India is so vast and varied that it is difficult to define it in few words. But, the essence of
India is the spirit of oneness that can be found in this land of diversity -- that's what
makes it so enchanting. Whether it is food, fashion or tourism, India has so much to offer
The Constitution was passed in the Central Hall of Parliament House on 26 November 1949.
The Constitution of India was originally written in English. A Hindi translation was issued on 24
The first Republic Day Parade was held at Irwin stadium (the present National stadium in Delhi)
The Republic Day Celebration are spectacular with 'Beating Retreat' at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi
3 days later on January 29.
 |
Erotic
sculpture from ancient Indian Temples |
India's
UN Mission - Indian Soldiers in demand
Peacekeeping
missions from India - 43 out of 63 peacekeeping and other UN missions.
In
55 years, so far 126 soldiers have died.
First
mission - Korea (1953-54) with around 60,000 troops.
Present
deployment - 8,724 soldiers.
MONUC
in Congo (from 1999 till date) : 4,696 troops
UNMIS
in Sudan (2005 till date) : 2,704 troops
UNIFIL
in Lebanon (1997 till date) :897 troops
UNDOF
in Golan heights (2006 till date) : 187 troops
...........................................................................................
'Dropout
who is engineering a hundred orphan dreams
Bhubaneshwar,
(IANS) In 2000, as Rajesh Singh stood at a railway platform in Orissa, it was
the end of journey and the beginning of another.
He
dropped out of his engineering course after seeing the plight of orphan children
at the platform and decided to educate them and bring their careers on
track.
Singh,
29, a resident of Jharkhand's Sahebganj district and a mechanical engineering
diploma holder, has few regrets in life, 10 years after his decision not to
pursue his B Tech degree from the National Institute of Technology, formerly
known as Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, Orissa.
In
the last decade, he has helped educate more than 150 orphaned and under
priviledged children. He has also set a target to make engineers out of 100
orphan children in this part of eastern India.
I
had also always wanted to do something for children. Moved by the plight of
children at the platform, I had to make a hard choice whether to go for my
engineering degree or teach orphan children and help them achieve their dreams.
I decided on the latter,' Singh told IANS.
Singh,
whose father is a teacher and mother an employee in an insurance company, used
to enjoy teaching under priviledged children right from childhood. And for him
it was also a way to divert his attention from family problems.
'Teaching
children was a way to keep myself diverted from family problems as there some
differences between my parents,' Singh said.
But
when he decided to shape the career of orphan children he faced stiff resistance
from his parents and society. The eldest of four children, he was literally
disowned by his parents for the next five years. He said they were disappointed
and angry with him for dropping out of studies to help poor children.
'My
parents broke ties with me for five years. They were opposed to my choosing this
path till my sister's marriage when my mother gave me a call to invite me for
the marriage,' he recalled.
'My
parents have now accepted my decision. My mother, who strongly opposed my
decision, now sponsors excursion trips for these orphan children once a year,'
he said.
Even
the residents of Rourkela initially found it difficult to accept a young man who
'lived like an orphan along with orphan children'. Initially M D Mukherjee,
principal of the Indo-English School in Rourkela, helped him financially and
morally. Mukherjee used to provide him with books and money in the early days
when he used to teach the children at the Rourkela railway station.
Rourkela
officials, including the station master, helped him too. Soon members of the
local Rotary club also extended help for the cause.
'The
locals ostracised me initially as I used to mingle with orphaned children at the
railway platform. I myself felt like an orphan. But their perception changed
gradually. They now appreciate my work,' he said.
Groomed
by him, more than two dozen orphans are now doing professional courses from
engineering college in Orissa.
'Thanks
to Rajesh sir, I am now pursing a degree in IT from a good college. Otherwise, I
can't imagine what I would have been doing now,' said Babita, an orphaned girl.
Now
Singh has built a small four-room school and orphanage named New Hope near the
Rourkela railway station where he stays with a dozen other orphans.
This
year he is grooming half a dozen children for the Navodaya Vidyalay entrance
test at his orphanage.
I
am grooming these orphan children to get through the Navoday Vidyalaya entrance
test as they would get quality education without spending any money. I am
hopeful that his year three or four of them will crack it,' he said.
Singh
also teaches preparatory classes for competitive exams and spoken English,
taking a bit of money from local students to sustain himself.
Ten
years after dropping out of further studies, he has now started preparation to
complete his engineering degree.
