N. S. Rajaram
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Navaratna Srinivasa Rajaram (born 1943 in Mysore) is an Indian mathematician, notable for his publications with the Voice of India publishing house focusing on the "Indigenous Aryans" debate in Indian politics, in some instances in co-authorship with David Frawley. He is also a member of Folks Magazine's Editorial Board since 2009.[1]
Contents
Professional career
Rajaram holds a Ph.D. degree in mathematics from Indiana University, and has published papers on statistics in the 1970s[2][3] and on artificial intelligence[4][5] and [6] in the 1980s.
Indian history
Rajaram has published on topics related to ancient Indian history and Indian archaeology, alleging Eurocentric bias in Indology and Sanskrit scholarship, arguing within the "Indigenous Aryans" theory instead.
He has criticized the process by which, he says, Eurocentric 19th century "Indologists / missionaries" arrived at many of their conclusions. Rajaram questions how it was possible for 19th century European evangelical "Indologists / missionaries" to study and develop hypotheses on Indian history, claiming many of them were "functionally illiterate" in Indian languages, including even the fundamental classical language, Sanskrit, he suggests that:
- "Ancient Indian history is ripe for a thorough revision…. one can begin by clearing away the cobwebs cast by questionable linguistic theories, … using every available modern tool from archaeology to computer science."[7]
Rajaram has also published on historical Indian mathematics found in the Sulbasutras and the Vedas.
Criticism
Rajaram's some view points about Indus script are characterized by Asko Parpola as "trash" and "nonsensical propaganda".[8][9] Rajaram's claim of having deciphered the Indus script were also questioned by other competing experts such as Iravatham Mahadevan.[citation needed]
Notes
References
- Alan D. Sokal, Pseudoscience and Postmodernism: Antagonists or Fellow-Travelers? in: Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public, ed. Fagan (2004). Downloadable
- "Horseplay in Harappa" review by Witzel & Farmer, Frontline, October 2000.
- A Tale of Two Horses, Frontline, November 2000, includes:
- N. S. Rajaram, "Frontline Cover has 'the head of a horse'" [7]
- "Jha sent the photo... I have not computer enhanced it" (interview with Rajaram)
- A. Parpola, Of Rajaram's 'Horses', 'decipherment' and civilisational issues
- I. Mahadevan One sees what one wants to [8]
- Witzel & Farmer, New Evidence on the 'Piltdown Horse' Hoax
