- Acharya Kanad, who lived around 600 BCE, is considered the founder of atomic theory. He proposed that all objects in the universe are made up of microscopic indivisible particles called atoms.
- Ancient India had world-class universities like Takshila and Nalanda that taught over 60 subjects to over 10,000 students from all over the world as early as 700 BCE.
- Indian scientists and scholars like Acharya Charak, Sushrut, Aryabhata, Bhaskara I, Bhaskara II, and Varahamihira made pioneering contributions in diverse fields like medicine, surgery, mathematics, astronomy, and metallurgy many centuries before their Western
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Ancient Indian Science Pioneers
1. Science
Past, Present & Future
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M.P. Pollution Control Board, Bhopal
Dr. Gunwant Joshi
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CERN LHC
3. Acharya Kanad (600 BCE)
He was the pioneer expounder of realism,
law of causation and the atomic theory.
He classified all the objects of creation
into nine elements : earth, water, light,
wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul.
Þi`fFkO;kiLrstksÞi`fFkO;kiLrstksÞi`fFkO;kiLrstksÞi`fFkO;kiLrstks ok;qjkdkok;qjkdkok;qjkdkok;qjkdk’’’’kakakaka dkyksfnXkRokeudkyksfnXkRokeudkyksfnXkRokeudkyksfnXkRokeu bfrbfrbfrbfr ææææO;kf.kO;kf.kO;kf.kO;kf.kßßßß
He said, "Every object of creation is made of
atoms which in turn connect with each other to
form molecules." 2500 years before John Dalton.
He further said
ßæ"Vkuka] æ"VÁ;kstukuka] æ"VkHkkos Á;ksxks vH;qn;k;Þ
FOUNDER OF ATOMIC THEORY, believed to have been born
in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat, he propounded
"Vaisheshik Darshan"- one of six principal philosophies of India
Kanad also described the dimension and motion of atoms and
their chemical reactions with each other.
Seen by self, Shown to the others, and through the
experiments, done to know more details, lead the path to the Development.
4. The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700BC.
More than 10,500 students from all over the world (Babylonia, Greece, Syria,
Arabia and China) studied more than 60 subjects.
The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest
university in ancient India and Once housed over 90 lakh books
5. Acharya Charak (600 BCE)FATHER OF MEDICINE.
Acharya Charak revealed through his innate
genius and enquiries the facts on the human
anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, blood
circulation and the diseases like diabetes,
tuberculosis, heart disease, etc. and also
emphasized the influence of diet & activity on
mind and body.
He also proved the correlation of spirituality and
physical health contributed greatly to diagnostic
and curative sciences.
He further prescribed the ethical charter for
medical practitioners two centuries prior to the
Hippocratic oath.
"Charak Samhita", considered to be an
Encyclopedia of Ayurveda embodies his
principles, diagoneses, and cures besides
medicinal qualities & functions of 100,000plants.
6. ACHARYA SUSHRUT (600 BCE)
He is venerated as the father of plastic surgery and
the science of anesthesia. When surgery was in its
infancy in Europe, Sushrut was performing Rhinoplasty
(restoration of a damaged nose) and other challenging
operations.
He prescribes treatment for twelve types of fractures &
six types of dislocations, and his details on human
embryology are simply amazing.
Sushrut used 125 types of surgical instruments
including scalpels, lancets, needles, Catheters and
rectal speculums. He has also described a number of
stitching methods; the use of horse's hair & fibers of
bark as thread .
"Sushrut Samhita," details 300 types of operations.
The ancient Indians were the pioneers in amputation,
caesarian and cranial surgeries.
A master surgeon, Sushrut details first ever surgery procedures in
"Sushrut Samhita," a unique encyclopedia of surgery.
7. ARYABHATT, Astronomer & Mathematician
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur (Bihar), He
remapped the boundaries of mathematics
and astronomy.
In 499 CE, He wrote "Aryabhatiyam"
Formulated the process of calculating the
motion of planets and the time of eclipses.
First to proclaim “The earth is round,
it rotates on its axis, orbits the
sun and is suspended in space”
1000 years before Copernicus published
his heliocentric theory.
He is also acknowledged for calculating p
(Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the
sine table in trigonometry.
