'Indian civilization is one of the oldest, continuous civilizations': NSA Ajit Doval

New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday said that Indian civilization is one of the oldest and continuous civilizations, and it also has a vast expanse.
NSA Doval was addressing an event on the release of "History of Ancient India, a Volume 11 series" by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi.
He emphasised that there were a few questions about Indian history that nobody questioned, including our detractors.
"One is its antiquity, that it is one of the oldest civilizations and probably human life had evolved and society had perfected itself to a very high... (degree). Now, who did it? Whether they were the original people or they came from outside, they may be biased about that, but they all concede that this is a civilization of antiquity," he said.
Mentioning the second attribute of Indian civilization, he stressed "continuity".
"The second is that it is continuity. That is, if it started 4000 or 5000 years ago, it has been continuous till today. There is no disruption in that. So it was a continuity," Doval said.
He highlighted the third feature "its vast expanse".
"The third feature was its vast expanse. It was not a small hamlet that you find somewhere with a developed island or something like that. It is right from the river Oxus to probably Southeast Asia and others, where the footprints of the civilization were very visible," he said.
Further, he stressed that Alexander's India visit was a non-event in Indian history, but a key event for Western history.
"Now, the paradox is this, when you think about this expanse of 6000 or 8000 years of continuous history in such a vast area, the narrative that has been brought is that probably the first chapter about Indian history in any of the western districts, it starts with Alexander, that Alexander was the first...who discovered India, and it was the victory of the west over the east. He conquered India," he said.
Doval noted that Alexander only came to the border of India into Jhelum and then was not able to proceed further.
"Actually, he only came to the border of India into Jhelum and then probably was not able to proceed further. And thereafter, that was the end of him," he said.
"But the fact remains that the entire history of Western industry you found when the history of India, or the history of the West is narrated, is about the history of Alexander," he added.
NSA Doval pointed out that everyone made such a big mountain of it, as if world history has changed with Alexander.
"But you made such a big mountain of it, as if world history has changed with Alexander the great conqueror," he said.