) reducing the syllabus; (3) evolving a less mechanical, more stimulating and practical-oriented pedagogy; (4) improving the quality of the teacher; (5) reducing the book load as well as examinations. In other words, the Survey has not merely brought out the students’ widespread dissatisfaction with the education they receive, but has resulted in positive and valuable suggestions, which could help formulate a better, more fulfilling educational system.
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A summary of the chief findings in IFIH's NCERT-sponsored project on Cultural Content in School Education
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Chief findings from an NCERT-sponsored survey of over 11,000 students from all over India as regards the cultural and value content of the curriculum (Standards 9-12) and other aspects of the educational system.
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What ails the teaching of history in India and thoughts for a new teaching method and content.
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Reflections on the Indian educational system
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A quick survey of problems with textbooks used in Indian schools
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A critical look at a history textbook for Tamil Nadu schools
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A brief overview of India's traditional attitudes to nature and nature conservation, and some of the important practices in the field.
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A look at India's concept of sacred ecology and some of the ensuring debates.
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A study in contrast between the attitudes to Nature in Indian and Western traditions and thought systems
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An overview of the Shola evergreen forests of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, their ecosystem and contribution to the environment
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A report of activities of Longwood Shola Watchdog Committee, Kotagiri, Nilgiris, as a summary of its efforts in forest conservation and management and a pioneering experiment in Joint Forest Management.
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A description of Longwood Shola, Kotagiri, Nilgiris, and the forest conservation problems experienced there
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Vol 2 of a textbook for a CBSE course for classes XI and XII. "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 2, for Class XII, CBSE, New Delhi, 2015
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Vol 1 of a textbook for CBSE's course on Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India for classes XI & XII. Co-edited with Prof. Kapil Kapoor, CBSE, New Delhi, 2013
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A module for the CBSE course "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", published in a textbook by the same name, Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 2, for Class XII, CBSE, New Delhi, 2015
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A module for the CBSE course "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", published in a textbook by the same name, Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 1, for Class XI, CBSE, New Delhi, 2013
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A module for the CBSE course "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", published in a textbook by the same name, Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 1, for Class XI, CBSE, New Delhi, 2013
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A module for the CBSE course "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", published in the textbook by the same name, Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 1, for Class XI, CBSE, New Delhi, 2013
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A module for the CBSE course "Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India", published in the textbook by the same name, Kapil Kapoor and Michel Danino, (eds), Vol. 1, for Class XI, CBSE, New Delhi, 2013
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A Note on CBSE's Elective Course for Classes XI and XII, "Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India"
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India’s past scientific and technological advances have been well documented, yet mainstream history of science is yet to take full notice of them. Besides, India’s scientific community remains largely unaware of India’s contributions to... more
India’s past scientific and technological advances have been well documented, yet mainstream history of science is yet to take full notice of them. Besides, India’s scientific community remains largely unaware of India’s contributions to the field, rightly distrustful of exaggerated claims, but doing little to promote genuine research in Indian history of science. Using the best scholarship available in the field, this educational module offers an overview of scientific achievements in India from earliest times to the seventeenth century, with a focus on mathematics, astronomy and chemistry. It will also highlight some specific aspects of Indian scientific developments and their interaction with other cultures.
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Ancient India developed great skills in a number of technologies, transforming stone, extracting metals, planning and constructing cities and developing sophisticated water structures. Together with those, gem and textile technologies... more
Ancient India developed great skills in a number of technologies, transforming stone, extracting metals, planning and constructing cities and developing sophisticated water structures. Together with those, gem and textile technologies ensured a flourishing economy for many centuries. While some of those traditional technologies have survived (through craft traditions, for instance), others — especially dealing with agriculture and irrigation — are being rediscovered. This lecture presents an overview of past achievements, based on recent research.
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An educational module giving an overview of the Aryan issue in the Indian context
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In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do... more
In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, knowledge and the arts, grew in stature and became one of the fountainheads of India’s classical civilization. This presentation traces the riddle of the Sarasvati’s disappearance and the story of its rediscovery, beginning in the first half of the 19th century and involving numerous surveyors, topographers, geographers, Indologists and geologists. The result of these researches will be the identification of the now seasonal Ghaggar–Hakra (in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Cholistan) as the relic of the Vedic river. In the 1940s, when archaeological explorations unearthed hundreds of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s basin (the Yamuna–Sutlej interfluve). Recent satellite, climatic, geological and river studies have completed the picture, confirming in particular a connection between the disappearance of the Sarasvati in its central basin and the break-up of the Indus–Sarasvati civilization, with important implications on the dating of the Vedic era.