Most spectacular contribution was the
concept of zero without which modern
development in science & Technology was
not possible
8. NAGARJUNA (100 CE)
WIZARD OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE & Metallurgy
"Ras Ratnakar, Ras Hrudaya" and
"Rasendra mangal" are his renowned
contributions to the chemistry.
As the author of medical books like
"Arogyamanjari" and "Yogasar," he
also made significant contributions to
the field of curative medicine.
Indians knew of extraction of Iron,Gold
Silver,Zinc,Lead,Mercury & Copper from the
ores and also mastered technique of
making different Alloys from these
Metals such as Non rust Steel,Brass,
Bronze etc
gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and lead (Pb)
Panchloha
His discoveries and inventions in chemistry &
metallurgy were phenomenal.
9. Clay Retort
Ref. Rasaratna samucchaya
Metallurgy – eco friendly Zawar process for Zinc (500 BC)
The furnace has two chambers.
One with inverted retorts
another with condensing
vessels under each retort.
Retort is filled with calcined
ore, charcoal,salt etc. A reed is
set in the middle and a funnel
like condenser fitted at the end
and sealed with the vessel.
Retort is heated to 1200o
C. to vaporise
zinc. At this temperature reed gets burnt
and other materials release CO to create
reducing atmosphere. Zinc trickles down
through a path created by burnt reed.
10. Historian Vincent Smith writes
“While we marveled at the skill shown by ancient artificers in forging the great
mass of Delhi pillar, we must give a still greater measure of admiration to the
forgotten craftsmen, who dealt so successfully in producing the still more
ponderous iron mass of the Dhar pillar monument”.
14 meters in height and 7 MT in weight
(3 pieces together), built by Bhoj
in (1000-1055AD) “is a largest
non corrosive Iron Pillar in the world”
Kollur Pillar
375CE
327 CE
11. Bhāskara-I (600-680 CE)
A Poet, Astronomer & Mathematician
First to write numbers in the Hindu-
Arabic decimal system with a circle
for zero, and gave a unique and
remarkably rational approximation of
the sine function in his commentary
on Aryabhata's work Āryabhaṭīya bhāṣya,
in 629 CE, also wrote Mahā bhāskarīya
and the Laghu bhāskarīya.
implies that the ratio of the circumference to the diameter
is ((4 + 100) × 8 + 62000)/20000 = 62832/20000 = 3.1416
12. Bhaskaracharya II (1114-1183 CE)
In his treatise "Siddhant Shiromani" he
writes on planetary positions, eclipses,
cosmography, mathematical techniques
and astronomical equipment.
In the "Surya Siddhant" he makes a
note on the force of gravity: "Objects
fall on earth due to a force of attraction
by the earth. Therefore, the earth,
planets, constellations, moon, and sun
are held in orbit due to this attraction."
500 years before Newton.
GENIUS IN ALGEBRA Born in Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra,
his texts in Algebra, Arithmetic & Geometry, "Lilavati" and
"Bijaganita" got translated in several languages of the world
Also wrote texts on “Grahaganita” and “Goladhyaya”
13. Whatever I learnt from experts and whatever I confirmed by experimentation, only
that, I have included in this book and whatever could not be confirmed has not
been included in my book.
Further, he states that my student should reconfirm by performing experiment by
their own hands. Those who follow this is a true teacher and student.
All others are just Drama Actors.
Ref.13th Century book by Yeshodhar
Superfine Textile YOGA Ship building
Walmiki [2500 BC]
Yog vashistha
Patanjali [2400 BC]
Indian system of Measurement of Distance, time & Making of Calendar
14. Vasco da Gama, as per his diary kept in Spanish
Museum, in 1497,saw a three times bigger ship in
Jhanjibar and met its Gujarati owner named
“Skanda” with who’s help He came to India
In 1811, Lt. Walker writes that East India
company had an Indian ship “Daria Daulat”
which did not require maintenance for 87 years
He further proved statistically, the Indian ships
were much cheaper & better in quality than
English ships and advised East India Company
to use Indian ships only
Indian Trade & Shipping
1814 - British Government passed an act to ban
Indian ships and Indian sailors from visiting
British Ports
1863- Act was strictly implemented and heavy
taxes were levied on the goods from Indian Ships
to bring about the end the Indian Ship Industry.
