Malathi shendge
http://shalinirainarayan.blogspot.com/2009/10/has-indus-script-finally-been.html
Shalini Rai
ONE of the lasting mysteries in the ancient historical arena and which, till date, has not been conclusively resolved – the decipherment of the Indus Script – may finally be on the verge of unraveling, if recent findings by historian Dr Malati Shendge are an indication. With her soon-to-be-published book titled Unsealing the Indus Script: Anatomy of Its Decipherment, Shendge, also an Indologist, has put forth the results of studies she has been conducting since 1999.
“More than 100 attempts have been made to decode the Indus Script in the past, and all have come up with chequered hypothesis, with some scholars saying the script denotes tantric mantras to others claiming they are names of gods and goddesses,” informs Shendge. “Through my studies and interpretation of over 350 inscriptions, however, I have come to the conclusion, backed by references, that these are mundane and secular economic documents,” she adds.
Seventy-five-year-old Shendge goes on to say that there are two specific findings she has come up with – one, that the Indus script is logographic (signs which have only meaning and not sounds) and two, that the signs and symbols were used for keeping a record of accounts and economic transactions. “My findings are that the script is logographic, which means it only gives out meanings of signs and not sounds. This is because in the early days of writing, the language was not associated with symbols. However, out of a necessity to preserve the details of economic, administrative and trade transactions, and as an aid to memory, symbols derived from traded items were carved on clay/stone/copper plates/pottery,” she claims. “These signs were used to enlist items received, stored, handed over and so on. As such, the short inscriptions found on Indus seals are actually lists of items/goods transacted and give us a glimpse of the economic system of the Indus Valley Civilisation,” adds Shendge.
Counterpoint
A group of researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai has also been working at deciphering the Indus Script for the past three years now. The team consists of Prof Iravatham Mahadevan, Prof Mayank Vahia, Dr Rononjoy Adhikari, Dr Rajesh Rao, Scientist Nisha Yadav and Hrishikesh Joglekar. Speaking on behalf of the team, Prof Mayank Vahia says they are adopting a purely scientific approach of going one step at a time in deciphering the Indus script at present. “We do not claim to have deciphered the script; we are still trying to identify its grammar and the sequencing of various inter-signs and their order of writing,” says Prof Vahia. “As on date, we have no opinion on Dr Malati Shendge’s claims; we wish her all the best. While she may have reached the top of the peak, we are still at the bottom, trying to learn the basics of the decipherment,” he adds.
(This article was first published in The Indian Express, Pune)
Posted by Shalini Rai
Labels: People