Indian
military eyes to weaponize world's hottest chilli
- by
Wasbir Hussain
GAUHATI,
India (AP) The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's
hottest chili. After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the
thumbsized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear
gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defence officials said.
The
bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in June 2007 as the world's
spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India's northeast for its taste, as a
cure for stomach troubles and a way fight the crippling summer heat.
It
has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's
spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units,
while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.
"The
chili grenade has been found fit for use after trials in Indian defense
laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at Defense Research and Development
Organization," Col R Kalia, a defence spokesman in the northeastern state
of Assam, told The Associated Press. "This is definitely going to be an
effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and
force them out of their hide-outs," R B Srivastava, the director of the
Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.
Srivastava,
who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on to
produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers
and for the police to control the disperse mobs.
India
to induct smart 'suicide bomber' drone
It's
an aircraft described by experts as a "flying suicide bomber", except
there is no pilot involved. It carries no weapons-instead, the aircraft itself
is the weapon. It is built to creep into enemy airspace, "loiter" for
as long as necessary hunting for targets, and the dive to decimate the chosen
one. It is widely considered as one of the smartest airborne strike systems yet
built.
This
year, the Indian Air Force will begin receiving a batch of 10 such systems,
built by Israel and called the HAROP. At a little over $10-million (about Rs 45
crore) apiece, HAROPs are essentially drones with one-way tickets.
The
Indian Army-which has followed the air force's example and initiated procedures
to acquire its own loitering munitions - has classified scenario that is likely
to be war-gamed jointly with the air force once the HAROPs are inducted.
The
scenario ties in with the post-26/11 rhetoric of surgical strikes across enemy
lines, and with home minister P Chidambaram's recent assertion that India's
response to another Pakistan-supported attack would be "swift and
decisive". Military analyst Lt-Gen Shankar Prasad says," These systems
have a great deterrent value, whether there is war or not. Pakistan must not be
allowed to think India is a weak nation."
The
air force has decided to rotate HAROP drone operations from sites in Rajasthan,
Punjab and Kashmir, and may choose to buy 10 more later.
Reproduced
from Mail Today
Sepoy Karam Chand
cremated 48 years after his death
Palampur (HP), July 15 (PTI) Mortal remains of sepoy Karam Chand of 4
Dogras who died while fighting Chinese aggressors in Arunachal Pradesh in 1962
were consigned to flames with full military honours in his native village near
here this morning.
Touching
scenes were witnessed at the cremation ground as family members had all along
been thinking that Chand had been made a Prisoner of War but little did they
know that his body would come back after 48 years.
The martyr's
body was spotted under a debris by a detachment of Border Roads Organisation
(BRO) in Walong area on July 1 and his identity tag and papers were found along
with the weapon, which were intact.
Commanding
Officer of 4 Dogras Col S K Singh contacted Chand's family in Agojar, about 14
km from here, and his nephew Jaswant Singh showed eagerness to receive the body
and perform the last rites in the native village.
Chand and many
other soldiers went missing after the Battle of Walong in Arunachal Pradesh's
Lohit district during the Sino-India war. Chinese troops had attacked the post
at Walong on October 25, 1962, but the Indian troops fought them for 22 days
despite meagre resources.
Hundreds of
people including a large number of ex- servicemen who were part of 4 Dogras
which fought the Chinese in Arunachal Pradesh in 1962 paid their homage to the
departed soul.
After the
customary rituals, the mortal remains draped with the national flag were taken
to the village cremation grounds where senior army officers including Lt. Gen.
Jasbir Singh Chief of Staff, Northen Command, who is also the Colonel Commandant
of Dogra regiment, GOC of 39 Mountain Division were present.
Jaswant Singh, nephew of the deceased, lit the pyre as Chand was a
bachelor and the soldier''s parents have died. Jaswant said it was a matter of
great satisfaction that he was able perform the last rites of his uncle but had
his body been traced earlier, his parents, who were always inquiring about him,
would have got some solace
....................................................................................................
FACTS
TO MAKE EVERY INDIAN PROUD
Who is the co-founder of
Sun Microsystems?
Vinod Khosla
Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the
today's computers run on it)?
Vinod Dahm
Who is the third richest man in the world?
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 6th position
now.
Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based
email program)?
Sabeer Bhatia
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)?
Arun Netravalli
Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard?
Rajiv Gupta
Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible
to iron out all initial problems?
