DR. NITYANAND SINGH

Life originated on the planet earth when soil (minerals), water and air became abundantly available. A sketch of evolution from origin of life to origin of humans is given. The tropical-subtropical Afro-Eurasian region has seen rise and fall of many human civilizations during Holocene period (past 10,000 years) caused by climatic changes. An overview of evolution of humans and human society over the Indian subcontinent during the period is provided by extracting information from variety of sources of knowledge and wisdom. It is amply clear that besides climatic determinism, social and economic determinisms have played vital role in the evolution of human consciousness and mind. One of the biggest challenges modern human society is facing is how to effectively utilize the available water resources while meeting contradictory requirements, ‘healthy economy and healthy ecosystems’. Contents • Timeline of evolution • Evolution of humans • Evolution of human society • The Vedic Period (10,000-8,000 BP) • The Ramayana Period (8,000-7,000 BP) • The Mahabharata Period (7,000-6,000 BP) • The Indus Valley Civilization (5,000-4000 BP) • Period of Social Transformation through Religion • Period of Compilation of Ancient Hindu Scriptures • Post-Buddha Period • The Little Ice Age (LIA) • Post-Independence Era • Climate change over the past 200 years and the problem of warming (monsoon system, monsoon changes and monsoon forecasting)