The Indian Cow

The only cow in a small town in Australia stopped giving milk.
The townsfolk found they could buy a cow in India quite cheaply.

They brought the cow from India and it was wonderful, produced lots of milk
every day and everyone was happy.
They bought a bull to mate with the cow to get more cows, so they'd never
have to worry about their milk supply again.

They put the bull in the pasture with the cow but whenever the bull tried
to mount the cow,the cow would move away.
No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the
bull and he was never able to do the deed.

The people were very upset and decided to go the Vet, who was very wise to
tell him what was happening and ask his advice.
"Whenever the bull tries to mount our cow, she moves away. If he approaches
from the back, she moves forward, they saidWhen he approaches her from the
front, she backs off. If he attempts from the one side, she walks away to
the other side."

The Vet rubbed his chin thoughtfully and pondered this before asking, "Did
you by chance, buy this cow in India?"
The people were dumbfounded, since no one had ever mentioned that they have
bought the cow over from India.
"You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did you know we got the cow in
India ?
The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye,
"My wife is from India.........."

Never Sit On Roof of Trains

Punjab Was In Flames

I nearly got skewered in Punjab last month. Since December 1999, I have been traveling every month to Jalandhar to do IVF in batches. Our usual timetable is the last Wednesday-Saturday of the month. Monday night, I was preparing to leave on an early morning Go Air flight on Tuesday to Amritsar & then take a taxi to jalandhar (130 Kms). I got a call from our hosts saying that the situation in Punjab was spiralling out of control. I had had a very busy previous week and had done the cardinal sin of not having read the newspaper for a week! Apparently there was widespread destruction of public & private property as a mark of protest over the shooting of a Sikh religious leader in another continent! The widespread violence in Punjab over the slaying of a Sikh religious sect leader in Vienna exemplifies the mushrooming of sects and the caste fault lines in the predominantly Sikh state.Mr Sant Rama Nand was killed by fellow Sikhs in a temple in the Austrian capital on Sunday (May 24) as he addressed 200 worshippers.

As news of his murder reached Punjab, angry followers - largely low-caste Sikhs, took to the streets in Jalandhar - where the sect's headquarters is located. Angry mobs torched a dozen trains, smashed bus windows and blocked roads, bringing much of Punjab - a key trading crossroads - to a standstill. The Punjab police said two people were killed and 10 injured when they opened fire at two places to disperse the rioting mobs which defied curfew and indulged in large-scale violence.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, invoked the preachings of the Sikh gurus as he appealed for peace and urged people to go home and allow the security forces to restore law and order. Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Phagwara towns remained under curfew on Tuesday (May 26) - the day we landed at Raja Sansi International Airport, Amritsar. Our hosts had organized an ambulance to ferry us as doctors to Jalandhar. I was traveling with my embryologist & the Ambulance driver had an assistant. The situation seemed very tense at the airport & bystanders came rushing up to tell us not to venture on the highway. They mentioned that an NDTV Sat-van & another ambulance had been torched on the National Highway at Kartarpur by a protesting mob. We had no choice; 40 patients had been triggered & now it was a one way ticket for them. If they did not reach the OR, their eggs would release in their peritoneal cavities & the cycles would have been completely washed out. The four of us prayed to God & started our journey. There were no vehicles at all even though the curfew had been relaxed from 2pm-5pm in the state. We thought we were lucky & traveled without a hinderance for about 90 Kms. Just short of Kartarpur, we saw mangled remains of burnt vehicles & 500 metres away, we saw a mob of about 200 people including some women and children squatting on the road. There were also electricity poles uprooted and laid across the highway. My embryologist nearly had an MI and was in tears! The driver decided to cut through some village roads, off the highway even if that meant a detour of about 5 Kms. The assistant sprawled out on the Ambulance bed & covered himself with a blanket. Now he was a serious patient, Anjali(my embryologist) was a nurse & then we were the driver & doctor respectively. The radio blared out:

"The situation remains tense but under control."

