Introduction
What inspired me to write on Indian Heritage is the write-up
titled "Mind-blowing Analysis by
Chinese Ex Professor from University of Toronto", received recently from a colleague. Professor's narrative
starts with a profound statement — "…….ancient
India is sorely UNDERRATED". This struck a chord recalling how
proud I felt reading 'The Wonder That Was India' by AL Basham (1914-1986), world
renowned historian & Indologist.
Unfortunately, India bashing has been palpable post-independence!
Professor too has been upfront —"….modern Indians have a tendency
to look down upon their ancient heritage and view western ideas and ideals as
superior". Disparaging comments often
heard: Indian Standard Time as reason for coming late; यहां कुछ बदलने वाला नहीं (nothing will change here); यहां सब चलता है/हमारा भारत महान to justify corruption and so on.
Sadly, predominance of English has influenced
the DNA of Indian Culture as envisioned by Macaulay. Indicators are right on
our face.Deep-rooted perceptions about English—Symbol of Status
& Personality; Craze for English medium schools; Subservient attitude
towards fair-complexioned foreigners; Enamored by फर्राटेदार (fluent) English!
Apparently, most Indians are still under the spell of 'Macaulay
Effect 1835'!! Excerpt —
"……. if
the Indians think all that is foreign
and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self
esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly
dominated nation”.
Indian Heritage; Awareness Level
Until I read Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, at 50, my knowledge
was appalling. Schooled in a public school, I knew more about Bible: 'Genesis';
Noah's Ark; David & Goliath; Moses; Promised Land….!! Informal feedback
from cross-section of right-thinking friends young, old & not so old, confirmed my assumption--very little has changed as Schools/Colleges continue 'shaping' careers to attain Money-Power-Status by any means
fair or foul!! In all this
Where is the space and
time for teaching Indian Heritage……???
Gravity. We learnt Isaac Newton, 1643-1727, discovered gravity, but
were never taught that Sage Bhaskaracharya
had discovered it 500 years earlier!
Sanskrit is the mother of all
European languages. As per Forbes Magazine Jul 1987, it is
the most suitable language for computer
software as well. Sanskrit was included in my school syllabus but the mode &
format of teaching was too boring to generate interest. Paradoxically, Western
World undertook its study earnestly decades earlier. Video clips are telling:
Views of Erudite and Renowned Thinkers
Regrettably, glowing tributes paid by celebrities on Indian
Heritage have yet to effectively counter 'Macaulay Effect' and glamour of the West. Glimpse of few perspectives:
- Swami Vivekananda: "…The debt which the world owes to our Motherland is immense. …..there is not one race on this earth to which the world owes so much as to the patient Hindu, the mild Hindu. "The mild Hindu" sometimes is used as an expression of reproach; but if ever a reproach concealed a wonderful truth, it is in the term, "the mild Hindu"….." Source
- Albert Einstein: We owe a lot to Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. 'India discovered the number system and zero'
- Mark Twain:
- Dr Arnold Toynbee, British Historian, 1889-1975: "……It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in history, the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way."
- Romain Rolland, French Scholar : "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India."
Perspective of Chinese Ex Professor, University of Toronto
I mean, people here have vague understanding of Chinese
history but they have NO idea about Indian
history. How many people know about Bharat? How many know about even the
Guptas? People know that China was famous for ceramics and tea but how many
people know about ancient India’s achievement in metallurgy? People know about
the Great Wall, but how many know about the great temples of southern India?
This is partly due to the lackluster historical records that
ancient Indians kept and also partly because modern Indians have a tendency to
look down upon their ancient heritage and view western ideas and ideals as
superior.
The achievements of ancient Indians are lost in obscurity.
India’s ancestors had invented many ways which eased the basic life of a common
man. These inventions may seem primitive today, but we can’t ignore the fact
that these were revolutionary achievements during their era.
Heliocentric
System
The discovery that the earth is spherical is credited to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was born in 384 BCE. However, very few people know that a man from ancient India established the idea of “spherical earth” during the 8th-9th century BCE. His name was Yajnavalkya, who first discovered that the earth is round. He was the first to discover the heliocentric system of the planets in that the earth and other planets moved around the sun. He also calculated the period of one year as 365.24675 days. This is only 6 minutes longer than the current established time of 365.24220 days
Until 1543 world believed Earth was in
the centre NOT sun. Read
Kung
Fu
The whole world knows about the martial art called Kung Fu.
