[Advaita-l] Talk by Dr. Raj Vedam on Wednesday, 8th Jan 2020 - "Examining the evidence: The Story of Ancient India"

[V Subrahmanian]

Center for Ancient History & Culture
Invites you to the
*PURĀTATTVAM*
Lecture Series

Examining the evidence: The Story of Ancient India

by

*Dr. Raj Vedam*

6:15 PM, Wednesday, 8th January, 2020
(Coffee will be served before the talk)

Venue
*Jain Knowledge Campus*
Ground floor, District fund road, 9th block Jayanagar, Bengaluru.
Google maps link <https://goo.gl/maps/g8uUQzSVWFXRMVjY8>. Basement parking
available.

*About the talk*
Exciting new findings related to India’s distant past are being reported by
geneticists, paleontologists and archaeologists, opening the need to
re-evaluate the current narratives on Indian history. Our history textbooks
have not kept pace with the archeological findings, but retain an out-dated
history and prehistory over-reliant on divisive “oppressor-oppressed”
sociological *Etic* models. The speaker will present the primary
methodologies employed in the narration of the Indic civilization such as
the moot Harappa/Aryan periodization imposed on Indian prehistory, its
attendant consequences, and the Eurocentric narrative that Indians got
their knowledge of math and astronomy from Babylonians and Greeks. Each
contentious issue will be outlined and the claims presented from existing
narratives. Using the latest published scientific research and textual
internal sources, the speaker will highlight evidence that shows the need
to re-evaluate and calibrate the existing narratives. The range of topics
covered will be from archaeology, genetics, astronomy, linguistics, and
other fields, and span various time-periods. The speaker will conclude with
tracing the impact of Indian knowledge systems on the ancient and medieval
world, all the way to colonial and present times, again showing the need to
re-visit existing narratives. The talk will highlight the use of an
evidence-based methodology to validate claims in Indian history, while
employing the powerful value of an *Emic* lens.

*About the speaker*
Dr. Raj Vedam is an M.Tech from IISc, Bengaluru, and a Ph.D in Electrical
Engg. from Oregon State University, USA. As a scientist, he researches the
roots of modern sciences, mathematics and technology, a quest that led him
to study not only the histories of India, but also those of Babylon,
Greece, Egypt, Rome, China, Hittites, Mitanni, and Arabs. Dr. Vedam
proposes that an evidence-based narrative of Indian history is urgently
needed to correct several speculative and damaging mainstream narratives of
Indian history. Towards that, he bases his talks and workshops on published
scientific literature from various fields.

*Contact*: Sudarshan HS, hs.sudarshan at jainuniversity.ac.in, +91 98806 34594