We finally managed to get back on the highway after the detour through the village roads. Just when we thought we were safe & would get smoothly into the city, we were in for a nasty surprise. This was a quiet road bordering the Jalandhar cantonment. All of a sudden we saw a mob of about 100 youngsters with lathis (sticks) & swords in their hands about 200 metres away. Before we could turn, we were surrounded by four motorcycles! These guys must have been barely in their teens and seemed to be having a fun time terrorizing the populace rather than protesting for some religious reason. My embryologist nearly collapsed when a couple of them aggressively looked into the Ambulance. I think it was the assistant covered with a blanket & my calm & collected behavior that made them let us pass through. The worst thing was we could see cops all along the highway at every village just sitting doing nothing. This was really sad for a state like Punjab. One can understand corruption & politics in a BIMARU state, but this sort of government apathy in the state which had one of the highest economic growth rates In India is shameful. I blame the politicians completely for this vulgar & deplorable "protest" that cost the state of Punjab Rs. 8000 crores.

Sikhism was founded five centuries ago to counter Hinduism's oppressive caste system. Yet differences between the upper caste or Jat Sikhs, and the Dalit Sikhs, former Hindu untouchables who converted to Sikhism, remain a major flashpoint in Punjab's social and political life."Social interaction levels between the Jat Sikhs and the Dalits may have improved, but there is little change in the social hierarchy," said Pramod Kumar, director of the Institute of Development and Communication, a Punjab-based NGO.With the Sikhs having a large presence in Europe, Britain and Canada, these differences have spilled over to the community in those countries. There are nearly a dozen influential sects, called 'deras', in Punjab, and each is estimated to command a considerable following in the state, especially among the Dalit Sikhs and Dalit Hindus. And their numbers are growing, a development that is viewed with growing concern by the upper-caste Sikhs.

The caste divide has led to the creation of two or more separate 'gurdwaras' or places of worship in most villages, affecting the revenue collection of the gurdwaras of the upper castes. Sources say the genesis of the Vienna clash was a fight over offerings in cash-rich gurdwaras. They say that till a few months ago, the Austrian capital had just one gurdwara, controlled by radical Sikhs.The decision by Dera Sacchkhand Ballan to set up a new shrine on the same street angered those already there. Many of the mainstream Sikhs, especially in the clergy, are deeply resentful of the deras, claiming that they are distorting the faith by worshipping living gurus, their photographs and idols.

Observers say the Dalit Sikhs were among the earliest migrants from India to Europe and Canada. Most toiled in menial jobs in their adopted countries, but over the decades improved their lot and became prosperous. Several European countries also provided political asylum to radical Sikhs in the 1980s after New Delhi crushed the Sikh insurgency in Punjab. Some say it was these radical elements which were behind the Vienna attack.




Whatever the reason, as a Punjabi my head hangs in shame. Prithvi Planet was an iconic hangout for youngsters in Jalandhar with fast-food & bowling lanes & computer games. Political rivalry led to this building being torched alongwith almost 25 cars parked outside(see pictures taken with my cell-phone on Wednesday morning). These goons did not have mercy on kids playing inside & mothers with babies in their arms. The Sikh faith was created to protect the weak & here were goons in the name of religion terrorizing their own brethren.

Punjab was in flames two weeks ago and the fires have not been extinguished till date. These fires have divided the state completely into lower castes & upper castes. We don't need the Taliban or Al-Qaeda to bomb India - caste & politics will devour the Nation. Nursing homes & hospitals were torched. I was shocked to hear Dr Johal's tale of bravery where he had to shoo away a mob trying to light his hospital up in a bon-fire. Just because he had a licensed hand-gun and guts of steel, he went out and faced a 100 goons and saved his family & hospital & patients from being burnt alive. Someone should honor this man & give him an award for being a brave-heart. Unless there is strong political will, this state will join the BIMARU states, sooner than later!

