I was flipping through the pages of Adolf Hitler's famous book Mein Kampf, when a particular chapter titled "Race and People" took me by interest. As I began to read the chapter, I couldn't help but admire Hitler's knowledge about Evolution as he described the way nature forbids the mating of two individuals from two different species. I was just beginning to wonder if the Dictator had secretly studied Zoology during the years that he had spent in Prison, when another statement of his caught my attention: "If nature does not wish that stronger animals should mate with the weaker, she wishes even less that a superior race should intermingle with an inferior one." It became clear to me in an instant that Hitler was no fan of Charles Darwin, for all human beings, irrespective of their race, belong to the same species and can therefore intermingle and produce fertile offsprings.
He also claims in his book that the 'Aryan' race which has spread over Europe and America is the most superior race and that the culture adopted by the Asians show very little traits of "Asiatic inspiration" since it was borrowed from the Aryans. He goes on to write that our scientific achievements are built on the foundations provided by Europe and America. He praises their "lighter tint of the skin" and asserts that "Every manifestation of human culture...art, science and technical skill...is almost exclusively the product of the Aryan creative power."
Poor Hitler has limited his ignorance not just to Zoology, but to History as well!
When the Harappa and the Mohenjodaro civilizations grew vigorously in India in 2800 B.C. and the Chinese civilization flourished in Central Asia at around the same time, what was Europe? A continent in wilderness. And the inhabitants constituting Hitler's "Superior race" must have been mere food gatherers.
In his enthusiasm to portray the superiority of the Aryans, Hitler forgets to question their origin. For had he done so, he would have have found out that the Aryans hailed from Asia and that "Little Europe sticking on to the Great Asian Continent" (as Jawaharlal Nehru puts it) was civilized by the Aryans, the Arabs and the Mongols from Asia.
Asia has produced great thinkers and philosophers like Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna and Mohammed the Prophet. They were the architects of religions that even the Europeans and the Americans follow today.
Though I have already brought to your notice that the Aryans were originally Asians, yet (for the sake of analysis) let us continue to assume that they were a superior race. To study about their confrontations with a 'so-called' inferior race, let us dig into the rich History of our own Motherland.
When the Aryans came to India around 2000 B.C., they were welcomed by a civilized group of people called the Dravidians who occupied South India. They even had their own languages: Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kanarese (modern day Kannada). The Aryans settled down in the Northern part of India and the two settlements existed peacefully.
The political affairs in the Dravidian dominated South India amazed the Greek Historian- Megasthenes. In his own words : "...the popular assemblies of the south restrained the power of the Kings." On the other hand, in Europe, the Royal Class oppressed the peasants by means of cruel taxation.
South India also boasted of its ship-building industries. Giant ships, manned by Dravidians, carried pearls, ivory, gold - and for some strange reason- even monkeys to Greece and Rome. The state of Kerala exported Teak wood from the Malabar Coast. Thus, it was no great surprise to discover Roman coins in South India. But what did surprise many Historians was that South India had established her colonies even in Alexandria! She soon found a sea route to Sri Lanka; and the Kings of the Pallava Dynasty that thrived here colonized islands like Java, Sumatra, Indonesia -and for a short span of time- even the Philippines. The Indian immigrants are said to have exploited the original inhabitants of these islands and ruled over them for many years. Thus, it was apparent that the 'South' overshadowed the 'North' of our country many times in Indian History.
In what way then, was the Dravidian race inferior to Hitler's Aryans? And in what way did Early Europe match the grandeur and majesty of the Indian Kingdoms?
Sadly, even today, Indians -and in general- Asians are believed to constitute an inferior race and they become victims of racial attacks all over the world.
Why should we tolerate these outrageous acts when our ancestors have left behind a rich History that we all need to be proud of?
After all, there was a time when we were lordly too.
And History repeats itself...
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