Kamal Haasan, a famous South Indian actor and politician, recently stirred controversy with his statement that Telugu, Kannada, and Tulu languages come from Tamil. His words caused anger, especially in Karnataka, where protests erupted. Critics dismissed his comments as incorrect and accused him of promoting a divisive ideology.
Despite receiving criticism and facing pressure, Haasan, who is preparing for a possible seat in the Rajya Sabha with the DMK, did not apologize. He continues with his plans to release his film, “Thug Life,” on June 5.
Supporters, including some intellectuals and politicians, sided with Haasan, emphasizing Tamil’s ancient roots, claiming it is older than Sanskrit. They argued that other South Indian languages like Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, and Tulu developed later when Tamil already existed.
In contrast, the village of Jwalapuram in the Kurnool district presents a different perspective. Archaeological findings here suggest that people lived in this area 75,000 years ago, long before the modern scripts of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Tulu emerged. This site shows human survival right after the Mount Toba eruption, a disaster that nearly wiped out humanity, leaving only a few thousand survivors.
Evidence from Jwalapuram indicates that an ancient community thrived without any known script. Common words like “Jwala” (fire) and “Puram” (village) exist across these languages, hinting at a shared linguistic past. This suggests that present-day Tamil Nadu residents might have migrated from regions that are now parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, sharing a common ancestral language.
Haasan’s remarks stem from the term ‘Dravidian,’ introduced by Robert Caldwell, a British missionary, in 1856, who studied South Indian languages. This raises questions about whether Haasan’s views are rooted in outdated colonial theories, ignoring newer archaeological insights and migration studies.
