“All Indians are derived from the same grand grandparents who arrived 70,000 years ago from Africa.”

: A scientific invesestigation which may cause ripples in the socio-cultural life of Tamil Nadu has proved that there is no marked difference between Dravidian tribals and the upper caste population. Dr K. Gopal, a genetic scientist from Salem, has proved that the Dravidian tribal population has close genetic affinity with the Dravidian caste population including Brahmins.

“There are many factors linking the Dravidian castes and tribals. The caste system is an extension of the classification originated within the tribal group,” Dr Gopal said while presenting his findings at a national seminar on biotechnological perspectives in disease diagnosis and therapy organised by Mediclone Academy of Biosciences.

Dr Gopal analysed more than 530 samples and concluded, “There is no genetic difference between these tribals and the upper caste population and nobody can claim any intellectual or physical superiority based on their caste or tribe.”

Dr Gopal told Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines of the seminar, “The caste and tribal classifications which we see today were evolved over a period of time based on socio-political factors. There is no scientific basis to the argument that one is superior to others just because of his/her birth in a particular community.”

Dr Gopal’s research was guided by Dr Kumaraswamy Thangaraj, ace genetic scientist of the Centre for cellular and molecular biology, Hyderabad. The result comes soon after the demolition of the AryanDravidian theory by two teams of international scientists.

A team from the institute of molecular and cell biology, University of Tartu, Estonia, and that from CCMB, Hyderabad, had proved that there is no validity for the Aryan-Dravidian theory.

“Genetic high resolution studies prove that all Indians are derived from the same grand – grandparents who arrived here 70,000 years ago from Africa,” Dr Gyaneshwer Chaubey, of IMCB, had told this newspaper.

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