A Must Read Fwd

Ancient Hindus could navigate the air
By Shachi Rairikar

"The ancient Hindus could navigate the air, and not only navigate it,but fight battles in it like so many war-eagles combating for the domination of the clouds.

To be so perfect in aeronautics, they must have known all the arts and sciences related to the science, including
the strata and currents of the atmosphere, the relative temperature,humidity, density and specific gravity of the various gases..."
- Col. Olcott in a lecture in Allahabad, in 1881.

The Rig Veda, the oldest document of the human race, includes references to the following modes of transportation: jalayanâa vehicle designed to operate in air and water (Rig Veda 6.58.3); kaaraâa vehicle that operates on ground and in water (Rig Veda 9.14.1); tritalaâa vehicle consisting of three storeys (Rig Veda 3.14.1); trichakra rathaâa three-wheeled vehicle designed to operate in air (Rig Veda 4.36.1); vaayu rathaâa gas or wind-powered chariot (Rig Veda 5.41.6); vidyut rathaâa vehicle that operates on power (Rig Veda 3.14.1).

Ancient Sanskrit literature is full of descriptions of flying machines -"vimanas".

From the many documents found, it is evident that the scientist-sages Agastya and Bharadwaja had developed the lore of aircraft construction.

The Agastya Samhita gives Agastya's descriptions on two types of aeroplanes. The first is a chchatra (umbrella or balloon) to be filled with hydrogen. The process of extracting hydrogen from water is described in elaborate detail and the use of electricity in achieving this is clearly stated. This was considered to be a primitive type of plane, useful only for escaping from a fort when the enemy had set fire to the jungle all around. Hence the name agniyana.

The second type of aircraft mentioned is somewhat on the lines of the parachute. It could be opened and shut by operating chords. This aircraft has been described as vimanadvigunam, i.e. of a lower order than the regular aeroplane.

The process of extracting hydrogen from water is described in elaborate detail and the use of electricity in achieving this is clearly stated.

Aeronautics or Vaimaanika Shastra is a part of Yantra Sarvasva of Bharadwaja. This is also known as Brihadvimaana Shastra.

Vaimaanika Shastra deals with aeronautics, including the design of aircraft, the way they can be used for transportation and other applications, in detail.

The knowledge of aeronautics is described in Sanskrit in 100 sections, eight chapters, 500 principles and 3,000 shlokas. Great sage Bharadwaja explained the construction of aircraft and the way to fly it in air, on land, on water and use the same aircraft like a submarine. He also described the construction of war-planes and fighter aircraft.

Vaimaanika Shastra explains the metals and alloys and other required material, which can make an aircraft imperishable in any condition. Planes which will not break (abhedya), or catch fire (adaahya) and which cannot be cut (achchedya) have been described. Along with the treatise, there are diagrams on three types of aeroplanes -"Sundara, Shukana and Rukma".

The aircraft is classified into three types -"Mantrika, Tantrika and Kritaka", to suit different yugas or eras.

In krita yuga, it is said, Dharma was well established. The people of that time had the divinity to reach any place using their ashtasiddhis. The aircraft used in treta yuga are called Mantrika vimana, flown by the power of hymns
(mantras). Twenty-five varieties of aircraft including Pushpaka vimana belong to this era.

The aircraft used in dwapara yuga were called Tantrika vimana, flown by the power of tantras. Fifty-six varieties of
aircraft including Bhairava and Nandaka belong to this era.

The aircraft used in kali yuga, the on-going yuga, are called Kritaka vimana, flown by the power of engines. Twenty-five varieties of aircraft including Sundara, Shukana and Rukma belong to this era.

Bharadwaja states that there are 32 secrets of the science of aeronautics.

Of these, some are astonishing and some indicate an advance even beyond our own times.

For instance, the secret of para shabda graaha, i.e. a cabin for listening to the conversation in another plane, has been explained by elaborately describing an electrically worked sound-receiver that did the trick. Manufacture of
different types of instruments and putting them together to form an aircraft are also described.

