Indian Genetics and Varnashram

Title: Indian Genetics and Varnashram
Author: Ram Chandra Sinha
Publisher: Fine Prints, Kolkata 2009 (First)
ISBN: 978-81-906889-0-1
Pages: 160

Another preposterous book with great title, with nothing but half-baked and pseudo-scientific ideas inside. The author is a geologist by profession and his ignorance of anything other than his chosen field provides sharp obstacles on the flow of argument. The language is utterly mediocre and fails to raise any interest in the reader. The author seems to be confused about what genetics is, and propounds the theory that there are male and female chromosomes and a new life is generated from the union of them (p.156). Ofcourse, there are chromosomes from males and females, but the sense in the book is quite different and laughable. He confesses in the acknowledge that he began this (hopeless) exercise as instructed by his mentor and guru, Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra, whose ideas also are presented in the epilogue. Nothing worthwhile of scientific consideration is listed there, but Sinha is fully convinced that the seer’s insight far surpasses his own. We also would acquiesce to it, seeing the author’s insight on many of the pages.

The book asserts that Varnashram developed from a preliminary division-of-labour concept which hardened into a water-tight system in the post-Vedic age by the Brahmins. Assimilation of several western invaders in the form of parthians, sakas, kushans etc consolidated the development of castes which was firmly rooted on Indian soil by the demise of the Gupta period during the middle of the first millennium C.E. By genetics, the book describes the racial affinities of Indian society at present. Great claims of tracing the history of the subcontinent back to 35,000 to 40,000 years are made, but there is nothing in this book which cannot be obtained from the history text books of high school students. Research is extremely poor and the citations are frequently from unreputed or controversial authors. The author falls in the category of unwarranted glorifiers of Indian past.

An incomplete list of the blunders propounded in the guise of science is given below.

1. The first and second laws of thermodynamics are in total agreement with the concepts of Jiva and Jivatma. It is thus the energy, both potential and kinetic, which is at work all the time and changes with space and time relationship – or, in more simple words, genetics and varnashram. (p.viii, Preface). Erratic concept, insincere assertions and ridiculous mumbo-jumbo!

2. The Mahabharata story of the birth of Dhritharashtra, Pandu and Vidura are given and the author asserts that this story goes to show how the DNA of one human being when merged with others’ produces different traits and characteristics in the offspring, according to the reactions of the recipients (p.xiv, Preface). In other words, it means that if the woman closes her eyes at the time of union, the resulting child will be blind, and if she turns pale, the child will be an albino. How a person who has a doctorate in one of the scientific fields can be so ignorant in these ideas is beyond anybody’s comprehension.

3. Modern man appeared in southern Europe and not in Africa, as claimed by anthropologists (p.11)

4. Alexander’s invasion was in 650 B.C and the historians are wrong (p.48)

5. St. Thomas visited India during the reign of the Parthian king Gondophernes (p.55). St Thomas’ visit is more a piece of belief than historical fact.

6. Varnashram is not man-made, it is in the genes (p.70).

7. Farming was developed in pre-historic societies to pay the services of copper smiths (p.71). Nonsense on stilts!

8. Man’s one generation is 100 to 200 years (p.74)

9. Varna in varnashram is a method of classification as in varnamala (children’s alphabet learning book) and don’t indicate colour.

The book is full of such ridiculous ideas. In one paragraph, he remarks about Dr B R Ambedkar as, “In the present day Indian society Manu has been deemed to be the progenitor of the caste system, so much so that a learned person like Dr B R Ambedkar even burnt manuscripts (!) of the Manusmriti and denounced Hinduism itself and became a Buddhist, though for this action he was rewarded later as being a person fit to write the Constitution of India” (p.96).

This book is to be kept at arm’s length by any person who wants to have a balanced and sane way of viewing the world. Full of gibberish, the book is not at all worthy of the high price in money it demands from the unsuspecting reader. You can’t find anything worthwhile here.

Rating: 1 Star