Sanjay Tejwrika
Who are the Chief Executives of Citibank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
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 3.22 millions of
Indians in USA (1.5% 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.
................................................................................................................................................
You may know some of the following facts. These facts were recently published in a
German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
-
India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
-
India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'
-
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. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was
one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
-
According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable
language for computer software.
-
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
-
Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty
striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was
once the richest empire on earth.
-
The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years.
The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
-
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 recently (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works
dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.
-
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.
-
According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896
India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
-
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.
-
The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
-
Chess was invented in India.
-
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.
-
When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers
over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu
Valley (Indus Valley Civilisation).
-
The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in
100 BC.
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS. BUT,
If we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that we see today, it clearly
means that we are not working up to our potential; and that if we do, we could once again be
an ever shining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow.
I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA.
Say proudly, I AM AN INDIAN.
(Courtesy: Rita Rao, Abu Dhabi)
|
Mail
Box
|
Starting salary in IAS (Rs per month)
Avg life Expectancy (years)
Gold Price (Rs per 10 grams)
Defence Budget (Rs crore)
Total Wheat Output (million tonnes)
Per Capita Power Consumption (kWh)
Infant Mortality rate (1000 live births)
National Highways (in kms)
Doctors (per 100000 population)
Govt Expenditure (Rs Crore)
...............................................................................................................................................
|
|
By Salil Naik, Dubai, UAE |
Money
It
can buy a house
But
not a home
It
can buy a clock
But
not time
It
can buy you a position
But
not respect
It
can buy you a bed
But
not sleep
It
can buy you a book
But
not knowledge
It
can buy you medicine
But
not health
It
can buy you blood
But
not life
So
you see money isn't everything
And
it often causes pain and suffering
I
tell you this because I am your friend
And
as your friend I want to
Take
away your pain and suffering!!
So
Send
me all your money
And
I will suffer for you!
Cash only please.
*
* ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
History
of the Presidency in India
Rajendra
Prasad (1884-1963)
Term
of Office: January 26, 1950 to May 13, 1962
First
President of Independent India. a freedom fighter, Rajendra Prasad was the
only president serve two terms of office.
Sarvapalli
Radhakrishnan (1888-1975)
Term
of Office: May 13, 1962 to May 13, 1967
A
prominent philosopher, writer, a Knight of Realm who held the position of
vice chancellor of Andhra University and Banaras Hindu University. He was
also made a knight of the Golden Army of Angels by Pope Paul VI.
Zakir
Husain (1897-1969)
Term
of Office: May 3, 1967 to May 3, 1969
He
was vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and a recipient of Padma
Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna. Husain died before his term of office ended.
Shri
Varahagiri Venkata Girl (1894-1980)
Term
of Office: May 3, 1969 to July 20, 1969 and August 24, 1974
The
only person to have the distinction of serving as both acting president
and president of India V V Giri was a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, and
his previous positions included minister of labour and high commissioner
to Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Fakhruddin
Ali Ahmed (1905-1977)
Term
of Office: August 24, 1974 to February 11, 1977
A
veteran politician, he held various cabinet posts including food and
agriculture, education, industrial development, etc. He died in 1977
before his term ended, and was the second president to have died in the
office.
Neelam
Sanjiva Reddy (1913-1996)
Term
of Office: July 25, 1977 to July 25, 1982
N
S Reddy was the first CM of Andhra Pradesh. He was the only MP from Janata
Party to get elected from Andhra. He was unanimously elected speaker of
the Lok Sabha on March 26, 1977 to become the 6th President of India.
Giani
Zail Singh (1916-1994)
Term
of Office: July 25, 1982 to July 25, 1987
Zail
Singh served as Punjab CM and later as Union home minister in the Indira
Gandhi government.
R
Venkataraman (1910-2009)
Term
of Office: July 25, 1987 to July 25, 1992
A
former freedom fighter, he first served as a minister of finance and
Industry and later as minister of defence
Shankar
Dayal Sharma (1918-1999)
Term
of Office: July 25, 1992 to July 25, 1997
Sharma
had been chief minister of MP, and then Union Minister for communications.
He also served as governor of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra. As
vice-president, broke down in the Rajya Sabha while witnessing ugly row by
the members.
K
R Narayanan (1920-2005)
Term
of Office: July 25, 1997 to July 25, 2002
India's
first Dalit Prsident. Served as India's ambassador to Thailand, Turkey,
China and the US. Regarded as an independent president who set several
precedents and enlarged the scope of the highest constitutional office.