It appears that aerial warfare was also not unknown, for the treatise gives the techniques of shatru vimana kampana kriya, and shatru vimana nashana kriya, i.e. shaking and destroying enemy aircraft, as well as photographing enemy planes, rendering their occupants unconscious and making one's own plane invisible.

In Vastraadhikarana, the chapter describing the dress and other material required while flying, talks in detail about the clotheswear for both the pilot and the passenger separately.

Ahaaraadhikarana is yet another section exclusively dealing with the food habits of a pilot. This has a variety of guidelines for pilots to maintain their health through strict diet.

Bharadwaja also provides a bibliography. He had consulted six treatises by six different authors previous to him and he gives their names and the names of their works in the following order: Vimana Chandrika by Narayanamuni; Vyoma Yana Mantrah by Shaunaka; Yantra Kalpa by Garga; Yana Bindu by Vachaspati; Kheta Yaana Pradeepika by Chaakraayani; Vyoma Yaanarka Prakasha by Dundi Natha.

As before Bharadwaja, after him too there have been Sanskrit writers on aeronautics and there were four commentaries on his work. The names of the commentators are Bodh Deva, Lalla, Narayana Shankha and Vishwambhara.

Vaimaanika Shastra explains the metals and alloys and other required material, which can make an aircraft imperishable in any condition.

Evidence of existence of aircraft are also found in the Arthashastra of Kautilya (c. 3rd century b.c.). Kautilya mentions amongst various tradesmen and technocrats the saubhikas as 'pilots conducting vehicles in the sky'.

Saubha was the name of the aerial flying city of King Harishchandra and the form saubika means 'one who flies or knows the art of flying an aerial city'. Kautilya uses another significant word, akasa yodhinah, which has been translated as 'persons who are trained to fight from the sky'.

The existence of aerial chariots, in whatever form it might be, was so well-known that it found a place among the royal edicts of Emperor Asoka and which were executed during his reign from 256-237 b.c.

It is interesting to note that the Academy of Sanskrit Research in Melkote, near Mandya, had been commissioned by the Aeronautical Research Development Board, New Delhi, to take up a one-year study on 'Non-conventional Approach to Aeronautics', on the basis of Vaimaanika Shastra.

As a result of the research, a glass-like material which cannot be detected by radar has been developed by Prof. Dongre, a research scholar of Benaras Hindu University. A plane coated with this unique material cannot be detected using radar.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the Indian science of aeronautics and Bharadwaja's research in the field was that they were successfully tested in actual practice by an Indian over a 100 years ago.

In 1895, full eight years before the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA, Shivkar Bapuji Talpade and his wife gave a thrilling demonstration flight on Chowpatty beach in Mumbai.

An even more astonishing feature of Talpade's aircraft was the power source he used- "an ion engine". The theory of the ion engine has been credited to Robert Goddard, long recognised as the father of liquid-fuel rocketry. It is claimed that in 1906, long before Goddard launched his first modern rocket, his imagination had conceived the concept of an ion rocket. But the fact is that not only had the idea of an ion engine been conceived long before Dr Goddard, it had also been materialised in the form of Talpade's aircraft.

Talpade, a resident of Mumbai, was an erudite scholar of Sanskrit literature, especially of the Vedas, an inventor and a teacher in the School of Arts. His deep study of the Vedas led him to construct an aeroplane in conformity with the descriptions of the aircraft available in the Vedas and he displayed it in an exhibition arranged by the Bombay Art Society in the Town Hall.

Its proving the star attraction of the exhibition encouraged its maker to delve deeper into the matter and see if the plane could be flown with the aid of mercurial pressure. For, the one hundred-and-ninetieth richa (verse) of the Rig Veda and the aeronautical treatise of Bharadwaja mention that flying machines came into full operation when the power of the sun's rays, mercury and another chemicals called naksha rasas were blended together.

This energy was, it seems, stored in something like an accumulator or storage batteries. The Vedas refer to eight
different engines in the plane and Bharadwaja adds that they are worked by electricity.

