Evidence of first Indian settlers found in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): A team of Indian scientists have discovered genetic
evidence that tribal villagers living in Tamil Nadu were among the first
migrants from Africa to settle down in India.
Geneticists led by Prof Ramaswamy Pitchappan of Madurai Kamaraj
University have found out that the marker gene in the group of people
from a small village Jyothimanickam near Madurai matched those of the
first settlers in India. The findings point to the fact that the
villagers are among the direct descendants of the first settlers.
Pitchappan who conducted the research in collaboration with Oxford
Research University found that DNA of Virumandi Andithevar, a
30-year-old systems administrator from the village, matched M130, the
chromosome marker, which gives proof that the first human migration into
India took place around 70,000 years ago.
"The M130 is the oldest marker in India and there is no other marker
older than that for India. The DNA samples from, Virumandi and others
were found to have this marker and we were able to deduce that they were
among the first human settlers in India, who obviously spread from
Africa," Pitchappan who is Prof Emeritus at the Madurai Kamraj
University told PTI.
The findings will be aired on Discovery Television, where historian
Michael Wood will narrate the story of the world's most ancient
civilization in the six part series 'The Story of India' beginning on
April 16.