A
P Abdul Kalam (born 1931)
Term
of Office: July 25, 2002 to July 25, 2007
Eminent
scientist and visionary who played a leading role in the development of
India's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes. Kalam also
received the Bharat Ratna and has authored 4 books.
Pratibha
Patil (born 1934)
Term
of Office: July 25, 2007
Patil
is the first woman to become the president of India. She was also the
first woman Governor of Rajasthan. In 2009 Patil followed Kalam's
precedent and flew in a fighter aircraft.
.....................................................................................................................................................
“I have always
found men who didn’t know how to kiss. I have always found time to
teach them.”--Mae
West
“You can’t go
around being what everyone
expects you to be, living your life through other people’s rules
and still be happy and have inner peace.”---Vivekananda
“The heart has its
reasons of which reason knows nothing”.---Blaise
Pascal
“If you believe
that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or
future event, then you are residing on another planet with a
different reality system.”---Thomas Edison
“A kiss is a lovely
trick devised by nature to stop
speech when words become superficial.”---Sigmund Freud
“Every problem you
have, you experience in your mind. The solution to the problem lies
in the same place.”---Gautam
Buddha
“There is no such
thing as a well-adjusted slave.”
----Martin Luther King
“No man is ever
worth your tears…and the one who is won’t make you cry!” ---Unknown
"Falling in love is
awfully simple, but falling out of love is simply awfu"l. ---Anonymous
"Education is what
survives when what has been learnt is forgotten"----Bf Skinner
"I love you not only
for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you".---Roy Croft
"If you are all
wrapped up in yourself, you are over-dressed."---Kate
Halversson
"If you want him to
fall head over heels give him something to trip over!" ---Mae West
"Every fool knows you
can’t touch the stars, but it doesn’t stop a wise man from
trying."---Harry Anderson
"Love is not a matter
of counting the years but making the years count."---Michelle Amand
"Man will occasionally
stumble over the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and
carry on." ---Winston Churchill
"To get the full value
of joy, you must have someone to divide it with".
---Unknown
"Love is the child of
illusion and the parent of disillusion".
---Maguel
de Unamuno
"There are no problems
– only opportunities to be creative".
---Dorye Roettger
"Love is the most
important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.
"---Woody Allen
"Love makes time pass;
time makes love pass" ----French Proverb
"Success is not the
key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what
you are doing, you will be successful."---Albert Schweitzer
"I am always doing
that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do
it".
---Pablo Picasso
"It’s so easy to
fall in love but hard to find someone who will catch you."---Anonymous
"I've had enough kisses to last me
a lifetime and its starting to get on my nerves ."
---Nicole Kidman on being at the
receiving end of endless kisses from
people during her visit to UK.
"I am Muslim. I am an American".----Boxing Champ Muhammed Ali
"Voilence begets violence. I don't
know about you but I want to live a long and happy life and I want
my kids to live a long and happy life".---- Pop diva Madonna in her plea
for peace to the US.
"As I see the smoke and dust, I am
glad that the Statue of Liberty is still standing".
---- A world war II veteran voicing
the sentiments of many Americans in the aftermath of the terrorist
attack.
"There's an old poster out West that
says, as I recall, 'Wanted : Dead or Alive'.----US President George W Bush
"I am a very sensitive painter. I
can't work with the media watching".---- Artist Wasim Kapoor
on having
second thoughts about the painting Moon Moon Sen.
"If my sons choose cricket as their
career, I will be proud. It will be a sense of achievement".----
Naseeruddin Shah.
"Indian Engineers are among the best
in the world".----Henning Holck-Larsen.
"Stop complaining
about dumping of cheap Chinese goods and focus on improving your
own products."----Narayana Murthy (Infosys Technologies) to fellow industrialists.
"Leave India
in God's hands ------in modern parlance to anarchy" ----Mahatma Gandhi
to British
"I
don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years
unless we spread out to space. There are too many accidents that can
befall life on a single planet."----Stephen Hawking
"Tibet
as a nation is dying because of Chinese policies."---Dalai Lama
"As
I watched the September 11 tragedy in the US, I thought of what
Mahatma Gandhi would say if he were with us. He showed us the proper
way during the freedom struggle. He would have shown us the way
now."----Dalai Lama
....................................................................................................................................
