New Delhi: A number of geneticists, historians, academics, writers, former bureaucrats, among others have written to the Union ministry of culture to express concern over the reports that it is funding a project to establish the genetic history and trace the purity of races in India.In an open letter addressed to the secretary of the ministry of culture, the signatories said, “…the notion of tracing the ‘purity of races,’ whether in India or elsewhere, is extremely worrisome. A plan to do so would be both absurd and dangerous.”While acknowledging that the ministry concerned had already dismissed such reports, as “misleading and mischievous”, the group of intellectuals urged the ministry to “issue public disavowals of any present or future project related to race, especially one for studying racial purity.”Stating the concept of biological races was “discarded” long ago, they said, “…in terms of the genes that make up individual biological inheritance, all human beings, irrespective of where they come from, share the same ‘gene pool’.”“Racial stereotyping of humans has been discarded, and there should be no attempt to revive the concept in India,” the letter stated.Also read: It’s About Celebrating Our Genetic Diversity, Not ‘Racial Purity’In India, the letter states, human population geneticists and anthropologists have shown that nearly every community today is an admixed community of several ancestral communities whose identities can at best be guessed, but not with great certainty.Given this historical backdrop, the letter adds, “What else is expected to result from the project under consideration of the Ministry of Culture, we do not know. But if it touches on questions of ‘racial purity,’ one guaranteed outcome will be the exacerbation of disharmony among Indians.”Reproduced below are the full letter and the list of signatories:§AN OPEN LETTER TO THE SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF CULTURE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 10 June 2022The SecretaryMinistry of Culture, Govt. of India502-C Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi 110001Email: secy-culture@nic.in Sir,Reports appeared recently in the media to the effect that the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is funding a project to study genetic similarities and differences in the DNA (genetic) profiles of Indian population groups [1-4]. Professor Vasant Shinde, Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, was identified as the leader of this project. Professor Shinde was quoted as saying that the aim of the project is to provide “… a clear-cut idea of the genetic history. You may even say that this will be an effort to trace the purity of races in India.” [2]The reports led to strong criticisms of the project. The Ministry of Culture has tweeted that the reports are “misleading, mischievous and contrary to facts” and that the proposal is in no way related to establishing genetic history and trace the purity of races in India [5].Professor Shinde has tweeted “I strongly condemn the use of the term Racial Purity by the reporter … My statement is twisted and fabricated by the reporte[r]” [6].While welcoming these responses, we think that all concerned should issue public disavowals of any present or future project related to race, especially one for studying racial purity. We say so because the notion of tracing the “purity of races”, whether in India or elsewhere, is extremely worrisome. A plan to do so would be both absurd and dangerous.It is absurd because the concept of biological races was discarded long ago. The term “race” was invented as part of the effort to classify humans into distinct groups based on physical features such as bone structure and skin colour, and social characteristics such as faith and religion. It was assumed that the groups were somehow “natural”, or that they had a meaningful biological basis. However, in terms of the genes that make up individual biological inheritance, all human beings, irrespective of where they come from, share the same “gene pool”. As an epochal paper of 50 years ago pointed out, most gene-based distinctions occur within so-called races, not between races. To quote, “…human races and populations are remarkably similar to each other, with the largest part by far of human variation being accounted for by the differences between individuals” [7]. Subsequent studies have only reinforced the strength of that conclusion [8].It is dangerous because the notion of “purity,” in addition to being meaningless, carries with it the sense of some groups being less pure or more pure than others. Human history is replete with examples of horrible injustice – denial of benefits or even persecution – meted out to “less pure” groups by “more pure” groups. The same epochal paper also stated “Human racial classification is of no social value and is positively destructive of social and human relations”. Racial stereotyping of humans has been discarded, and there should be no attempt to revive the concept in India.For several decades human population geneticists and anthropologists working in various Indian institutions, including the Anthropological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture, have painstakingly undertaken detailed DNA analyses of individuals collected from various communities of India, including tribal communities, and have shown that nearly every community today is an admixed community of several ancestral communities whose identities can at best be guessed, but not with great certainty. What else is expected to result from the project under consideration of the Ministry of Culture, we do not know. But if it touches on questions of “racial purity,” one guaranteed outcome will be the exacerbation of disharmony among Indians.With regards,Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Centre for Human Genetics, Bangalore 560100Partha P. Majumder, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, andIndian Statistical Institute, KolkataL.S. Shashidhara, Ashoka University, Sonipat, HaryanaRenee Borges, Indian Institute of Science, BengaluruSaman Habib, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, LucknowSutirth Dey, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneAmitabh Joshi, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, BengaluruSamar Bagchi, Science Communicator & PopulariserSubha Ray, University of Calcutta, KolkataSaikat Chakraborty, Accenture, KolkataSibaji Raha, Bose Institute, KolkataGautam Basu, former Professor, Bose Institute, KolkataLeo Saldanha, Environmental Support Group, BengaluruRamachandra Guha, Historian and WriterSwapan Parui, former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, KolkataDebal Deb, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Barrackpore, West BengalAsokendu Sengupta, former Member, West Bengal Education CommissionAruna Roy, Social ActivistWalter Fernendes, Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre, GuwahatiIndrani Bose, former Professor, Bose Institute, KolkataIndira