The 21st century excavations carried out at Bhirrana in the Saraswat iBasin, NW India by the Archaeological Survey of India have pushed back the beginning of the Harappan culture to the end of the 7th millennium BCE. In the absence of supportive dates from other sites, these dates have been heavily debated. In this presentation, the author reports on excavations (some still ongoing) undertaken at the archaeological settlements of Girawad, Mitathal, Farmana and Rakhigarhi close to Bhirrana. These settlements have provided a series of consistent dates for the start of the Harappan culture at c. 5500 BCE. Investigations at Farmana and Rakhigarhi have also provided robust archaeological data indicating a gradual transformation in the material and technology from 5500 BCE to the Urban phase at around 2500 BCE. Archaeogenetic research carried out for the first time on human remains recovered from Rakhigarhi further indicates that the local indigenous populations of the region were present and to a greater extend responsible for the transitions observed in archaeological record from early agriculture to urbanization. However, right from the beginning of settled life in the region there has been interregional and international movement of people and ideas, which is also very well reflected in the genetic and archaeological sources.