Fact
and Fiction
In
Babylon, around 2000 BC, for a month after the wedding, the
bride’s father was supposed to constantly supply the groom with
mead – a honey beer. Since their was a lunar calendar, this time
was called the ‘honey month’ or what we know today as the
“honeymoon”.
In
1788, at a parade in New York City, ale was proclaimed as “the
proper drink for Americans”.
A
beer is not just a beer. All told, there are 27 different styles of
beer, with a further breakdown of 49 substyles.
After
consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale,
the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle, often without armour
or even shirts. In fact, “berserk” means “bare shirt” in
Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.
In
England, ale is ordered by pints and quarts..So in old England, when
customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their
own pints and quarts. The phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s is
believed to come from there.
According
to a diary entry from a passenger on the Mayflower, the pilgrims
made their landing at Plymouth Rock, rather than continue to their
destination because they had run out of beer.
IPA,
or India Pale Ale, was originally so called because it was exported
to India, for the British troops stationed here. The story goes that
one of the ships bound for India sank off the coast of England, and
the batch of ale they were carrying was salvaged, the drinkers felt
that such delicious stuff should be available at home as well as
overseas.
12
oz of a typical American pale lager has fewer calories than
2 per cent milk or apple juice.
.............................................................................................................................................
Vox
Populi
A
Road Map For India
By Sramana Mitra,
Forbes.com
India has a critical decade
ahead. Managed well, it will catapult India into a developed country with
superpower status. Managed poorly, the opportunity will be squandered. I would
like to believe that this time, India will manage its destiny well. And in my
new book, Vision India 2020, I have outlined what I wish to see. So far India
has positioned itself as a software superpower on the shoulders of outsourcing.
But is that all we will ever achieve? With the right guidance, I resolutely
believe that the Indian youth have the potential to built their nation's next
phase of development--systematic development rather than the haphazard,
helter-skelter development we have thus far seen.
Development
for India, of course, will not be limited to the technology sector. Driving from
Calcutta to Kharagpur last year, I experienced intimately the toll of one of
India's many unforgiving bottlenecked roadways: a highway reduced to one lane
because of a bridge that has stood derelict for three years. Outside Jaipur,
where a thick mass of trucks constrict the flow of traffic, the scene is
unchanged. And when I do finally persevere, make it home and find my bed, the
noise pollution keeps sleep distant. I toss and turn in bed, listening through
the walls to my family members' coughing due to the environmental disaster we
have created.
..........................................................................................................................................
Spotlight
Genetic Heritage --- Humankind's fight for survival across continents.
Timeline
Time: 50,000-60,000 years ago
Location:Africa
Ice Age. Earth's temperature drops, locking the world's moisture into giant glaciers
at the poles and bringing intense drought to Saharan Africa. Herds of thirsty animals
wander northeast off the African continent in search of water, human hunters follow.
Time: 50,000 years ago
Location: Australia
Early travellers from Africa traverse the southern coastline of Central Asia until they
are just north of Australia. Due to the Ice Age drought, sea levels are low and Australia
is connected to New Guinea-but approximately 250 km of sea separate Australia from
the mainland. Yet our ancestors cross the water, possibly in open canoes. Isolated for
thousands of years, the Aborigines in Australia develop distinct genetic traits different
from the rest of the world.
Time: 45,000 years ago
Locations: the Middle East, India and China
Shortly after the first group of hunters venture to Australia, a second wave of Africans
travels northward. Moving up into the Middle East and multiplying rapidly, one group
quickly populates, India, erasing traces of the first settlers. Two groups then walk into
China. There, they are bordered by oceans and mountains,, and have no interaction
with other humans. Thus over the generations, they acquire an appearance distinctive
from their African ancestors, becoming paler over time in the colder climate of their
new home.
Time 40,000 years ago
Location: Central Asia
As the latest Ice Age wanes, survivors experience new levels of bounty including vast
stretches of grassland and renewed animal populations. Our ancestors follow the newly
formed swaths of greenery up into Central Asia. Their numbers grow rapidly, effectively
making Central Asia the 'nursery' of all humankind.
Time: 35,000 years ago
Location: Europe
The Central Asia 'nursery' spawns new groups of travellers. Ancient cave art in Europe
shows that one such group journeys west into Europe through an ice-covered land where
mammoths and bison roam. Once there, the erratic roller coaster of the Ice Age traps them.
In an environment much colder than they'd been used to, the European branch evolves to
become paler and shorter, losing the characteristics of their African forefathers.