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A brief overview of Prof. B.B. Lal's accomplishments and legacy.
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A personal comment on recent write-ups concerning Auroville, the Sri Aurobindo Society, and the Indian Government's takeover of Auroville lands from the SAS.
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by Michel Danin
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Dholavira, a major site of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Kachchh district of Gujarat, was discovered in the 1960s by Jagat Pati Joshi and excavated in the 1990s under the direction of R. S. Bisht. It is characterized by monumental... more
Dholavira, a major site of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Kachchh district of Gujarat, was discovered in the 1960s by Jagat Pati Joshi and excavated in the 1990s under the direction of R. S. Bisht. It is characterized by monumental architecture, massive fortifications, the use of dressed stones, elaborate water management — and meticulous town-planning of a unique kind. A look at its map (Fig. 1) reveals a distinct geometry involving multiple enclosures (“citadel,” middle and lower towns) laid out in what appears to be specific proportions.
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Synergies Inde n° 7-2016 POLITIQUE EDITORIALE Synergies Inde est une revue francophone de recherche en sciences humaines et sociales particulièrement ouverte aux travaux de sciences du langage et de la communication, de linguistique, de... more
Synergies Inde n° 7-2016 POLITIQUE EDITORIALE Synergies Inde est une revue francophone de recherche en sciences humaines et sociales particulièrement ouverte aux travaux de sciences du langage et de la communication, de linguistique, de littérature, de traduction littéraire et d'anthropologie. Sa vocation est de mettre en oeuvre, en Inde, le Programme Mondial de Diffusion Scientifique Francophone en Réseau du GERFLINT, Groupe d'Études et de Recherches pour le Français Langue Internationale. C'est pourquoi elle publie des articles dans cette langue, mais sans exclusive linguistique et accueille, de façon majoritaire, les travaux issus de la pensée scientifique des chercheurs francophones de l'Inde dont le français n'est pas la langue première. Comme toutes les revues du GERFLINT, elle poursuit les objectifs suivants: défense de la recherche scientifique francophone dans l'ensemble des sciences humaines, promotion du dialogue entre les disciplines, les langues ...
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by Michel Danin
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by Michel Danin
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An academic directory and search engine.
Contribution to the History of the Wheeled Vehicle in India. By Jean Deloche. Collection Indologie, vol. 126. Pondicherry: institut Français de Pondichéry and École Française d’Extrême-orient, 2014. Pp. xiii + 145; 31 figures; 36... more
Contribution to the History of the Wheeled Vehicle in India. By Jean Deloche. Collection Indologie, vol. 126. Pondicherry: institut Français de Pondichéry and École Française d’Extrême-orient, 2014. Pp. xiii + 145; 31 figures; 36 plates.
Synergies Inde n° 7-2016 POLITIQUE EDITORIALE Synergies Inde est une revue francophone de recherche en sciences humaines et sociales particulièrement ouverte aux travaux de sciences du langage et de la communication, de linguistique, de... more
Synergies Inde n° 7-2016 POLITIQUE EDITORIALE Synergies Inde est une revue francophone de recherche en sciences humaines et sociales particulièrement ouverte aux travaux de sciences du langage et de la communication, de linguistique, de littérature, de traduction littéraire et d'anthropologie. Sa vocation est de mettre en oeuvre, en Inde, le Programme Mondial de Diffusion Scientifique Francophone en Réseau du GERFLINT, Groupe d'Études et de Recherches pour le Français Langue Internationale. C'est pourquoi elle publie des articles dans cette langue, mais sans exclusive linguistique et accueille, de façon majoritaire, les travaux issus de la pensée scientifique des chercheurs francophones de l'Inde dont le français n'est pas la langue première. Comme toutes les revues du GERFLINT, elle poursuit les objectifs suivants: défense de la recherche scientifique francophone dans l'ensemble des sciences humaines, promotion du dialogue entre les disciplines, les langues ...
