Excerpts from talk on “India and Indian Culture” Part 2

[Guest guest]

Excerpts from talk on “India and Indian Culture” delivered by Anbil Ramaswamy, at “Alterra Sterling House (Senior Care Facility) at 1277 S. Sawburg Rd, Alliance, OH 44601 on 22nd September 2007 (An All- American audience) – Part 2

Dear friends:

 

You may know some of the following facts. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.

01. India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.02. India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'03. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700 B C. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

04. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.05. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

 

06. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India.

 

07. Over 125 surgical instruments and equipments were used. D

 

08. Deep knowledge of anatomy, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity are found in many ancient texts.09. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty stricken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth until the Moslem and British invaders ravaged and plundered the country from circa 17 C10. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.11. The value of pi was first calculated by Baudhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Baudhayana's works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.12. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 to the power of 53.13. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.14. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Chandra Bose AND NOT MARCONI.15. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra in the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya’s time. In the South, a dam built with stones by Karikaala ChOzha is known as “KallaNai”16. Chess was invented in India.

 

17. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).18. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

 

19. The question and answer session In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad between Sage Gargi and Sage Yagnavalkya reveals that the interaction of the time-space-matter triad was perceived by our sages millions of years before ALBERT EINSTEIN came on the scene and presented it to the Western world as the “Theory of Relativity”

 

20. The art of warfare stood perfected on Dharmic lines. Weapons such as Naaga Astra and the invincible Brahma Astra as gleaned from Srimad Ramayana and Mahabharata are mind boggling and the modern arsenal of bombs etc pale into insignificance before them; also, the mention of vehicles like Pushpaka Vimaanam etc. in the scriptures shows that construction of aircrafts and driving them were known to the earliest Indians long before the WRIGHT BROTHERS came to take credit for the invention of planes.

 

We will see in the next posting what scholars say about the glory of India that is Bharat.

 

We will also see in the subsequent postings, what impact of the Muslim and British incursions had on Hinduism iin general and our culture in particular and how Indian cuilture is now rising again like the proverbial phoenix and how modern India is again regaining its faded glory.