Time: Around 20,000 years ago
Location: Siberia
A second group of Central Asians wanders to Siberia and up past the Arctic Circle. Adapting
to the extreme cold, these men evolve to minimise the surface area of their skin so as not to
lose heat: they develop stout trunks, stubby fingers and short arms and legs.
Time: 13,000 years ago
Location: North America
As another Ice Age nears its end, one small clan of Arctic dwellers-a group that could only
have included two or three men, and perhaps 10 to 20 people in all travel over a land bridge that
forms across the Bering Strait to Alaska. As ice caps melt and sea levels rise again, this small
group is trapped on the American continent. The ice continues to melt for another 2,000 years,
until a passage finally opens for humans to walk south on the east side of the Rocky Mountains
into what is now Canada and the US. Once on the American continent, they find more bounty
than they've ever known. They multiply and explore extensively, populating all of North and South
America in just 800 years.
........................................................................................................................................
Hot talk
SWAMI
VIVEKANANDA ON ARYAN INVASION THEORY
Historical
finding have raised controversies and have got rectified
also thanks to continuous research. The acceptance of the theory
that the numerals 1 to 9 and 0 (zero) are Indian, in origin has got
one example. The theory of the Aryan invasion of India, though
has become cliché to the
readers of Indian history, is much in
debate. Yet the truth seems to
be bypassed. The following
excerpts taken from the speech of Swami Vivekananda
“The
Future of India” will serve as a mediator.
There
is a theory that there was a race of mankind in Southern
India
called Dravidians, entirely differing from another race in
Northern
India called the Aryan, and that the Southern India
Brahmins are the only Aryans that came from the North, the
other men of Southern India belong to an entirely different
caste and race to those of Southern Brahmins. Now I beg
your pardon, Mr. Philologist, this is entirely unfounded. The
only proof of it is that there is a difference of language between
the North and the South. I do not see any other difference. We
are so many Northern men here, and I ask my European friends
to pick out the Northern and Southern men from this assembly.
Where is the difference? A little difference of language. But the
Brahmins are a race that came here speaking the Sanskrit language
! Well then, they took up the Dravidian language and forgot
their
Sanskrit. Why should not the other castes have done the same?
Why should not all the other castes have come one after the other
from Northern India, taken up the Dravidian language, and so
forgotten their own? That is an argument working both ways. Do
not believe in such silly things. There may have been a Dravidian
people who vanished from here, and the few who remained lived
in forests and other places. It is quite possible that the languages
may have been taken up, but all these are Aryans who came from
the
North. The whole of the India is Aryan, nothing else.
Then
there is the idea that the Shudra castes are surely the aborigines.
What are they? There are slaves. They say history repeats itself.
The
Americans, English, Dutch and the Portuguese got hold of the poor
Africans and made them work hard while they
lived, and their children
of mixed birth were born in slavery and kept in that condition for a
long
period. From that wonderful example, the mind jumps back several
thousand years and fancies that the same thing happened here, and
our archaeologist dreams of India being full of dark eyed
aborigines,
and the bright Aryan came from the Lord knows where. According to
some, they came from Central Tibet, others will have it that they
came
from Central Asia. There are patriotic Englishmen who think that the
Aryans
were all red-haired. Others, according to
their idea, think that they were
all black-haired. If the writer happens to be a black-haired man,
the Aryans
were all black-haired. Of late, there was an attempt made to prove
that the
Aryan lived on the Swiss lakes. I should not
be sorry if they had been all
drowned there, theory and all.
Some
say now that they lived at the North Pole. Lord bless the Aryans
and their habitations! As for the truth of these theories, there is
not one
world in our scriptures, not one, to prove that the Aryan ever came
from
anywhere outside of India, and in ancient India was included
Afghanistan.
There it ends. And the theory
that the Shudra castes were all non-Aryan
and they were a multitude, is
equally illogical and equally irrational. It could
not have been possible in those days that a few Aryans settled and
lived
there with a hundred thousand slaves at their command. These slaves
would
have eaten them up, made
“Chutney” of them in five minutes. The only
explanation is to be found in the Mahabharata, which says that in
the
beginning of the Satya Yuga
there was one caste, the Brahmins, and
then by difference of occupations they went on dividing themselves
into
different castes, and that is
the only true and rational explanation that
has been given. And in the
coming Satya Yuga all the other castes will
have to go back to the same
condition.
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INDIA
MERI JAAN 