Talpade carried on his research along these lines and constructed an aeroplane. In his experiments he was aided by his wife, also a deep scholar of the Vedic lore, and an architect-friend. The plane combined the constructional characteristics of both Pushpaka and Marut Sakha, the sixth and eighth types of aircraft described by Bharadwaja. It was named Marut Sakha meaning "friend of the wind".

With this plane, this pioneer airman of modern India gave a demonstration flight on the Chowpatty beach in Mumbai in the year 1895. The machine attained a height of about 1,500 feet and then automatically landed safely.

The flight was witnessed, among many others, by Shri Sayajirao Gaekwad, the Maharaja of Baroda and Justice
Govind Ranade and was reported in the Kesari, a leading Marathi dailynewspaper. They were impressed by the feat and rewarded the talented inventor.

Unfortunately, Talpade lost interest in things after his wife's death, and after his own death in 1917 at the age of 53, his relatives sold the machine to the Rally Brothers, a leading British exporting firm then operating in Mumbai.

Thus, the first ever attempt at flying in modern India, undertaken and made successful by an Indian, in a plane
of Indian manufacture and built to Indian scientific specifications, slid into the limbo of oblivion.

Straw Republic

Hi!
I received this wonderfully written article...
I share this with you...
A reminder to all of us...
Of the men of Straw in our midst..ruling our destiny...
When those who matter fade away...the Men and women of Straw can as usual only have words to give...
I remember reading, that ' A Country that does not honour its Heroes is doomed'...
Isnt this a cause for worry?


FIELD MARSHAL MANEKSHAW..

WE, THE PEOPLE, SALUTE YOU…

The passing away of the only Indian to be appointed Field Marshal when in active service has been remarkable for the warmth of the ordinary men and women, who queued up to say meebeenamet to the adorable dikra who put his life on the line for them.

It has also been remarkable for the complete lack of grace and gratitude, civility and courtesy, decency and decorum on the part of the bold-faced names rapaciously grazing the lawns of power in Delhi and elsewhere, for the brain behind India's only decisive military victory.

Sam, the Bahadur, had been unwell for a while now. From about 1000 hours on June 26, reports of his being 'critically ill' had appeared in the media. Yet, when the 'expected tocsin' sounded at 0030 hours till the guns were fired in salute around 1500 hours on June 27, 'civil society' chose to show its incivility.

Pratibha Patil , the commander-in- chief of the armed forces with all the time in the world: Absent
Hamid Ansari: Vice-president releasing books and writing reviews of books by fellow-travellers: Absent
Manmohan Singh , the prime minister who could do with a bit of the field marshal's charisma and heroism: Absent
Sonia Gandhi : daughter-in- law of the woman the field marshal called 'sweetie': Absent
L K Advani: prime minister in waiting of the party which would like to do to Pakistan what Manekshaw did: Absent
M Karunanidhi and Surjit Singh Barnala: chief minister and governor of the state which Manekshaw had made his home for 35 years: Absent
Politicians may have their reasons. They always do. Maybe, there are issues like protocol. Maybe, this is one way in which 'civil India' shows the armed forces its place. Maybe, this is why we are not as militaristic as Pakistan. Maybe, the knees are just too old to climb the hills.



But what about the armed forces itself?

A K Antony: the defence minister 'now behaving like the chairman of the confederation of the armed forces' trade unions: absent 'due to prior political engagements'.
The chief of army staff: absent (away in Russia )
The chief of navy staff: absent
The chief of air staff: absent
The fact that the defence minister was represented by his deputy Pallam Raju, the fact that the navy and air staff sent two-star general rank officers, shows that however high or mighty, however rich or powerful, civilian or military, if you should die as you must, you should do so somewhere in the vicinity of New Delhi -- or Bombay.

Or else, they must have some use for you.Or else, too bad.

As he rightly surmised once: 'I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla -- although a great many of them in the past have resembled the latter..'



