A very dear friend and colleague has various articles to his credit..He has an excellent command over written and spoken English.This one is one article written by him which i am posting on my blog.
MERA BHARAT MAHAN
( A SAGA OF INDIA’S GLORY THROUGH AGES)
Indians residing overseas , numbering 17 million feel elated in recent times that they have globally shown their mettle and are excelling in several spheres and in particular, in the field of innovative technologies. Indians are credited as creators of many of modern world’s high –tech, high thinking products like the Micro System, Pentium Chip, Hot Mail and so on. Many Indians are occupying enviable positions in commerce and business and have created a niche for themselves globally- in USA,UK, Africa and Singapore. It is indeed a matter of pride that even the richest man in the world, to-day, is Aziz Premji an Indian, CEO of WIPRO. Among all the ethnic groups in America, Indians are the wealthiest, even faring better than the whites and the natives. In the US , while the Indians account for just 1.5% of its total population, it is creditable that 38% of Doctors, 36% of NASA Scientists and 12% of general scientists are Indians, not to speak of those holding top executive positions. And to top it all, recent years have witnessed Indian females coming out with crowning glory in various contests, such as Miss Universe, Miss pacific and Miss World. Even in other areas like Sports and Athletics Indians are making a mark . The general image of India as a land of snake charmers, rope walkers and sadhus is fast fading and Indians are viewed with awe and respect as a tradition bound, yet progressive and intelligent race all over the world.
It was not long before than that, it used to be said with a certain sarcasm and pun that India’s contribution to humanity is Zero. A little dive into the Epics,Puranas and mythologies of India would reveal that, our contribution is not confined to zero alone. In fact, India’s contribution to the world encompasses a wide range of concepts, precepts and practices , even innovative technologies, from times immemorial. The thought process of ancient India was not, as is generally believed, limited to spiritualism and philosophy but covered a wide spectrum covering every facet of life. Apart from technology Indians thought of the concepts of love marriage, surrogate mothers, transplantation of the fetus, abortion, stenography, air and space travels , and even corruption(!) much ahead of the rest of the world. There are also quite a number of other firsts to India’s credit- it is India first and the rest is only next!
WORLD’S FIRST STENOGRAPHER
Many will surely raise their eyebrows, when they are told stenography as an art emerged from India and the world’s first stenographer was none other than Lord Ganesha.. Veda Vyasa who took upon himself the challenging job of composing and writing India’s great epic Mahabharata was on the look out for an intelligent and reliable scribe. Since knowledge was transmitted until then through Shruti and Smruti ( hearing and memorizing) ,Sage Veda Vyasa wanted to introduce a new system of documentation through writing and looked out for someone who could be his scribe. The only one who qualified for the position was Lord Ganesha and He accepted the offer and lived upto the expectation of the Sage. In recent times His style of writing has come to be called American stenography!
THE FIRST LOVERS
For the western world, the beginning of love was the Original sin committed by Adam and Eve, when they tasted of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden.. Strangely classic western literature is totally silent on the marriage by mutual love. In contrast, Indian society accepted different forms of conjugal union and was not at all averse to love marriage. It found no sin in love or sex. The first written record of the world’s love marriage took place in India in the Himalayan valleys between Lord Shiva and Parvathi, of course, after a certain period of flirtation. They have not only been acknowledged as the Aadi Dampathi – (first couple) but also revered as the ideal couple, aptly described by Kalidasa as inseparable like a word and its meaning!