Ghosh, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiUtpal Basu, Kalyani University, West BengalAshoke Ranjan Thakur, ex-Vice Chancellor West Bengal State UniversitySwarnendu Sil, Indian Institute of Science, BengaluruAmit Apte, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneNG Prasad Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, MohaliVijay Kumar Krishnamurthy, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, BangaloreMallikarjun Shakarad, Delhi UniversityDeepa Agashe, National Centre for Biological Sciences, BangaloreSudipta Tung, Ashoka University, SonipatMewa Singh, Mysore UniversityRaghavendra Gadagkar. Indian Institute of Science, BangaloreChandan Dasgupta, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, BangaloreAurnab Ghose, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneSatyajit Rath, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneRama Govindarajan, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, BangaloreHema Somanathan, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, TrivandrumAnindita Bhadra, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneGeetanjali Mishra, Lucknow UniversitySrikant Sastry, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, BengaluruRajiva Raman, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiSukanta Chaudhuri, Jadavpur University, KolkataPartha Chatterjee, Columbia University, USASamantak Das, Jadavpur University, KolkataPartha Ghose, Tagore Centre for Natural Sciences and Philosophy, KolkataNiraja G. Jayal, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityAchin Chakraborty, Institute of Development Studies KolkataAnupam Basu, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, KalyaniSreenivasan Subramanian, Independent Researcher; former ICSSR National FellowSupriya Chaudhuri, Jadavpur University, KolkataKailash C. Malhotra, Anthropologist, former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, KolkataAnup Sinha, Former Professor, Indian Institute of Management, CalcuttaRajiv Verma, University of DelhiAmita Chatterjee, Jadavpur University, KolkataB.N. Singh, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiMercy J. Raman, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiAsok Barman, Former General Secretary, All India Federation of University & CollegeTeachers’ AssociationsBarun Mukhopadhyay, former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, KolkataSugata Hazra, Jadavpur University KolkataMohan Rao, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiUdaya Kumar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiShiva Shankar, Indian Institute of Technology, BombaySatyajit Mayor, National Centre for Biological Sciences, BengaluruPradip Kumar Datta, former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiAyesha Kidwai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiS.Krishnaswamy, former Senior Professor, Madurai Kamaraj University, MaduraiSabyasachi Chatterjee, President, All India People’s Science NetworkIndranil, Delhi Science Forum and OP Jindal Global University, SonipatAnil Kumar A, Surgeon, People’s surgical and maternity home, Bagepalli, KarnatakaAvinash Kumar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiRitajyoti Bandopadhyay, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, MohaliGuha Dharmarajan, KREA University, ChennaiSubhash Rajpurohit, Ahmedabad University, AhmedabadHimender Bharti, Punjabi University, PatialaKavita Isvaran, Indian Institute of Science, BangaloreVineeta Bal, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, PuneOP Bhuraita, BGVS, BhopalRammanohar Reddy, Editor, The India ForumUdayon MisraNarayani Gupta, former Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia UniversityRahul Roy, Indian Statistical Institute, New DelhiMoinak Biswas, Jadavpur University, KolkataParthanil Roy, Indian Statistical Institute, KolkataMihir Chakraborty, former Professor, University of Calcutta, KolkataAjit Kumar Ray, former Professor, University of North Bengal, West BengalRamaswamy, Indian Institute of Technology, DelhiIrfan Engineer, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, MumbaiAnalabha Basu, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, KalyaniSubhas Chandra Lakhotia, Banaras Hindu University, VaranasiSomdatta Sinha, Retired Scientist and ProfessorIra Bhaskar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiVijayendra, Ecologise HyderabadSagar Dhara, Former Environmental engineering consultant, UNEPVikas Bajpai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiKunal Chakrabarti, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New DelhiN. Devy, Chair, People’s Linguistic survey of IndiaHarsh Mander, Ex- IASApoorv Anand, Academic and writer, DelhiSarmila Chandra, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and RN Tagore Hospital, KolkataSanjeeb Mukherjee, Former Teacher, Calcutta UniversityP. Kasbekar, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, HyderabadRamray Bhat, Indian Institute of Science, BengaluruMadan Rao, National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR, BangaloreAmit Roy, Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences, ManipalRamasubbu, Sunder, Smolensky Bulvar, 15, Moscow, RFAr Vasavi, Brigade Courtyard, BengaluruP. Divakaran, Riviera Retreat, KochiSubramony Mahadevan, Indian Institute of Science, BengaluruGanesan Srinivasan, Raman Research Institute (Retired)Vinod Gaur, Fellow, Indian Academy of SciencesJanaki Nair, Professor, (Retd) Centre for Historical Studies, JNU, New DelhiRomila Thapar, Professor Emerita in History, JNU, New DelhiNaresh Dadhich, IUCAA, PuneParthasarathi Majumdar, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science KolkataMadabusi Raghunathan, DAE-UM Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, MumbaiBinod Sreenivasan, Indian Institute of Science, BangaloreSharat Chandra, Centre for Human Genetics, BengaluruSurendra Ghaskadbi, Prabhat Road, PunePriyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, Former Professor in Zoology, Utkal UniversityM. Pitchappan, Honorary Visiting Professor-Biology, Madurai Kamaraj UniversityGeeta, Retired Professor, University of DelhiJayaram S. Kadandale, Centre for Human Genetics, BengaluruReferences [1] https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/may/28/culture-ministry-to-study-racial-purity-of-indians-2458899.html[2] http://www.reportwire.in/culture-ministry-to-study-racial-purity-of-indians/[3] https://indusscrolls.com/india-procures-dna-kits-to-study-racial-purity-of-population[4] https://greatgameindia.com/racial-purity-indians/[5] https://twitter.com/MinOfCultureGoI/status/1531561797630558208/photo/1[6] https://twitter.com/profvasant/status/1532295799446482945?s=21&t=ihc3oIze9vLuxI0sbIfG2g[7] R C Lewontin. 1972. The apportionment of human diversity. Evolutionary Biology 6, 381-398.[8] M D Edge, S. Ramachandran and N A Rosenberg. 2022. Celebrating 50 years since Lewontin’s apportionment of human diversity. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B377: 20200405.