The contrast couldn't be starker:

When Amitabh Bachchan was ill after being socked in the stomach during the shooting of Coolie, Indira Gandhi flew down to Bombay to show her concern.
When Dhirubhai Ambani died, L K Advani cut short his Gujarat tour to pay his respects to an 'embodiment of initiative, enterprise and determination'.
When Pramod Mahajan was shot dead by his brother, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekawat had the time to attend the funeral.
Our VIPs and VVIPs have time for dead and dying celebrities, charlatans, fixers. Not for a field marshal?

In his biography, K M Cariappa, the son of the only other Field Marshal India has had (and who too died at age 94), writes of his father's cremation in May 1993:



'Honouring him in death as they did in life were Field Marshal Manekshaw, the three service chiefs all of whom belonged to the same course and at whose passing out parade from the joint services wing, his father had presided, the gracious chief minister M Veerappa Moily and C K Jaffer Sharief, Minister for Railways representing the President as the supreme commanded of the armed forces.'



Somebody should have told the geniuses in Delhi that Sam, the Bahadur, passed away in Wellington, Ooty, not Wellington, New Zealand . The nearest civil airport is Coimbatore, just 80 km away.

If this is how we say goodbye to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, any wonder why Rang de Basanti could successfully tap into the angst of an entire generation?

Krishna Prasad, former editor, Vijay Times and one of India's finest young journalists, is the guiding spirit behind www.churumuri. com

Couple Abandon "Wrong Sex" Babies

A couple who travelled to India for IVF treatment dumped their newborn twins at a British hospital when they found out they were girls. Reports said the mother, 59, and father, 72, travelled to India for fertility treatment that would not have been allowed in Britain because of their age.

The parents, who were born in India but are British citizens living in Birmingham, reportedly told doctors they did not want the "wrong sex" babies immediately after the children were born by Caesarean section in Wolverhampton's New Cross hospital a fortnight ago. The newspaper says the husband then asked medics how long it would be before his wife was fit enough to fly back to India for more IVF treatment in the hope of getting a boy to continue the family name.

It was reported the twins have now been transferred to a central Birmingham hospital, where they have not been visited a single time. A spokeswoman for New Cross Hospital said she could not make any comment because of "data protection reasons". Birmingham Council's social services department said it is investigating.

Countries such as India are known to display a cultural preference for sons. An NHS insider was reported to have said: "Everyone is utterly appalled. How could any parent do this? "This is Britain in the 21st century.

"But they just weren't prepared to raise these two beautiful girls."

Female babies are often abandoned in India for being the wrong sex – but it is the first time here. It is likely to send shockwaves of revulsion through multi-cultural Britain. An investigation by the BBC Asian Network last year revealed that between 1990 and 2005 almost 1,500 fewer girls were born to Indian mothers in England and Wales than would have been expected for that group.

The "Guinness Book Of Records" Saree

Chennai Silk Saree drapes its way to World Record on November 28, 2007. How often have you come across a Rs 40 lakh = $100,000) silk saree?

Chennai Silks, a textile unit has come up with one of its kind and it is seeking an unmistakable entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most unique and expensive saree.

The exceptionally stunning saree is meticulously woven with 12 precious stones and metals to depict 11 of Raja Ravi Verma's popular paintings. Explicitly projected is 'Lady Musicians', one of the painter's very famous works that displays women belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds.

Besides, the border of the saree pictures 10 other paintings of the artist that pays tribute to 20th century artist.

The best part of the saree being that the women in the paintings are intricately hand-woven and beautified with jewels of gold, diamond, platinum, silver, ruby, emerald, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat's eye, topaz, pearl and corals.

Already in the Limca Book of Records, this 40 lakh saree will be the first silk saree that required the use of 7,440 jacquard hooks and 66,794 cards during the weaving process. Moreover, a group of consummate workers took nearly 4,680 hours to complete the work.

