A Tribute to India: How much did you know?

           I wonder how many of us realize that there is a treasure of ancient and modern day artifacts all around us, how many of us really know India. India is a country that will mesmerize you with its intriguing history and fascinating past. India has always been a land of great achievements, people, fables, anecdotes and what not. It goes without saying that it is indeed very difficult to understand and define India in one go. Other than the beauty, culture, rich history, diversity in nature so on and so forth, we have some mind boggling things that continue to awe people all over the world. Let’s see how each one of us fairs this small test. I am going to give you some of the fascinating facts about India. The drill is, you just have to mark the ones you already knew and give your score in the comments to boast about it. Are you ready?

Ancient civilization

1. India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

2. Indians established Harappan culture in Indus Valley Civilization, at a time when many cultures comprised of nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago.

3. Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today. 

4. Indians started cultivating cotton during the 5th – 4th millennium BCE in the Indus Valley Civilization and introduced it to the ancient Greeks who used to wear animal skins and were not even aware of cotton. 

Mathematics

5. The birth of Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus happened in India.

6. The Decimal and Place Value system originated and developed in India.

7. Quadratic equations were propounded by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BC during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).

8. The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.

9. The correct time taken by the earth to revolve around the sun was calculated by the famous astronomer Bhaskaracharya. His calculation showed that the earth takes around 365.258756484 days to go around the sun once.

Education

10. In 700 BC, the world's first university was established in India, in Takshila. It was one of the biggest achievements in the field of education, as more than 10,500 students came from all over the world to receive education in over 60 different subjects.

11. The University of Nalanda was another milestone that was achieved in the field of education in 4th century BC.

12. The oldest written Text – Rigveda: The existence of the Vedas goes beyond recorded history and are said to be passed down from the Gods to the great seers of Bharat. For many human generations the Vedas were passed on through word of mouth, until finally documented by the great Rishis and Swamis. And if the Vedas speak of the Sarasvati River, then it would seem clear that they were written before about 2000 BC, and not later than 1500 BC, as scholars originally believed.

13. First Poetry of the World: The Ramayana is the first poetry of the world. It is a glorious Sanskrit epic written by the Divine Sage Valmiki. It has 24,000 Sankskrit verses. It was later translated by Kamban and Tulsi Das.

14. Longest Poetry of the World: The Mahabarata is the longest poetry ever written. Its 100,000 verses encompass all facets of Dharma or human way of life. It narrates the story about the great Mahabarata war between the noble Pandavas and their evil cousins the Kauravas.

Medicine

15. The earliest school of medicine known to mankind was Ayurveda and it originated in India. Ayurveda is the indigenous system of medicine in India. Ayurveda literally means 'the science of living' (longevity). Unique quality of Ayurveda is that it uncovers and cures the root cause of illness, it is safe, gentle and inexpensive, it sees 6 stages of disease development (where modern medicine only sees the last two stages), it treats people in a personalized manner according to their dosha or constitution and not in any generic manner.

16. Charaka Samhita: World’s first Medical Textbook: In 500 BC Maharishi Charaka wrote the famous Charaka Samhita or Physicians’ Handbook. The Charaka Samhita went into great detail to describe human anatomy, pathology, diagnostic procedures, and treatment for various diseases. Charaka also described the functions of the heart and the circulatory system in great detail.

17. Surgery existed in India even 2600 years ago, when Sushruta, known as the Father of Surgery, conducted many complex surgeries. Sushruta as early as 600 BC used cheek skin to perform plastic surgery to restore and reshape human nose, ears, and lips with incredible results. Shushruta describes the details of more than 300 operations and 125 kinds of surgical instruments . The valuable ancient scriptures have detailed information on Cataract, Artificial Limbs, Cesareans, Fractures, Urinary Stone Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Brain Surgeries. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

18. The art of Yoga that is now popular worldwide originated in India only and was performed by highly revered sages, in the ancient times.

Religion

19. The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, followed by 25% of the world's population originated in India. 

20. Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively. Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577. 

Engineering and Architecture

21. Adam’s Bridge or Rama Setu: Various theories have been proposed that prove that it was actually an engineering marvel and not just a godly creation. I believe it is a bit of both.

22. As a world heritage site, Ellora caves is a perfect example of magnificent design, architecture, structure and individuality. The entire temple has been carved out of a huge mountain, a technique so unique and hard to accept from that period. It remains one of its kinds in the entire world. Looks like a well contemplated result of a very advanced civilization.

