Did the Harappan know to write?

Writing in India emerges only in the Mauryan period 2300 years ago It is in the Ashokan edicts that we find the Brahmi script Vedic hymns and Buddhas lectures before that were orally transmittedThe Harappan civilisation 4000 years ago with its sophisticated brick cities and sewage system used symbols on seals Symbols are often accompanied by images of plants animals humans and fantastic beasts like threeheaded goats and unicorns No one knows what these symbols mean Are these symbols a kind of scriptSome even argue that they are an ancient Vedic script even though Vedic hymns emerged 500 years after the Harappan cities collapsed based on rather robust archaeological linguistic and now genetic evidence One minister claimed Harappans wrote the word sreni merchantmdasha claim only accepted by the highly political Hindutva lobby and not peer reviewed journalsThere are two schools of thought regarding the Harappan symbolsOne says that it was an early form of ProtoDravidian script The word for fish in oldTamil sounds same as stars The Harappan symbol of fish symbol with six markings is deciphered as the Krittika Pleiades constellation which marked the eastern horizon during the vernal equinox 4500 years ago when Harappan cities were at their mature phase A fish symbol with seven markings is said to represent the Saptarishi Big Dipper constellationHowever an alternative theory states these symbols are not a script They are not associated with sounds as in Mesopotamian script or words as in Chinese script They are just symbols The basis of this is that in sentences we find repetition of symbols In sequences of Indus symbols we dont find many repetitions Also if each symbol represented a unique word then the vocabulary of the Harappan people becomes very limited In all probability these were symbols like those found in flags Indians even today use symbols during rituals eg the chandrabindu the trishul the swastika the circle and the dot These are commonly seen in wedding rituals and drawn on the walls of peoples homes as good luck signs or to keep away negative energy Such signs are also used in the Hijra community as markers They are tribal emblems used to brand or in tattoosScholars have found that across Europe during the Ice Age ie 40000 years ago people used a set of 30 symbols repeatedly with consistency for nearly 30000 years The earliest form of artistic expression Maybe the Harappan symbols were similarmdashcodes for multiple ideas depending on contextMany advanced civilisations did not need to write We have to remind ourselves that in India about a century ago 90 per cent of the population was illiterate Yet we communicated sophisticated ideas through songs poetry and the use of symbols in ritualsVedas were written down less than 2000 years ago after Pali and even classical Sanskrit started being used by kings with great reluctance as oral transmission gave Vedic Brahmins privileged positionsThis reluctance may have been the reason why despite exposure to Chinese and Mesopotamian and even Egyptian scripts Indians did not adopt writing until rise of the Mauryan imperial powerThe author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times Reach him at devduttpattanaikmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news