Saturday 12 March 2016

We study Indian History. Do we really?

Recently I watched a documentary about the excellence of Roman empire. A pity that none of our directors ever made such beautiful documentary about our civilisation. It is one of the most ancient places where certain things existed but no... they look at India from the point of view of those who attacked and want to teach what the attackers wanted to teach.
This documentary speaks of a technique of heating and the technique that they show also existed in several palaces and forts in India. Only it was used to reduce the temperature in Indian forts and palaces.
BC and AD have become BCE and CE. CE - Common Era and BCE - Becore Common Era.
But remember that before Christ we had our own Common Eras in Asia and Indian Subcontinent.
Do you remember - Vikrami Samvat and Shak Samvat?
Of course, a country and civilisation that lost the war becomes submissive and we have remained submissive even when India has become a Free Nation.
We are more in number. But we want to resemble the attackers. Hey, look at what they and their countries were before they came to India. How did they live? Oh, may be you think our ancestors would have loved to live the way they lived. Or may be you would.
Oh! Hinduism was so bad. Our Kshatriyas had no choice but to protect the people and be Kings. They were never so rich, that third lowest caste (as the foreigners call them) had so much power. They had all the money and were so rich that they could lend money to the Kings and Kings owed them the money.
And Brahmins! So called the highest caste! Ha ha ha
The sociologists and communists would laugh.
How can someone who is so poor be of the highest caste, the highest class. They never had enough money, no big mansions, nothing. They were beggars for the modern people who think so highly of material world. Highest caste! Poor people who had nothing?
Even the royal priest, the Prime Minister, didn't have a palace. And you want us to believe that they were of the highest caste? Even Chanakya lived in a hut! And you respect him?
They spoke of Mohanbhog. One would think ah delicious meal with lots of delicious dishes. But remember what they said - Mohanbhog - One must eat whatever one can have. Even boiled kaaley cholle, chickpeas, taste like Mohanbhog when one is really hungry. So that's what they ate? And they gave such a special name to this food? So stupid!
But in India, we were different. We respected them because they were our teachers. They knew more than we did. They spent their time studying. Nothing else. Just teachers, doctors, scientists!
Strange? But that was India about which no one teaches now.
We are impressed by Ayurveda. But do you know that Chyavanprash was discovered by a biological scientist whom they used to call a Rishi. One of the things that he discovered is sold as Chyavanprash today.
But do we know? Do we care?
It is just a tonic.
Really, we have learnt a lot. We know our history so well. Don't we?
Of course, the conquerors write history. Let's follow what they teach us. Let's follow their orders.
They still have the paths that we Indians call 'galli'. And they are still beautiful. How many 'gallis' do you have in your village and/ or city?
Think.

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