23. Hand Carved Sundials (clock ) at Konark Temple: This temple is dedicated to the Sun god Surya, and no wonder that it embodies an accurate clock, which dates back to 1250 A.D. The whole sanctuary is a flawlessly adorned chariot mounted on 24 wheels (for day clocks and night clocks), each around 10 feet in measurement and drawn by 7 strong stallions. The 7 steeds speak to the times of the week and the 12 sets of wheels speak to the 12 months of the year.

24. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

25. The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

Mining and metallurgy

26. Worldwide, India was the only source of diamonds until the discovery of mines in Brazil in the 18th century. Almost 5000 years ago, diamonds were first recognized and mined in central India.

27. India was the world-leader in Metallurgy. Gold jewelry is available from 3,000 BCE. Brass and bronze pieces are dated back to 1,300 BCE. Extraction of zinc from ore by distillation was used in India as early as 400 BCE while William Campion patented the process some 2,000 years later. There is an iron pillar in Delhi dating back to 400 CE that shows no sign of rust or decay. The earliest known book on metallurgy was written by sage Nagarjuna in 10th century.

Population:

28. More than 54 crore people voted in the 2014 General Election – more people than the population of USA, UK, Australia and Japan combined.

29. Number of births in India every year is more than the total population of Australia, and many other nations.

30. India has the largest English speaking population in the world, yes with that literacy rate.

31. The 2011 Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims. The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.

Connectivity

32. The world’s largest road network is in India—over 1.9 million miles of roads cover the country.

33. India also has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

34. The Indian Railways has the largest network of railways with the largest work force employed in its various departments.

Indian Army

35. The Indian Army is the largest voluntary force in the world with a combat trained cavalry regiment. The Indian Army protects the highest combat zone on planet earth, Siachen glacier. The Army training school at siachen is one of its kind.

So, How much did you score out of 35?

           I mostly focused on historical achievements but India is scaling new heights every day, making new records each hour and reaching new milestones each second. There are innumerable modern day accomplishments but enumerating all of them in just one post may not be possible but what you can take away from this one is that India is much much more than you and I can ever imagine. Just embrace the greatness around you and always be proud to be Indian.

P.S. This is just a representative list and not an exhaustive one. You may add your own inputs to add to the greatness.

Salute to Netaji: 23rd Jan

        It has been more than 68 years since our national flag breathed free air for the first time in 1947 and we owe it to our heroes who laid down their lives for it. We can never be sure about who played the most pivotal role in the 'struggle for independence' but one thing is certain that it was a joint effort and that it did not happen “ बिना खड़ग बिना ढाल” . There were people who, at a tender age of 23 years, wilfully took the path of martyrdom in the hope that it may help incite a revolution that might uproot the British Empire: he was Shaheed Bhagat singh. There were more fighters than we can name but only a few shone as the leader, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was one such prodigy. 

        You may think that I am exaggerating but Netaji's feats are way beyond the ordinary. Be it cracking Indian Civil Services, being the Congress President, consorting with Germany and Japan to raise the Indian National Army, taking the British Empire head-on, establishing Provisional Government of Free India with Japanese support and what not. The government of Azad Hind even had its own currency, court and civil code, and its existence gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British. Immediately after the formation, Azad Hind Fauj declared war against the Anglo-American allied forces on the Indo-Burma Front. Some may argue that it was a complete failure but many (including me) believe that it was much more than meets the eye. 

Let me ask you a simple question: Why did the British leave India?
     Amidst all the celebrations, we often forget to introspect and the simple facts like these gets ignored. The Quit India movement of 1942 had subsided and nothing major was happening in the mainstream politics, the world war was over and the British had finished on the winning side, Netaji was no more and INA also had to face defeat at the hands of the Royal Army. So, why did the  British actually leave?

          British PM Lord Clement Atlee – responsible for conceding India’s Independence, answered the all important question during a visit to Free India in 1956 when he mentioned this directly to Justice Chakraborty who was then the acting governor, he said - The final decision to “leave India in a hurry” was due to the “activities of Subhas Chandra Bose which weakened the very foundations of the attachment of the Indian land and naval forces to the British Government”. Also, that in his assessment, Mahatma Gandhi had “minimal” impact on British policies.

