Talking about history: ‘Aryans originated from India and nowhere else’

Swiss consul-general Emil Wyss discusses the ancient roots of Aryans, Hinduism in Sindh.

HYDERABAD: Aryans originated from India and nowhere else, contended Swiss consul-general Emil Wyss, challenging the accounts of historians who describe the ancient race as alien to India on Saturday.

Tracing the commonalities in the history of Europe and Asia through the exploits of the Aryans in Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Finland, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and the Baltic states, Wyss was speaking at a lecture at the Sindh University.

The consul-general also spoke about the origins of Hinduism, arguing that its birthplace was actually in Sindh in around 8,000 BC. "It was a man from Sindh who first uttered the mantra 'Om' and devised the salutation 'namaste'," he claimed. "Similarly, the swastika also emerged in this province to spread the message of 'daya, dana and dharma' [mercy, wisdom and religion]." He added that the swastika was adopted in Europe from Aryan migrants and was later made notorious by Nazi Germany.

Praising the wisdom of Sindh's sages, Wyss maintained that the province was a place of spiritual guidance.

"The people of Sindh discovered the routes to the Ganga, Dravidian, Bangla and other regions in 5,000 BC, subsequently bringing these civilisations under the sphere of its spiritual influence," he asserted. "All these regions joined to form the Bharat Varsha."

According to him, a Sindhi man, known as Sindhu Putra, was acknowledged as Mahapati in the Ganga region 7,000 years ago, indicating his spiritual supremacy over Gangapati, the ruler of the region. He added that Sindhu Putra was also called Pariyar, the supreme authority in the Dravidian region, while also being given similar recognition and respect in other adjoining areas.

Wyss urged the people of Sindh to endeavour to bring the province to the same height of civilisation. Apart from offering educational support to the university, he also shared insight into bilateral trade between Switzerland and Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2015.