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Sri Aurobindo’s faith in a resurgent India was sown during his student days in England and grew in width and depth with his revolutionary action in Bengal. Till his passing it never wavered, even as he remained conscious of the stumbling... more
Sri Aurobindo’s faith in a resurgent India was sown during his student days in England and grew in width and depth with his revolutionary action in Bengal. Till his passing it never wavered, even as he remained conscious of the stumbling blocks and pitfalls on the long road to rebirth. In countless speeches, articles, talks and writings, Sri Aurobindo laid out a clear vision for India to “rejuvenate the mighty outworn body of the ancient Mother.” This involved profound changes in India’s physical, vital and intellectual life and in her central will. It also meant a frank dealing with issues of polity, education, communal and international relations, and the very nature of the Indian nation. Sri Aurobindo’s vision is fundamentally spiritual, yet practical and realistic, taking into account as it does the country’s actual conditions. In his view, India’s resurgence is not only an absolute necessity for her very survival, but also a requirement for the world’s evolution.
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A hitherto neglected component of Harappan town‐planning is the systematic use of specific proportions in the dimensions of major structures as well as fortified enclosures. While a few dimensions have been occasionally noted—especially... more
A hitherto neglected component of Harappan town‐planning is the systematic use of specific proportions in the dimensions of major structures as well as fortified enclosures. While a few dimensions have been occasionally noted—especially at Dholavira—many have escaped notice. More importantly, the implications of this non‐utilitarian feature in terms of cognitive archaeology have not been explored. This paper summarizes the evidence and attempts to excavate the Harappan mind so as to make sense of this use of proportions and give it its place in the evolution of Indian architecture.
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In India the race discourse was distorted in the nineteenth century by pseudo-scientific anthropological classifications of Indian populations. Long lists of fictitious races filled academic publications -- and sometimes continue to be... more
In India the race discourse was distorted in the nineteenth century by pseudo-scientific anthropological classifications of Indian populations. Long lists of fictitious races filled academic publications -- and sometimes continue to be taught today, even though the race concept collapsed long ago. In the last two decades, population genetics has emerged as a powerful tool of inquiry into prehistoric migrations, and several studies conducted by multinational teams have cast a fresh look at India’s huge genetic diversity. Most have concluded that genetic connections between North India and Europe are much more ancient than the proposed dates for the Aryan invasion / migration, and failed to note a major addition to India’s gene pool in the second millennium BCE. Other important conclusions, such as a genetic continuum between Indian castes and tribes, are bound to radically alter our understanding of Indian populations. This paper presents a summary of recent findings in the field.
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The Sarasvati River, though long lost, has kept ink flowing on the front page of our dailies or in the electronic media, but generally for the wrong reasons: Was it a “mythical” river? Are communal forces behind the assertion that there... more
The Sarasvati River, though long lost, has kept ink flowing on the front page of our dailies or in the electronic media, but generally for the wrong reasons: Was it a “mythical” river? Are communal forces behind the assertion that there was once a mighty river flowing through Haryana, Punjab, northern Rajasthan and on to the Rann of Kachchh? In reality, those issues were well settled way back in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth, the discovery of the Indus or Harappan civilization did not immediately affect the Vedic river’s status, and most archaeologists readily associated the name of “Sarasvati” with the Ghaggar–Hakra bed. The first part of this paper sums up some basic data on the river and explains why, in the 1980s, the river’s accepted identification suddenly became “controversial.” The second part briefly surveys ten of the most recent scientific investigations in the Ghaggar’s basin and the issues they have tried to address, such as the existence of a mega-river, contributions to it from the Sutlej and the Yamuna, the chronology of the mega-river’s decline and disappearance, the Ghaggar system’s fluvial condition during the Mature Harappan period, and the impact of its decline on the Harappan settlements in its basin. The resulting picture holds some elements of answer, but remains incomplete in view of the complexity of the issues involved: the Holocene’s hydrology, climate, environment have their say, besides local tectonics. Nevertheless, a few of the old theories can now be revised.
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In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do... more
In the Rig-Veda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river—a “mighty” river “flowing from the mountain to the sea”, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, knowledge and the arts, grew in stature and became one of the fountainheads of India’s classical civilization. But there is another side to the story, which began in 1855 with the identification of the river’s dry bed, currently named Ghaggar–Hakra. From the 1940s, archaeological explorations initiated by Marc Aurel Stein have unearthed hundreds of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s basin (the Yamuna–Sutlej interfluve). Recent satellite, climatic, geological and river studies have completed the picture, confirming in particular a connection between the disappearance of the Sarasvati in its central basin and the break-up of the Indus–Sarasvati civilization.