15. Some other Path Breaking Indian Discoveries
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The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 10
6
(10 to the
power of 6) whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10
53
(10 to the power
of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period
Even today, the largest used number is Tera, ie, 10
12
(10 to the power of 12)
Agastya samhita [3500/2700 BC] Electrical energy
Chemical to Electrical energy conversion [Kumbh]
100 cells [shat kumbh] Electrolysis & electroplating
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,,,,oaoaoaoa ’’’’krkukakrkukakrkukakrkuka daqHkkukadaqHkkukadaqHkkukadaqHkkuka la;ksxla;ksxla;ksxla;ksx dk;Zadk;Zadk;Zadk;Za ÑÑÑÑr~Le`rar~Le`rar~Le`rar~Le`ra
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Viman shastra - by Maharshi Bhardwaja
Mechanics,Kinetics & Machines- Prashastpad Bhashya on Vaisheshik sutra
Town planning & Architecture – Maharshi Wishwakarma
Bhrugu Shilp shastra Samhita: Maharshi Bhrugu
Mantra Chintamani - Maharshi Chakradhar
16. Jagdeesh Chandra Bose (1858-1937)
Response of Plants & metals to
mechanical, thermal, chemical, and
electrical stimulus
“The invisible light can pass through
brick walls, buildings etc. Therefore,
messages can be transmitted by
means of it without wires.”
"J.C. Bose successfully generated microwave and
mili meter waves. " He was at least 60 years ahead
of his time" and In fact, he had already anticipated
the existence of P-type & N-type semiconductors.“
Great Indian Polymath, Physicist, Biologist , Botanist,
Archeologist & Science fiction writer
17. Prafull Chandra Ray (1861-1944)
For first time made stable Mercurous Nitrate &
other Mercury, Copper and Magnesium salts.
Established Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical
Works Ltd.
1885 obtained his BSc degree and
1887 DSc from University of Edinburgh on
“Conjugated Sulphates of the Copper-
magnesium Group: A Study of Isomorphous
Mixtures and Molecular Combinations.”
Authored “ A History of Hindu Chemistry
from the Earliest Times to the Middle of
Sixteenth Century” in(1902).
18. Sriniwas Ramanujan (1887-1920)
With no formal training in pure mathematics, made
extraordinary contributions to Mathematical Analysis, ,
Number theory, infinite series & Continued Fractions
By age of 12, mastered Trigonometry by S.L. Loney;
Discovered new theorems and independently re-
discovered Euler's identity, Bernoulli numbers and
the Euler–Mascheroni constant.
G.H. Hardy, recognizing his work, invited Ramanujan to visit &
work at Cambridge. He Was awarded a B.A. degree by research
(this degree was later renamed PhD) in March 1916 for his work
on highly composite numbers,He became a Fellow of the Royal
Society and a Fellow of Trinity College for his investigation in
Elliptic functions & the Theory of Numbers."
By 13 October 1918 Ramanujan independently compiled nearly
3900 results (mostly identities and equations) which inspired a
vast amount of further research
19. February 28,1928, C.V. Raman & K.S. Krishnan,led
the experiments on scattering of light discovered the
Raman Effect & further proved the quantum nature of light.
Also worked on Accoustics,
Vibrations of Indian Musical
instruments, Spectroscopic
determination of structure of
crystals, Optics of collides,
Electrical and Magnetic
properties, and also on
Physiology of vision
Chandrashekhar Venkat Raman (1888-1970)
20. There are 3.22 Million Indians in America.
38% of Doctors in America are Indians.
12% of Scientists in America are Indians.
36% of NASA employees are Indians.