From The Ganges To The Thames

Today my blogging attempt will be to touch your heart with facts that should make you proud of your race & the
country. Let me begin by asking you a few questions:

Who is the General Manager of Hewlett Packard (HP) ?
A. Rajiv Gupta

Q. Who is the creator of the Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dham

Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report in Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. (the Sultan of Brunei is at the 6th position now!)

Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is the world's No.1 web based email program)?
A. Sabeer Bhatia

Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
A. Arun Netravalli

Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows Vista, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
A. Sanjay Tejawrika

Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckinsey & Stanchart?
A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.

We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives:

There are only 3.22 million Indians in the USA (15% of population) .. Yet,

38% of doctors in USA are Indians, 12% scientists in USA are Indians, 36% of NASA scientists are Indians, 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians, 28% of IBM employees are Indians, 17% of INTEL scientists are Indians, 13% of XEROX employees are Indians.

Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with world history facts about India:

1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects there. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. Our present President wants to take up a teaching post in this University after he finishes his post.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although Western media portrays modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago.. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word Navgatih.
8. 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 accepted officially in 1999 and published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.
9. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus came from India . 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
10.According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
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 India in 100 BC).


In the recent history, very rarely India has come across a situation, all at a time, an ascending economic trajectory, continuously rising foreign exchange reserve, reduced rate of inflation, global recognition of the technological competence, energy of 540 million youth, umbilical connectivities of 20 million people of Indian origin in various parts of the planet, and the interest shown by many developed countries to invest in our engineers and scientists including setting up of new R&D centers. Above all India as the largest democracy in the world, has a reputation for its democracy and for providing leadership for the one billion people with multi- cultural, multi-language and multi-religious backgrounds. Our
technological competence and value systems with civilizational heritage are highly respected. Foreign Institutional Investors find investing in India attractive. Indians are also investing in companies abroad and are opening new business ventures. Tata's Corus & Kumaramangalam Birlas take-overs are just a preview of what is going to follow. As per the report titled "From the Ganges to the Thames" which states that the Indian Foreign Direct Investment in British capital is second only to that of the US and Indian FDI project in Europe has increased from just 5 to 119 during the period 1997 to 2004. The Government is also committed to economic development by ensuring growth rate of 7% to 8% annually, enhancing the welfare of the farmers and workers and unleashing the creativity of the entrepreneurs, business persons, scientists, engineers and
other productive forces of the society. We must use this opportunity for transforming India to a globally competitive developed nation before 2020. This calls for the agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors becoming globally competitive leading to an economically competitive environment. What then would be the profile of the globally competitive developed India?

1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and access to energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony, absorbing technology thereby resulting in sustained wealth generation leading to greater high value employment opportunities.
4. A Nation where education is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors from all over the world.
6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all the billion population and the communicable diseases like AIDS/TB, water and vector borne diseases and other stress diseases, cardiac diseases, cancer and diabetes are brought down.
7. A Nation where the governance uses the best of the technologies to be responsive, transparent, fully connected in a high bandwidth e-governance grid, easily accessible and simple in rules, thereby corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women are absent and the society feels unalienated.
9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in, on the earth and brings smiles on a billion plus faces.

It is indeed a big challenge of high magnitude. For achieving such a competitive profile for India, we have a vision of realizing this goal in a time bound manner. Only a heathy nation will transform into a developed nation. Unless the maternal & child health statistics compare with the developed world, we will never achieve that status. Here is where we obstetricians and gynecologists come in. We are indeed the pillars upon which the the health of the nation rests on. Let us work with the government in transforming our BIMARU states across timelines and bring them at par with healthcare in the metros. This is achievable. The administration is committed and irrespective of the party in power, the reforms will go on. The type
of mission in front of us is very complex and challenging. Let us share a great thought propounded by Saint Maharishi Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra in 500 BC:
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary
project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends
limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you
find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces,
faculties and talents come alive, and you discover yourself to be a
greater person by far than you ever dreamt yourself to be."

But we need to do a RDB (Rang De Basanti) to go ahead - Today I wish Sanjay Gandhi was alive.