HYDERABAD: CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is part of a new study that has shed light on the initial people of Sri Lanka and the ancient genetic ties between the Vedda, an indigenous group of Sri Lanka, and other populations in Asia.
Dr K Thangaraj, JC Bose fellow at CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad, is one of the 10 researchers part of the study. He said, “The language isolate Vedda, who are among the least studied indigenous populations in Sri Lanka, have long intrigued scientists and historians alike due to their unique linguistic and cultural characteristics”.
The research indicates that despite the lack of close linguistic similarities, the indigenous population shares a significant genetic link with ethnic populations in India. “Our autosomal analyses suggest a close genetic connection between the Vedda and Indian ethnic populations speaking various tongues, pointing towards a deep-rooted history that predates linguistic diversifications,” said Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey, Molecular anthropologist at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi.
Dr Ruwandi Ranasingh, the lead author from Colombo University, informed that the study proposes that the Vedda population has undergone genetic drift and a recent bottleneck, which has resulted in a unique genetic makeup with limited gene flow from neighbouring Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil populations.
The implications of this research offer novel perspectives on the demographic history of Sri Lanka and the broader South Asian region. The study reveals how the Vedda have preserved their genetic identity over millennia despite massive cultural and linguistic changes around them.
CCMB director Dr Vinay Nandicoori expressed optimism that the insights will help towards a better understanding of the genetic diversity in South Asia and foster a deeper appreciation for the unique cultural and genetic heritage of the Vedda people.