RSS’ account of history gives Hindus a false high

The booklet, titled "Garv Se Kaho Hum Hindu Hain" (say with pride we are Hindus), claims that Indian astronomers Aryabhatt and Bhaskaracharya who existed 1,000 and 500 years before Newton, were quite familiar with the gravitational force .

Similarly, before Christopher Columbus reached America, Indians had already landed there, the booklet says adding that the specimen of Indian art found in the temples of Aztecs were ample proof in this regard.

The RSS gives credit to Bodhayan for defining in sixth century the Geometrical Principle which was later presented to the world by Greek philosopher Pythagoras and known as Pythagoras Theorem.

The oufit also discounts the story of discovery of electrical force by Benzamin Franklin while flying a kite, saying electricity, magnetism, sound and ether were all well defined in the Vedic times. Even the concept of nuclear fusion was known in those times, it says.

The booklet also claims that "Hindus" invented the number system as well as the decimal system besides giving the concept of `shunya’ (zero). Though Aryabhatt used shunya

in sixth century, the concept was known thousands of years before him in pre-vedic times, it adds.

In the field of medical science too, it speaks of astounding achievements made by Hindus in ancient times. Sushrut, who existed 2600 years ago, is said to be the pioneer of surgery. He is credited with surgical operations such as cataract, caesarean delivery and even organ transplant.

The ancient Hindu scriptures also provided deep knowledge of genetics, which is considered a modern science the world over, the booklet says.

According to RSS, the naval transport system also started in the Indus river for the first time in the world some 6,000 years ago. The words ‘navy’ and `navigation’ were derived from the sanskrit words `nau’ and `navgati’ carring the similar meanings, it says.

In irrigation technology, the first dam based water reservoir of the world was built in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, it claims adding that a beautiful artificial lake, named `Sudarshan’ was also made on the Raivatak hill in the Times of Chandragupta Maurya.