Tall claims on scientific feats in ancient India are made whenever the BJP takes charge (“Science Congress lauds ‘feats’ of ancient India,” Jan.5). It must be remembered that every civilisation can stake claim to such feats, which have remained only as postulates at best; they have not progressed to the stage where they are on a par with achievements in the West. Neither can they be said to have benefited mankind as western science has. The claims on radars, aircraft and so on are just fantasies like Verne’s science fiction on an odyssey to the moon. Tomorrow, there might be a claim that life forms existed on other planets and galaxies as ancient Indian texts believed in the logas (world). The proceedings at the Indian Science Congress show that there is a dire need for a checking of facts.
A.V. Narayanan,Tiruchi
The report shows that archaeologists, epigraphists and historians should demand that people making such claims produce material evidence in support of points being made by them. In 2004, Prof. Rajan of Puduchery University proved beyond reasonable doubt that the writing system of ancient Tamils is the mother of all other writing systems in India. He subjected the potsherd inscriptions he discovered at Porundhal village in Tamil Nadu to scientific dating when several archaeologists and epigraphists wanted more material evidence to strengthen his claim. His discovery was closely followed by the one made by the Chennai circle of the Archaeological Survey of India at Adichanallur village, also in Tamil Nadu. One of the burial urns discovered there contained an inscription in old-Tamizhi script. Thermo-luminescence testing showed the burial urns to be as old as 1000 B.C. Surprisingly, this burial urn that was sent to the Epigraphy Department of the Mysore branch of the ASI’s office, for verification and confirmation, was misplaced, as we were later told. We could only conclude that this was a deliberate act.
T. Geetha,Hyderabad
The “swadeshi rath” appears to be running riot. A few weeks ago, a diehard swadeshi was talking about our own ancient “anashwa rath” being the veritable envy of Henry Ford himself! If Sushrutha did plastic surgery in the 6th Century, why is there no legacy of that pioneering effort in our own Ayurveda? I have experienced the “delightful” fusion of science and spirituality when I was a young officer-trainee in the Army. The granthi (religious teacher) used to stop us on our morning PT run and drop a brain teaser with a clue: “ Saabji, cycle k o woh naam kaise mila, maloom hai.... isliye ki us ka sau kal (100 spokes) hota hai !” Mahabharat yudh mein sou kal kaa prayog hota tha... ! We used to race past him before he popped another Vedic brainteaser. One can recollect what George Santayana wrote in Reason is Science : “Instead of anticipating the physics of the future, they cling to the physics of the past … The first and blameless way of criticising science is to point out that science is incomplete.” Delegates at the Science Congress must note that mythology and science do not mix.
C.V. Venugopalan,Palakkad
I wonder how the science Congress had not thought about such a session for 102 years of its existence but was suddenly enlightened to do it now. Is it to please our rulers or is it out a genuine belief in such concepts?
Mythology and writings in Vedas may be used by believers in various faiths but they may not be scientific. If some of the delegates claim that India possessed such advancement in science and technology, of there being interplanetary aircraft, a radar system and advanced theorems, why do we still find ourselves to be a largely backward nation? There may be a ready answer: that western invaders robbed us all of our treasures and have been using them for their benefit, but we know that this would be silly.
One’s love for one’s country is natural, but it should not be so blind that one could claim disproportionate and unbelievable pride of “achievements” that will only make one a laughing stock.
P. Alwarappan,Coimbatore
