- 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 grandmother of tradition."
- Mark Twain
"India Conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border."
- Hu Shih, former ambassador of China to USA
Nothing better summarises, India & its contribution to this world, than the above mentioned statements made by some notable personalities.
The world would not have been able to progress from the Old Stone Age to the present day Cyber Age without Decimal, zero and Calculus, which were all invented in India. Arthshashtra, the first book of Economics cum Strategy Management was written in India by Kautilya. In ancient times, Nalanda and Taxila were the highest seat of learning all across the world. They were in those days what Harvard, Wharton or LSE are today. The mystic world of space and astronomy were first decoded in India. During the Gupta period, no one had to lock his house while going out, and no one in the village or town had to sleep with a hungry stomach. It was a period in the world History, where literacy, science, technology & arts were at their zenith. One may come across hundreds of mighty empires which flourished under the power of sword, but one will seldom come across an empire which provided the quality of life which Gupta period in India did.
Some of the oldest books of the world like the Vedas, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat were written in India. The knowledge & teachings of these books are nothing but India's gift to the mankind.
The story of King Harishchandra who was an apostle of truth & honesty. And the life of Lord Ram are an example for the entire world. How many 'would be' kings renounce their crown and wilfully go to an exile, to keep up their father's promise (like lord Ram did in Ramayan)? These are the values which don't just build a nation but do a world of good to the entire mankind. In other words, Indian history is not just about science, arts & literature, it is also about establishing a value system in the society.
Yoga which has become a fad in the world today, originated in India. Aurveda, music, dance etc also originated from the Vedas. Look at the amazing temples of South India. They are architectural masterpieces and Engineering marvels.
Talking in terms of military warfare, Martial arts was first introduced in India. Tipu Sultan is believed to be the first man in the world to have used missiles. Today we swear by the name of Geneva convention, but look at the practises of the ancient Indian warriors. They would never attack an unarmed enemy. They would never attack an enemy who is running away or is showing his back. They would never attack someone who has surrendered. They would never attack anyone below the waist and they would never fight in nights. Aren't these practises good enough to dwarf the protocols of modern day Geneva convention?
One may finish counting the number of stars in the Sky, but he may still be left with many virtues of India, that are yet to be counted ! Since I am a petty mortal, so I am in no mood to undertake this impossible mission. I will better conclude this article through the following song from one of Manoj Kumar's classics:
4 comments:
Remarkable moments since Independence.....
The Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned scientific mission to the moon, blasted off successfully from Sriharikota on 22 October 2008. With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1, India has joined an exclusive club of nations including the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan to have sent missions to moon. On November 14, 2008, the Moon Impact Probe separated from the Moon-orbiting Chandrayaan at 20:06 and impacted the lunar south pole in a controlled manner, making India the fourth country to place its flag on the Moon.
Kargil War: A Glorious Victory for India: July 26, 1999 is emblazoned in the annals of Indian history as a day when the determined Indian forces achieved a glorious victory over the retreating Pakistani army. The war, which was triggered following the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC), is one of the most recent examples of high altitude warfare in mountainous terrain, which posed significant logistical problems for the combating sides.
India's World Cup Cricket win: Kapils devils defied all odds and shocked the mighty West Indies to claim the coveted 1983 Cricket World Cup. After being bowled out for a paltry 183 in the final, Indian bowlers roared back to dismiss the much famed West Indies line-up for 140 to have the last laugh. Underdogs India's triumphs at the Lord's heralded a new chapter in the history of Indian cricket.
Tata Nano: Dubbed as the 'people's car', the Tata Nano has become the symbol of India's ambitions to leave it imprints as a modern nation. The Nano catapulted the dreams of many Indians to have a shot at urban prosperity. Describes as an eco friendly car, the Nano was the cynosure of all for its low price tag. Tata is also believed to be making an electric version of the Nano, called the E-Nano, which might well turn out to be the world's cheapest electric car.
Taj Mahal among New 7 Wonders: The worldwide effort to find the New 7 Wonders of the World which started in 2000, ended on 07/07/07 after hectic worldwide campaigning and international voting for the 21 finalists and effort by their countries to get their top monuments to win. And Taj Mahal, symbol of architectural wonder, found its place in the Seven Wonders of the World.