34% of MICROSOFT employees are Indians
28% of IBM employees are Indians
17% of INTEL employees are Indians
13% of XEROX employees are Indians
Hot mail & JXTr : Sabeer Bhatia,Pentium: Vinod Dham
Arun Netravalli: HDTV,
21. India is:
the largest democracy in the world
2nd largest population (youngest in World)
4th nation to have a nuclear submarine
5th largest economy in the world
5th nation in the multi billion dollar space commerce
4th nation in the world to develop ICBM's (14,000km)
3rd nation to develop land & sea based cruise missiles
India is the 7th nuclear power in the world
22. 2,500 National level R & D institutions/ 0.9% 0f GDP
Scientific publications:1998-16,500 to 2007-30,000
Scientists No.(per Million) & Research Spending
USA - 1,571,000 (4700) 368 Billion US Dollars
China- 1,423,000 (510) 106 Billion US Dollars
India - 154,000 (156) 24 Billion US Dollars
Each year India produces ::::
400,000 - Engineering Graduates
300,000 – Computer Science Graduate Professionals
20,000 – Science Post Graduates
200 million have Mobile phones
Over 40% population earns less than 1.5 US $ a day
India : Fact sheet
23. 64% of Indians -15 to 60 yrs age :::: Demographic advantage
‘‘‘‘Every stomach to feed comes with a Brain & Two handsEvery stomach to feed comes with a Brain & Two handsEvery stomach to feed comes with a Brain & Two handsEvery stomach to feed comes with a Brain & Two hands’’’’
1. Curiosity, ability to Dream, Out of Box ideas and Innovations.
2. Education of Quality promoting above entities
3. Dignity of working with own hands & Spirit of Entrepreneurship
World is turned in to a Global Village due to
FASTER means of TRANSPORT and
QUICKER sharing of KNOWLEDGE (INFOTECH)
24. SpaceSpaceSpaceSpace
Energy
New Materials [Polymers?]
Green Chemistry
Nanno-technology
Cleaner Production Technology
A global success story from India! The Tata Nano
car was developed using the experiences &
requirements of the Indian market.
Its unique compact features combined with a very
low price tag make the car not only ideally suited
for India's domestic market, but also for
international markets particularly in urban areas.
BioBioBioBio ---- Technology & Sustainable AgricultureTechnology & Sustainable AgricultureTechnology & Sustainable AgricultureTechnology & Sustainable Agriculture
25.
26. “GM Crops and Food Security”
National Science Day’ 2013
Bio-Technology : Genetically Modified Crops
USA, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, China, India
Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops
PestsResistance.
Higher productivity
Higher Nutrient status
Planned introduction of Vaccines
27. Problems associated with GM crops:
- Genetically modified Seeds are very costly.
- Adverse Changes in soil ecosystem.
- Soil contamination through GM crop residue.
- Genetic contamination through Horizontal Gene Transfer.
-Crops may be affected by New/ resistant pest species &
require newer and costlier pesticides.
-Changes in Agrochemical usage with negative impact
on the Soil microbes.
- GM seeds from earlier crops lying dormant may volunteer
after long period of dormancy
28. NAFTA : Corn : Maize Conflict
Loss of Jobs & Food security in Mexico
United States
Mexico
332 Production in Mill. MT 20. 2
<200 (80% GM) Varieties >50,000
Varieties contributing 80% of Net Crop
08 35 (10 with>5%)
110 $/MT Cost of Production 210 $/MT
$262/ha Crop Subsidy $90/ha
+80% Post NAFTA subsidy -28%
Post NAFTA Maxican imports 323 %
Post NAFTA Maxican Sale Price - 48%
29. #1 Global Position #4
50% Live stock feed 15%
40 % Bio Ethanol 10 %
10% Exports 05%
03 % Human Consumption 68 %
09% Starch, Corn Oil, Sweetener 03%
Transmigration of young people
Rise on Crimes & Narcotics
Collapse of Economy & Agriculture
United States : Mexico
NAFTA : Corn - Maize Conflict
30. Beej Bachao Aandolan
Volume 25 - Issue 02 ::
Jan. 19-Feb. 01, 2008
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE
HINDU
Vijay Jardhari is on a
mission to create a
bank of indigenous
seeds to share with
other farmers.
BIODIVERSITY
Seeds’ soldier
in Garhwal Himalayas,
Uttarakhand
Navdanya:
SEED FREEDOM
Devinder Sharma:
Indian Agriculture
Dr. R. H. Richharia
22,500 accessions
Rice germ plasm bank
32. References
A history of Hindu Chemistry
- Acharya P.C.Roy
The Positive sciences of ancient Hindus
-Brajendranath Seal & Motilal Banarsidas
Bharat me Vignyanki Ujjwal Parampara
- Suresh Soni
Several books by Gunakar Muley
Personal Communication with Dr. V. S. Wakankar