CM Stalin announces $1 million prize for decoding Indus valley script
The Indus valley script remains an unsolved riddle for over a century, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. M K Stalin said on Sunday and announced a prize of US dollar 1 million to those who decipher it.
Stalin said the Indus Valley Civilisation’s (IVC) discovery announcement by Sir John Marshall in 1924 was a turning point in the history of the Indian subcontinent, which altered the understanding of the country’s past.
“Many were telling before that the Ariyam and Sanskrit were India’s roots; imagination was claimed as history. John Marshall’s studies changed that,” he said inaugurating a 3-day international conference to commemorate the centenary of the announcement of the discovery of the IVC.
“Marshall’s voice that Indus valley civilisation preceded Ariyam and that the language spoke there could have been a Dravidian language has now gained strength,” the chief minister underlined.
It may be recalled that in Tamil Nadu, the word ‘Ariyam’ is understood to loosely refer to the name ‘Aryan,’ which may have a linguistic sense. Some people perceive it as a racial designation as well. In the early 1920’s Marshall was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
In his address, the CM further said that the Indus valley civilisation was fully developed and it only had bulls, which is a ‘Dravidian’ symbol. Beginning with the Indus valley civilisation, the bulls continued through the ages in the Tamil cultural landscape as seen in ancient Tamil literature. It remains so to this day, as evidenced by ‘Alanganallur’ (Popular jallikattu, bull taming sport venue in Madurai) bulls.