Miss World achievements: India has always been keen about the Miss World contest. Although Fleur Ezekiel was the first women to represent India in the Miss World Contest, popularity of this event gained ground in post-1994, when the European developed countries were left behind as India won both the Miss World and Miss Universe titles. After Aishwarya Rai, Daina Hayden won the title in 1997, Yukta Mookhey in 1999 and Priyanka Chopra in 2000. Since then, it has become a dream for millions to wear that coveted crown.
Konkan railway: Konkan railway was a sweeping challenge and it met its hero in Dr. E. Sreedharan, a veteran railway man known for brisk efficiency. Today the Konkan Railway, wends its fast and safe way through scenic country not despoilt by the pieces of engineering created for it. Konkan is an epitome of Indian engineering, efficiency, innovation, economy, speed, environmental awareness, public relations, aesthetics and service.
Some more like:
Indian Satellite Aryabhata Lunched
Pokharan Test
Agni Missiles etc
Green Revolution
White revolution of India popularly known as 'Milk Revolution'
Journey from Doordarshan to Dish TV
etc etc ..
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There are many more remarkable moments in India which we need to be proud....
read more at http://www.proud2bindian.in
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Hi Asit,
Read these thoughts. I agree with whatever you have said above but at the end of it all, I can't help but say this:
I am my grandfather's grandson.
I think I would like to be with an Identity of my own. So would I prefer my country to be.
Just my thoughts.
Hindu Pratibha ke Darshan (Hindi), Ravi Kumar, Suruchi Prakashan, Pp 249 (HB), Rs 200.00
THIS is a compilation of talks presented at the gurupuja held in Chennai in July 2004. In this the orange flag is expounded upon as the guru and integral to gurupuja. Both gurupuja and the orange flag find mention in our Vedas.
Thomas Alva Edison, in the 19th century, recorded Max Mueller’s speech in England on a record. When the record was played to a large audience of intellectuals, they were fascinated to hear Prof Max Mueller’s voice. They praised Edison for his discovery. Prof Max Mueller stood on the dais and addressed the intellectuals thus: "In the morning you heard me and in the afternoon you heard my voice on this instrument. Could you understand what I had said in the morning and what the record of my voice said in the afternoon?"
Nobody in the audience could say anything as they had not understood the language spoken by him, though they were all curious to know about it. To satisfy their curiosity, Max Mueller explained, "It was spoken in Sanskrit language in which the first shloka from the Rig Veda is recited - Agnimah iley purohitam." He elaborated further by explaining that the Vedas were the oldest treatise of mankind, written when the people of Europe were still jumping like chimpanzees on trees and covering themselves with leaves. He said that if asked which country in the world was most civilised and had progressed the maximum in education and culture, "I would reply ‘India’." Undoubtedly it was the Indians who had reached the most advanced stage of civilisation and provided much useful information to the world through their Vedas.
Archaeologists and anthropologists consider the Saraswati river as old as 8000 BC and even the Vedas describe it. The author also describes the guru-shishya and gurupuja tradition which we have received in our heritage.
Hindu Pratibha ke Darshan (Hindi), Ravi Kumar, Suruchi Prakashan, Pp 249 (HB), Rs 200.00
THIS is a compilation of talks presented at the gurupuja held in Chennai in July 2004. In this the orange flag is expounded upon as the guru and integral to gurupuja. Both gurupuja and the orange flag find mention in our Vedas.
Thomas Alva Edison, in the 19th century, recorded Max Mueller’s speech in England on a record. When the record was played to a large audience of intellectuals, they were fascinated to hear Prof Max Mueller’s voice. They praised Edison for his discovery. Prof Max Mueller stood on the dais and addressed the intellectuals thus: "In the morning you heard me and in the afternoon you heard my voice on this instrument. Could you understand what I had said in the morning and what the record of my voice said in the afternoon?"
Nobody in the audience could say anything as they had not understood the language spoken by him, though they were all curious to know about it. To satisfy their curiosity, Max Mueller explained, "It was spoken in Sanskrit language in which the first shloka from the Rig Veda is recited - Agnimah iley purohitam." He elaborated further by explaining that the Vedas were the oldest treatise of mankind, written when the people of Europe were still jumping like chimpanzees on trees and covering themselves with leaves. He said that if asked which country in the world was most civilised and had progressed the maximum in education and culture, "I would reply ‘India’." Undoubtedly it was the Indians who had reached the most advanced stage of civilisation and provided much useful information to the world through their Vedas.
Archaeologists and anthropologists consider the Saraswati river as old as 8000 BC and even the Vedas describe it. The author also describes the guru-shishya and gurupuja tradition which we have received in our heritage.
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