.SURROGATE MOTHER
That transplantation of the foetus, was practised in India even during the epic period and many women offered to be surrogate mothers is recorded in Shiv Purana linked with the origin of Maruti. Shiva and Parvathi, a highly romantic couple, who disguised themselves by adopting the form of monkeys for a romantic interlude, realized much to the shock and horror of Parvathi that during the disguised period she had become pregnant and was naturally carrying the foetus of a monkey. Proud of her personal charms, Parvathi was certainly not prepared to accept the motherhood of a monkey and wanted to get rid of the embryo at any cost. Shiva pleaded with the Wind God ( Marut also called Vayu) who agreed to become the foster father of the monkey fetus.He carried the fetus and transplanted it into the womb of Anjana a female monkey. Thus was born Anjaneya, the son of Anjana. He is also called Maruti because Marut the Wind God was instrumental in transplanting the fetus of the monkey into her.
FATHER OF STRIKES
It is widely believed that strike as a weapon of protest and redressal of grievances came into the world through Europe sometime during the latter half of 19th century as a fall out of communist ideologies. But the Shiv Purana contains a very interesting story of how the entire world was paralysed by a strike resorted by the Wind God (Vayu). Maruti the monkey infant was discarded by his mother Anjana immediately after his birth. The hungry infant, mistaking the rising sun for a fruit jumped to eat it to satisfy his hunger. Noticing this, Indra the King of Devas , inflicted a mortal wound on the little monkey with his mighty sword. Terribly upset over Devendra’s conduct, the Wind God collected the infant’s corpse and freezing himself into a state of inactivity disappeared into the the world. The whole universe came to a standstill and everything became inanimate and motionless. It was not until his demands for the restoration of the life of the infant monkey and the imparting of unmatched strength and immortality on the monkey were met by the Trinity of Gods that he withdrew the strike and brought back life and activity to the world. Since he was hurt on the neck( hanu) he later on came to be known as Hanuman.Vayu or the Wind God therefore rightly deserves to be the called the Father of strikes ..
.EUNUCHS AND GAYS
Among the world’s 6000 languages, Sanskrit the ancient language of India is the only one which has three genders- masculine, feminine and neuter (kleebam/ napumsakam). The Brahmanda Purana contains a scientific and biological explanation of the very genesis of the eunuchs. The several reference to gay relationships in Hindu mythologies do lend credence to the fact that it was a prevalent and accepted practice in ancient India.
RAMAYANA- VERY FUTURISTIC IN OUTLOOK
Advanced technology and high style life have been the hall mark of Ramayana, the great epic of India. The whole epic is sprinkled with such references throughout which does show that ancient India was technologically and culturally far ahead of the rest of the world. Ravana, the king of Lanka did possess an aircraft ( Pushpaka) and knew how to fly it even under difficult situations. As if to outsmart him, a space journey covering the distance from India to Lanka has been credited to Hanuman. A number of arrows and other weapons used in the wars of ancient India had chemical compositions and electric energy of such voltage which baffle even the present day scientists. Sundarakanda describes in detail the scenes of a disco, casino and even a cabaret. This chapter also contains one of the highest principles of diplomatic immunity- one may insult a diplomat but should never harm or take away his life, however provocatively he behaves. Also the invocative sloka of Ramayana goes exactly with the modern concept of a green earth-“kale varshatu parjanyah pridhivee sasya shalinee”. (we pray for timely monsoons so that the earth will be full of trees).
THEORY OF EVOLUTION AND THE TEN AVATARS
Until early 19th century, when Charles Darwin propounded the theory of evolution, the West had blindly relied on the Creator as the cause of the world’s living beings.Darwin;s theory created a sensation among the orthodox who did not take kindly to the new theory. It was even considered anti-establishment and anti-religious and shook the entire Europe’s intelligentsia by storm. However, Darwin’s theory failed to create any excitement in India as it was after all the restatement of the concept of the Avtars described in Bhagawatham- from fish to the perfect man- passing through various stages of physical and intellectual evolution, as an amphibian (Koorma) Man-animal(Nara-Simha), a dwarf, a militant man and then a perfect man. Since this theory had already found a place in Bhagawatham, in India it was revered and accepted as a part of religious belief.