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Numerous systems of units were developed in India for lengths, angles, areas, volumes, time or weights. They exhibit common features and a continuity sometimes running from Harappa to Bhaskaracharya, but also an evolution in time and... more
Numerous systems of units were developed in India for lengths, angles, areas, volumes, time or weights. They exhibit common features and a continuity sometimes running from Harappa to Bhaskaracharya, but also an evolution in time and considerable regional variations. This paper presents an overview of some issues in Indian metrology, especially with regard to units of length and weight, some of which are traceable all the way to the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. It discusses, among others, the aôgula and its multiple variations, and the value of yojana and its impact on calculations for the circumference of the Earth.
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A brief history of history textbooks in India in recent decades
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Reflections on the Indian educational system
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A wide range of factors has been invoked to explain the decline and disappearance of the urban phase of the Indus or Harappan civilization. Earlier theories based on invasions or man-made conflicts have been increasingly discarded; on the... more
A wide range of factors has been invoked to explain the decline and disappearance of the urban phase of the Indus or Harappan civilization. Earlier theories based on invasions or man-made conflicts have been increasingly discarded; on the other hand, there has been growing evidence and acceptance that climatic and environmental factors played a significant role. While climatic studies from the 1970s to 1990s tended to support the view that a marked trend towards aridity had set in even before the urban or Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BCE), more recent studies have pushed this shift to the end of the third millennium BCE. This is also the time when, in the eastern domain of the Harappan civilization, the Sarasvati dwindled to a minor seasonal river, while floods appear to have been caused by a shifting Indus in the west. Other possible causes include the pressure put on remaining forests by intensive industrial activities. In any case, the archaeological evidence records the abandonment of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s central basin, and a migration of Late Harappan settlements: north-eastward towards the foot of the Shivalik Hills, eastward across the Yamuna, possibly too westward towards the Indus plains and southward towards the Vindhyas. This paper attempts to correlate archaeological evidence with sedimentological, palynological and other palaeoclimatic studies and suggests a few possible conclusions and lines of further exploration.
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Linguists in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries noted deep similarities between Sanskrit, Persian, and most European languages. Assuming these were homologous f eatures—similarities due to a common origin—these scholars created... more
Linguists in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries noted deep similarities between Sanskrit, Persian, and most European languages. Assuming these were homologous f eatures—similarities due to a common origin—these scholars created the Indo‐European language family. Antiquarians of the day began systematically tracing the similarities of l anguages and inferring movements of culture and people. Through this undertaking, they created a paradigm for understanding South Asian protohistory that is maintained in mainstream scholarly circles to this day. The Indo‐Aryan invasion was imagined to have involved hordes of Sanskritic‐language speakers entering the subcontinent in horse‐drawn carts, through the mountain passes of Afghanistan around 1500 bce. Much has been written about how these Aryan invaders overcame autochthonous populations and replaced local traditions with proto‐Vedic cultural and social systems, and how their culture gradually spread to the Ganges Plain and across n...
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It is now widely accepted that climatic and environmental factors played a significant part in the decline of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. While climatic studies from the 1970s to 1990s tended to support the view that a marked trend... more
It is now widely accepted that climatic and environmental factors played a significant part in the decline of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. While climatic studies from the 1970s to 1990s tended to support the view that a marked trend towards aridity had set in even before the civilization’s urban or Mature phase, more recent studies have pushed this shift to the end of the second millennium BCE, which coincides with the end of the Mature phase (2600-1900 BCE). This is also the time when, in the east, the Sarasvati dwindled to a minor seasonal river, while floods appear to have been caused by a shifting Indus in the west. Other possible causes include the pressure put on remaining forests by intensive industrial activities. In any case, the archaeological evidence records the abandonment of hundreds of Harappan sites in the Sarasvati’s basin (which includes today’s Cholistan), and an eastward movement of Late Harappan settlements.
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In the Ṛgveda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did, Sarasvati, the goddess of... more
In the Ṛgveda, the Sarasvati is both a goddess and a river, and the only one to be deified in the Vedic hymns. Yet it disappeared in the post-Vedic era—the only major river to do so in northwest India. As it did, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, knowledge and the arts, grew in stature and became one of the fountainheads of India’s classical civilization. Where was this river flowing and how did it come to occupy such a place in Indian culture?
Page 1. New Insights into Harappan Town-Planning, Proportions and Units, with Special Reference to Dholavira* Michel Danino 80 Swarnambika Layout, Ramnagar Coimbatore 641 009 Tamil Nadu Email: michel_danino@yahoo.com ...
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A summary of the archaeological evidence (or lack of it) for Aryan migrations into the Indian subcontinent. (An article in French in Dossiers d'Archaéologie.)