          Elaborating further on this subject: In August 1945, Netaji had allegedly died, yes I said ‘allegedly’ because the real story still lies behind hundreds of classified files and in my mind the conspiracy further deepened when I saw the promo of a new series “Hunting Hitler” to be aired on History channel which alleges to prove that Hitler may have actually died years after he staged his own suicide after the second world war. A similar story of Netaji may be lying somewhere waiting to be unearthed. I seriously doubt that his disappearance was just bad luck. Anyway coming back to the point, after the loss of INA, three of the top officers – General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem Sehgal and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were put on trial at the Red Fort in Delhi along with all the captured soldiers. Their crime was “waging war against the King Emperor”. It only proved to be their biggest mistake as the British realised with alarm, during the open trials, the transformation of the perception of Azad Hind fauj from traitors and collaborators to "the greatest among the patriots". Given the tide of militant nationalism that swept through India and the resentment and revolts it inspired, it is arguable that its overarching aim, to foster a revolution within the Indian forces of the British Indian Army and Navy to overthrow the British Empire, was ultimately successful. Netaji may have even foreseen that and may it was all that he always meant to achieve with INA. It may be just a speculation but if it was true, each one of the soldier of Indian National Army deserves a standing ovation. 

On Netaji’s birth anniversary, I wish that his soul rests in peace.
“Jai Hind”

Source Here

Forgotten Heroes...

                       Heroes are remembered but Legends never die. I liked this quote but wonder if it is still true. Because I think we are beginning to forget our Legends. The mere fact that 'someone in his youth could think of giving up his life just to give a message or erect an army against the mighty British without political support' gives me chills. We should keep the faith and respect all those who gave their lives for us. #JaiHind

के जिनके बलिदान के बिस्तर पर, हम चादर ताने सोते हैं,

भूल बैठे हैं आहुति उनकी, के ख़्वाब बड़े...पर दिल छोटे हैं,

के जीते थे जो हम-तुम के लिए, शहादत पे उनकी हम क्यूँ रोते हैं,

के आओ नमन करें उन वीरों को, और खुशियों के बीज बोते हैं,

के मोक्ष मिले हर साये को, जो सरहद पर जीवन खोते हैं,

के बेनाम नहीं शहीद हैं वो, वो देश के बेटे होते हैं...वो देश के बेटे होते हैं ||

I know independence day is yet to come but Birth Anniversary of any of our heroes is no less than The Independence Day itself.Just felt like doing this "Happy Birthday to Chandrashekhar Azad : 23rd July".  

The 'Haider' Phenomenon

          This recent Shahid Kapoor starer release has inadvertently put critics versus patriots and sparked a new debate. This is a four pronged war  rather than a regular 'for' and 'against' debate  and you are a part of it whether  you watched it or not. The four warheads are : 

                1. Critics : These are the people who appreciated the high points of the movie irrespective of the fact that who liked it or who was hurt.  And at least the acting and performances can be appreciated by everyone alike leaving aside the controversial parts.

Note: It also includes movie buffs/Shahid's fans/mechanical hearts who just went in to have a good time, appreciated the jig and just dispersed into the crowd.

                2. Die hard patriots/customary Indians : They just refused to watch and talk about it on the pretext that it is anti-Army and observed an absolute boycott.

Note: It does not include people who refused to watch it due to any other reason.

            3. The sympathisers : They  are  the people    who   were  moved by the pain and sufferings of kashmiris  either after watching the movie or were preconditioned to do so. Although the range of emotions spanned from casually putting their view when time called - to thrusting their anger up everyone’s ass.

               4. The progressive minds :  These are the people who may or may not have watched the movie but appreciate the performances, agree/ sympathized with the torture the kashmiris had to face  and MOST IMPORTANTLY advocate the missing BIG PICTURE. It may be true that many have suffered but the fact that the soldiers have risked their lives for our own safety cannot be ignored and if they were not here many more would have suffered at the hands of these militants.  

I            'If the kashmiris live in fear , so does the soldier'.  You cant imagine the fear a soldier bears who has survived a mine attack on an unsuspecting army convoy, leave aside the loss of a soldier who succumbed to it.

Flaw in the script :

   

    

           The writer failed to include the terrorists in the story (may be intentionally). And the ones shown in the movie seems more like saints than extremist and are never seen hurting people. This is unfortunate because it completely ignores the fact that Army was put there with special powers to restrict the  militants only and not the innocent civilians as depicted in the movie.  It should also be noted that AFSPA would not have been in place if there was not a continuous risk of Pakistani militant insurgency  or extremist revolutions. It has put the Honorable ARMY in a dubious spot which is not expected of filmmaker of Vishal Bhardwaj’s stature .

Verdict : Critically acclaimed but Should Have Included Terrorists.

Indian Army : The saviour of sportsmen

                

    “करके  फरियाद  जाने  क्यूँ  उसे  शर्मिंदा  किया  करते  हैं........ख़बर  जिसे  हर  राज़-ए-दिल  की है;

                      ख़्वाब  वो  सुनहरे  चूमेंगे  ख़ुद  ही  कदम.......गर  हम  उनके  क़ाबिल  भी  हैं...”