PIONEER IN CORRUPTION
Not to be outdone, the earliest record, even on corruption finds a mention in Bhagawatha. An enraged sage cursed King Pareekshit that he would die of a serpent bite from Thakshaka the Lord of Serpents within seven days. To save himself, the King took shelter inside the sea but was certainly worried that the curse would not go awry. At this point of time, Kashyapa, a needy Brahmin specialized in the cure of snake poison set out to the King’s abode not only to save the king of his impending danger to life but also to get a suitable reward and recognition.. En route, he came across Thakshaka who was proceeding towards the king to accomplish the job. Realising the brahmins’ capability to cure the king of his snake bite, Thakshaka lured him with heavy bribes and sent him back. The king was bitten on the seventh day.
THE SCIENCE OF LOVE
When the Western world thought and treated sex merely as erotic or a reproductive activity, it was India which conferred on the man-woman relationship, the status of a science .. Sage Vatsyayana’s treatise on Kamasutra has been the first and the last word on the Science of love-this greatest book ever written uplifted the sex act from a mere biological phenomenon to a philosophical height, making love holy… the physically united couple elevated to the state of Godhood..
IN MEDICINES TOO
The science of medicine in India is as old as the epics, Lord Dhanwantari being the legendary founder of Indian science of medicine. Charak Samhita on medicines enumerates a large number of diseases, methods of diagnosis and treatment. The first detailed description of surgical replacement of the nose is found in Susrusha Samhita. This book also deals with different types of bone setting, surgery for cataract, and caesarean operations. Susruta not only practiced sterilization by fumigation but also anaesthetics through certain herbal applications which could benumb the body and make the patient immune to pains for some time..It is also reported that under the influence of Jainism and Buddhism, a number of veterinary hospitals functioned in India three hundred to four hundred years before Christ- much ahead of the rest of the world.
During the closing decade of the last century Western nations as a whole ran into hysteric ecstasy on America’s success in cloning of Dolly a sheep. However, a number of references on cloning, genetic engineering and even designer babies are contained in the Devi Mahatmyam and Purushasooktam –two of India’s ancient scriptures.
MANAGEMENT SCHOOL
Kashmir was the centre of world’s learning some 50,000 years back. The Law givers of the world- all carrying a similar name or title (?) graduated from here and preached order and sense to a world dominated by chaos and conflicts .Manu of India, Manes of Egypt, Minos of Greece and Moses of Israel – all reportedly students of the then Kashmir academy-gave political and religious laws of similar kind. The Ten Commandments were based on the Indian Rig Veda which had existed in India for millennia. Even the three wise men from the East who predicted the birth of Jesus were astrologers from India. There is a school of thought which believes that Jesus, in fact lived in India, during his age from nine to 30 ( the unknown years of His whereabouts) and derived his philosophy after a thorough study of Indian Vedas and the Buddhist philosophy .He also learnt His miracles from India . To the barbaric west, which then believed in the theory of?
“an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, Jesus presented a new oriental approach of non-violence based on Buddhism: “if one slaps on your cheek, show him the other”… a completely radical philosophy to the Romans and Jews.
MERA BHARAT MAHAN
India, that is Bharat, is not a fly by night nation; it is not an accident of history arising out of a Norman conquest or a Columbus discovery. It is as old as humanity itself- when God created man with his semblance and intellect. It is a story, a saga of culture and a civilization with a backing of millions of years, the story of a highly intelligent race. In fact, the cultural history of India is not just a matter of high tech to high thinking; it is the proud reckoning of a peoples’ amazing success story of simple living and high thinking, now spreading worldwide.
let us CHANGE INDIAfor INDIA OF TOMORROW.
posted....03/07/09 by B K Chowla
author.....Parur S.Ganesan
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In a recent scientific survey conducted by an established research organisation, there are three items of (almost) daily use that have been identified as equally polluted.
These figures have been released by ASSOCHAM.
THE SUM TOTAL OF THE ABOVE IS -100 CRORES +...... ONE BILLION