The person who founded Kung Fu was none other than a prince of the Pallava
dynasty from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. He visited China during the 5th century
CE. He became the 28th patriarch of Buddhism and established the Shaolin temple
and founded the martial art which became world famous. That prince was called
Bodhidharma.
But how many people know Kung Fu and Shaolin was founded by
an Indian? Precisely,
if Indians are unaware of their heritage,
why should they expect that someone else will know about their history and
achievement?
Flush
Toilet
The Indus Valley civilization is known for broad and sanitized
drainage system which was no less than a miracle during those ancient times.
But how many people know that the ancient Indians from Indus Valley
Civilization (IVC) were the first to invent a flush toilet?
Rulers,
Buttons, Silk Dresses
The people around the world use rulers to measure
everything. How many people know that IVC was the first to invent rulers? Ruler was
found at Lothal, 4400 years ago. Not only this, the people of IVC was the first
to invent buttons. The world knows
that the Chinese discovered the art of weaving silk dresses. How many people know that IVC people were the first to
weave dresses made of cotton
Weighing
Scales
The ancient Indians were first to invent the weighing
scales. Archaeologists discovered weighs and scales from the excavation sites
of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal etc. These scales were extensively used for
trading.
Yoga
(Pronunced योग NOT योगा)
Ancient India has given Yoga to the world, which is widely
practiced almost all over the world to keep people fit and fine. Models,
supermodels, film stars, athletes, etc. regularly attend Yoga session to keep
themselves fit (UNO have declared 21st June as
International Yoga Day).
Concept
of Zero
Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya were the three
eminent mathematicians from ancient India who established the concept of zero
as a mathematical value in different eras. Brahmagupta was the first to invent
a symbol for the value “shunya” (zero). Bhaskaracharya was the first to use it
as algebra. The oldest inscription of zero can be found at the Chaturbhuj
temple in Gwalior fort.
Chemistry
Ancient Indians were pioneers in the field of chemistry. The
person who first invented the “atomic theory” was none other than Acharya Kanad
from ancient India. He explained the atomic theory using terms like “Anu”(atom)
and “Paramanu”(nucleus).
Medical
Science
Ancient Indians were advanced in medical science too. The
great physician of the time, Sage Shusrut was the first to carry out different
surgeries which included plastic surgery and cataract surgery. His works are
composed in his book called Shusrut Samhita (The works of Shusrut).
The world hardly knows about Charak, the great specialist in
medicine from ancient India. He was the first physician to establish the
problems and medicinal treaties in fields like physiology, embryology,
digestion, sexual disease, immunity, etc. His works on Ayurveda is composed as
a book called Charak Samhita (The
works of Charak).
Steel
The Chera dynasty of Tamil Nadu invented the idea of
producing finest steel by heating black magnetite ore along with carbon. The
mixture was kept in a crucible and heated in charcoal furnace. The Wootz
Steel originated from India, but today, is popular as Damascus Steel.
Monuments
India’s monuments are grand and are probably, the only way
others recognize the importance of ancient Indian civilization. India’s
gigantic monuments bear the testimony of the greatness of ancient India.
Kailash
Temple. It is a megalith which was
constructed by cutting out a single rock- a mountain. The whole mountain was
cut from the top to carve out the temple campus.
Dwarka, the grand and mysterious city submerged in the Arabian sea
on the extreme west of India. The submerged heritage is no less than a treasure
bearing the pride of Indian race!
Khajuraho, the marvel where the rocks have taken the form. Monuments are
not built on soft rocks like marble but carved out of hardest of the rocks to
give it beauty.
Temples
India is the land of magnificent temples and breathtaking
architectures. The grandest and largest temple in India- Brihadeshwara Temple. The
heritage of India can’t be encapsulated within few pages!
Sun
Temple of Konark. The main structure of the temple was
partially destroyed by invaders like Kalapahad- a military general of the
medieval period. Later, the prime structure totally collapsed when British
stored gunpowder inside the structure and it caught fire accidentally. Although
the main temple is gone, what is left is still awe-inspiring. In the words of Nobel
Laureate Rabindranath Tagore on Konark- “here the
language of stone surpasses the language of man.”
 |
| SUN TEMPLE KONARK |
Epilogue
Admittedly, volumes have been documented on Indian Heritage;
Google flashed 1,560,000
results including 17000 books. Encyclopedia of Hinduism, 11 Volumes,
has been published after extensive research with much fanfare in 2014.
What is needed is comprehensive compendium on Indian Heritage that I missed when I was inspired to know more after reading Swami Vivekananda. This is a humble beginning in that direction!!
