About 6,000 years ago, some clans of forest settlers from South India set out on a great journey, which took them along the coast, traversing through several areas up North, and reaching as far as Gandhara (Kandahar in present-day Afghanistan). It is one of the great adventures involving movement of people, etched in India’s prehistory, at a time when even the wheel was not invented. Research has thrown light on certain facts, such as the families which embarked on the journey along the coast, crossed rivers either by boat, walk, or on the backs of animals.
Several such unknown intricate bits of knowledge on prehistoric India, dating back some 10,000 years, are now being preserved and compiled by noted linguistic anthropologist, and Padma awardee Ganesh N Devy. His book titled, ‘India Before History’, will be a 1,500-page documentation-orientated work, which will also involve close to 70 articles from the country’s eminent scholars.