IIT Kharagpur calendar refuting Aryan invasion seeing high demand

The new year calendar produced by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, that over the last few days had drawn unusual attention over social media, and offers a ‘rebuttal to the Aryan invasion’, is witnessing quick sale, with around 1,000 prints ordered in a day’s time, it’s being claimed.

The IIT Kharagpur’s centre that co-produced the calendar, claims that requests are pouring in not only from ministries and institutions from across India but also from students, scholars and experts from across the globe. A desktop version of the calendar was offered on Amazon on January 2, and is priced at Rs 300. A wall calendar is also expected soon.

Besides talking about Vedas, reinterpreting Indus Valley civilisation, what’s arousing people’s interest is the ‘rebuttal to the Aryan invasion’, with pieces of evidence. While a section of academicians had expressed reservations, and the attempt was seen as one towards “saffronisation” of education, the IIT’s centre has stood by the research it has carried out, the calendar being just one expression of the same.

Read | Who invaded India? 'Not Aryans', says an IIT calendar

The product description section of the calendar on the online sales platform, while explaining the sources it draws from while arriving at a conclusion, states, “The Calendar being the tip of the iceberg therefore disapproves the Aryan Invasion error backed by skewed migration dates and figures, determined by racial superiority, and further driven by apartheid, and colonialism in the name of genetics!”

“Students, scholars, experts, around the world, are interested because it has attacked colonial orthodoxy for the last 150 years. Around 1,000 prints have already been ordered in one day. Our official distributors are offering it on the platform. The money collected will go to funds for needy students,” Professor Joy Sen, chairperson, Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge Systems (CEIKS) (co-producer of the calendar), IIT Kharagpur, told DH.

Sen said that while initial estimates suggested that 4,000-5,000 prints could be ordered. Companies and institutions are ordering in bulk. “They (foreign theorists) are trying to prove, yet again, using genetics research. Thousands of people of different racial origins have come and gone out (from India). That has no relation with being an arya,” he said, adding that sales could cross 10,000 prints, given the fact that there is a huge response from government departments from across the country.

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