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Human Races in India

India is a melting pot of races. It is an ethnological museum. The ancestors of the majority of present population have migrated to India from surrounding territories across the Himalayas. Indian population is constituted of major races of the world. We find people of different races in India.
Herbert Risley’s Racial Classification: According to Herbert Risley, there are seven racial types in Indian population.
1. The Turk-Iranian: These types of people are found in the Frontier Province and Beluchistan. These parts now belong to Pakistan. Turks-Iranian people are very tall and have a fair complexion. They possess dark eyes, narrow nose.
2. Indo-Aryan: This racial type is found among the Eastern Part of Punjab, Rajasthan and Kashmir. Most of the people have long heads and prominent noses. They are tall, their complexion is fair and eyes are of dark color.
3. Scytho-Dravidian: Scytho-Dravidian is a mixed racial type of Scythians and Dravidians. People, having this racial ancestry are said to be found in Saurashtra, Coorg and hilly tracts of Madhya Pradesh. It is also said that while the upper strata people are predominantly Scythian, the lower strata people are fairly dominated by Dravidian elements. They are broad headed, have a fine nose, are of medium height and their complexion is fair.
4. Aryo-Dravidian: This racial type is found in Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan and Bihar. They are the product of inter-marriages between the Indo-Aryans and the Dravidians. They have long head and the complexion varies from lights brown to black.
5. The Mongol-Dravidians: In the population of Bengal and Orissa this racial type is most prominent. Bengali Brahmins and Kayasthas form the largest percentage. This racial type has come into existence as a result of intermixture of Mongolians and Dravidians while some element of Indo-Aryan race is also found. These people are generally black and round headed having medium nose and medium height.
6. The Mongoloid: This racial type stretches from Nepal and Assam to Burma. Mizo, Naga, Adi, Nishi, Tripuri, Bodo, Kachari etc. are the examples of this group that found in the region.
7. The Dravidian: This racial type is found in Southern India, particularly south of M.P, Chotnagpur, Madras and Hyderabad. The Santhals of Chotnagpur represent this type. They have dark complexion, dark eyes, short stature, long head and broad nose.

Classification of B. S. Guha: Dr. Guha has divided the population of India into the following races:

1. The Negrito: According to him the presence of Negrito race in India is a controversial issue. However, it is claimed that there is an element of Negrito race in Indian population and Negrito element is found in the blood of Andaman Islanders. Further, it is also pointed out that Negrito element is found in the blood of some South Indian tribal people like the Kadar and blood of Nagas. There are some who maintain that there are is no weighty evidence to prove conclusively the existence of Negrito element in Indian population. Whatever evidence is available, according to them, is inadequate to establish the presence of Negrito element in Indian population. Although there is controversy, it may be stated that the Negrito race existed in the past and has left little trace in India.

2. The Proto-Austroloid: The Proto-Austroloid is also known as the Pre-Dravidian race. Dr. Guha says that the tribal population of central India is fairly dominated by this racial element. The Santhals, the Mundas, the Juangas, the Soaras, the Kondhs are some of the many tribes belonging to this racial type.
3. Mongoloid: People of this racial ancestry are mainly found in North-Eastern India. Dr. Guha divides this race into two types, namely (a) The Palaeo-Mongoloid and (b) The Tibeto-Mangoloid.
(a) The Palaeo-Mongoloid: This racial type is further divided into two types, one the long headed type and the other Broad headed type. The Angami Nagas are of the long headed type of the Palaeo-Mongoloid race. The people inhabiting in the Himalayan foot hills from Kashmir to Assam are said to be the brood headed type of the Palaeo-Mongoloid race.
(b) The Tibeto-Mongoloid: The people of Sikkim and Bhutan are said to belong to the Tibeto-Mongoloid branch of Mongoloid race.
4. The Mediterranean: This race is one of the dominated race in India. Mediterranean is divided into three types. They are (a) Palaeo-Mediterranean (b) Mediterranean, (c) Oriental.
5. Western Brachycephals: This race is of three types, namely (a) the Alpenoid, (b) the Dinaric, (c) the Armenoid.
6. Nordic Race: People of this racial origin came to India from the North and South-East Asia spread all over Northern India during the 2nd millennium B.C. This race is mainly found in North India in a mixed form with the Mediterranean race. The people of this stock are believed to have greatly enriched Indian culture.




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