Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Interesting facts while India celebrates 60th Independent Day

Paul Ciniraj

1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.

2. India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'

3. The world's first University was established in Takshashila in 700 BC. 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.
4. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

5. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

6. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

7. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have published in 1999 that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.

8. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from Inida. 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 1053.

9. According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.

10. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.

12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

13. Chess was invented in India.

14. 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 anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.

15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilisation).

16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

17. Vasco de Gama had an Indian translator to communicate with Indians when he invaded India. (It means an unknown Indian landed (invaded) Portugese many years before the arrival of Vasco de Gama to India).

QUOTES

We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. (Albert Einstein).
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition. (Mark Twain).
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. (French scholar Romain Rolland).
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. (Hu Shih - Former Chinese Ambassador to USA).
But, if we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in India we see today, it means that we are not working up to our potential and that if we do, we could once again be an evershining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow. I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare and developement of INDIA. (Paul Ciniraj).

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