NEW DELHI: A series of sensational claims, including that ancient Hindu sages were the pioneers of aviation and algebra, have triggered a furious debate in Indian academic circles amid warnings that nationalist breast-beating could undermine the country’s burgeoning scientific reputation.
A weekend conclave of experts and researchers, whose guests included new Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was intended to highlight some of the latest achievements by India’s scientific community.
The nation’s scientific prowess received a major boost last year when it became the first Asian country to reach Mars, a breakthrough that academics hoped would make people view India in a different light.
However, the headlines from the weekend conference in Mumbai were dominated by the contributions in a session devoted to Vedic science, which appeared in ancient Hindu scriptures.
Former pilot turned author Anand J Bodas said Maharishi Bhardwaj – a sage of the Vedic period (around 1500 – 500 BC) – had laid down as many as “500 guidelines” on flying in one of the ancient Hindu texts much before Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century ideas for flying machines and the American Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903.
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