Four
years ago, Rev. Father H. Heras, S.J., who took the
greatest pride in proclaiming himself as “a Dravidian
from Spain,” passed away, and it is appropriate that
Dravidians who want this cultural homeland to be a distinct
and independent State should pay their tribute of appreciation
and gratitude to one who has proved to the whole world
the greatness and superiority of the ancient culture
of the Dravidians over that of the Aryans.
Father Heras was born in Spain, but he came to India
and adopted it as his homeland, mainly because he found
here the home of Dravidian civilization. No one, it
may be positively asserted, has done so much for the
Dravidian Movement in the realm of culture, as Father
Heras.
His monumental work entitled “Proto – Indo – Mediterranean
Studies” will ever live in the civilized world as the
immortal legacy of this genius who told the truth about
Dravidians and exposed the hollowness of the claims
made on behalf of Aryans and their civilization. We
would like to quote here a passage from an article published
in the current issue of the “Tamil Culture,” a quarterly
journal of the Academy of Tamil Culture, edited by the
great Tamil scholar, Rev. Dr. Xavier, S. Thani Nayagam,
of the University of Ceylon. The passage in the article
written by Mr. P. Joseph, a former student and collaborator
of the “Dravidian from Spain” for a long number of years,
runs as follows:-
“………. Another result of his study was the smashing of
the Aryan myth. Overwhelming proof came to hand to the
effect that the Aryan, a grand extrovert and an uncouth
brawny nomad with superior weapons of destruction, blazed
a trail of fire and pillage wherever he went, until
he was civilized by the brainier man (the Dravidian)
who he had subjugated. Then, exercising his shrewdness,
he seized the opportunity offered by circumstances to
pass off the wonderful things he found – unprecedented
material prosperity, excellent literature, highly developed
philosophy and advanced religious system – as his own.
There was nothing to stop him. The conquered could do
nothing about it. And thus started the biggest historical
hoax, which it has taken nearly four millennia to expose.
Father Heras was quite convinced that, in Vedic and
Puranic literature there is vast non-Aryan and pre-Aryan
material.”
The Dravidian Movement in South India, for establishing
a political homeland for one of the most ancient civilizations
of the world, can never be sufficiently grateful to
the late Father Heras, for strengthening the intellectual,
philosophical and cultural foundation of their mission
of liberation from domination and exploitation. Long
live the memory of Father Heras in every Dravidian home,
and in every Dravidian heart!
(Editorial - 14-06-1959)