                The name of Indian Army is almost synonymous with bravery and glory. Every single soldier is a hero himself. Their eyes  shining  with  pride, head held high  and their uniform studded with medals speak of their heroics and valor. Some of these brave hearts rise to heaven protecting the mother India  while  some hold our hands with compassion  when  mother nature gets angry. Each one of them deserves a grand  salute. The Indian Army  have been formidable in the battlefield but not many know that they have also  dominated  the sports arena for many years. They have given some of the greatest sporting legends to the country and put India on a global stage. In the social turmoil of poverty ridden India, the Indian Army proved to be the perfect breeding ground for legends whose extraordinary feats totally eclipsed their meager  backgrounds. Undoubtedly, it was their sheer hard work  and passion for their sport that took them to such great heights but the Indian army certainly laid down the foundation stone. The army aptly played the best matchmaker here and who knows how they would have met their dreams without the Indian Army by their side. Sadly,  still many of such prodigies might not have made it out of their backyards.

              First among such heroes to rise to the occasion was the one who went on to become the face of the Indian national sport - Major Dhyan chand (1905- 3 Dec, 1979). He is best remembered for his extraordinary goal scoring feats and the 3 successive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 32 and 36 in hockey. But this legend first met with  his  hockey stick in the army grounds only and they fell in love instantly. The Army gave him the much needed opportunity and then there was no turning back. He did not just win matches but hearts also and that too of the likes of Adolf Hitler and Sir Don Bradman. He was truly the “magician of hockey” and  his  dream run in hockey never had any major low points.

                                        “He scores goals like runs in cricket”                                                                                                              - Sir Don Bradman

                 To commemorate his contribution to the legacy, his birthday, 29^th August, is celebrated as the National Sports Day and the highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is named after him. He went all over the world and left his mark everywhere, from Vienna to London. But  after  he retired from the army as Major, all his medals lost their luster. He couldn't tackle  this time and destiny scored. He was left penniless and debilitated. It  is a  shame  that  a legend of  his stature had  to die of liver cancer in a financial crisis. If you think it was sad then  the  next   story  was  even worse in terms of  its  climax. He was Subedar Paan Singh Tomar. He  never  always  knew what steeple chase was but the hurdles were no match for his agility  and hard work. He became the National Champion seven times and his record of 9 min 4 sec in 3000 mtr steeple chase remained unbeaten for a decade. But then a family feud went berserk and he had to retire early only to fall prey to the dark side of his destiny. Further events took such a tragic turn that the story culminated in the transformation of an international sportsperson into a dacoit. He  was  hunted down and killed in an encounter few years later. It is a pity that a champion died a criminals  death. But this next legend’s past was as gory and filled with bloodshed as were Paan Singh’s last days. He was the ‘flying Sikh’ himself - Milkha Singh. 

                   He also met the sprinter in him after joining the army as Sepoy only. The feats he achieved set a new benchmark in athletics. After amassing a pile of medals, he ran his dream run in 1960 Olympics. He just missed the medal but his record time of 45.73 sec for 300 mtr was glued to his name for 40 years. He was the only male individual to win athletics gold medal in commonwealth games until Vikas Gowda did it in discus throw in 2014. He subsequently became the Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education, from which he retired in 1998 but still serving the country in one way or the other. This next legend is also serving the country and is still active in sports and preparing to fetch 6th World Champion Title for her three kids. She is M.C. Mary Kom. She never served in the army but the Indian navy cheekily played a vital role in boosting her career. Mary Kom was deeply inspired by a Manipuri boxer ‘Dingko Singh’ who served in Indian navy and won 1998 Asian Games gold medal in boxing. She later trained under the same coach and went on to become a boxing legend. The connection is small but nevertheless important.

                  All these legends were unique in their own way but they all shared something in common too. They all belonged to meager backgrounds and realized their dreams only after joining the Armed forces. They were all naturally gifted and born winners and the army catapulted their potential to another level. The Armed Forces deserves a salute for their contribution to their sporting careers. These legends dominated each of their sporting fields for decades and set unmatchable records but sadly, some of them were forgotten in their last days. With their splendid performances they made one thing more than clear that 

“we may be lagging behind in medal tallies 

but we were never scarce in talent”. 

                       We just need to look around with intent and such legends will keep coming up, each with a more inspiring story than the other. But a performer is nothing without an audience and the least we can do is, pick a sport and follow and support it with all our heart and let them hear the echoes of our screams till their last breath. The political and administrative changes will take their time but we have our hearts and that’s all we have to give. These legends need us as much as we need them. So, come forward and make India proud.

Biographies:

Dhyan Chand  - Goal                                                                               

Milkha Singh   - Race of my life               

Mary Kom        - Unbreakable