Opinion View From The Right: Bharat & Fibonacci
Much before Italy, Indian mathematicians had already discovered the Fibonacci number sequence.
An article in the Organiser says that much before Italian mathematician Fibonacci gave his famous number sequence, Indian mathematicians had already discovered it.
“The sequence is named after Fibonacci, whose 1202 book Liber Abaci brought the sequence to the mathematicians of Europe”, it says, pointing out that “the Fibonacci sequence appears with Sanskrit prosody in the Bharateeya mathematics”. The article quotes one Susantha Goonatilake to claim that “the development of the Fibonacci sequence is attributed in part to ‘Pingala’(200 BC).”
“As per Bharateeya ancient history, this was associated with Virhanka (700 AD), Gopala (1135 AD),and Hemachandra (1150 AD),” says the article. The first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1 and 1, or 0 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. “Parmanand Singh dates Pingala before 450 BC,” the
article says, and notes that the “clearest exposition of the series arises in the work of Virhanka”. The series is also discussed by Gopala and by the Jain scholar Hemachandra. “The Sanskrit prosody has travelled to other countries and they now call it the ‘Fibonacci Sequence’, but the truth of its origin in the ancient mathematical brilliance of Bharat is all too evident,” the article concludes.
Intolerance Is Old
In an interview to the Organiser in the context of the protests by scholars and writers against “rising intolerance”, economist and Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy notes that the “Bharateeya academic” has never been tolerant. He cites some instances to “verify his claim” and says that Jagdish Bhagwati was “forced to leave the Delhi School of Economics and had to go abroad because of a great deal of intolerance for his kinds of views in the then prevailing climate at DSE”.
Another prominent economist and member of the Planning Commission after Independence, “Dr Shenoy, questioned the priorities in financing and planning of the first two five-year plans… [The] result was that he was systematically ostracised, could not get a job in Bharat. He is not even remembered in the history of economic thinking in Bharat,” Debroy says.
Debroy also remembers his tenure with the Rajiv Gandhi Institute in Delhi. While he wanted to “make it an independent think-tank”, Sonia Gandhi often interfered in academic matters. Once when he published economic ratings of states and Gujarat was ranked first, he “got a note from Mrs Gandhi on a green sheet saying that anything the Rajiv Gandhi Institute publishes henceforth be politically vetted.” “I said this is not acceptable to me. I resigned,”
says Debroy.
Media’s Interests
An article called “Intolerance of the media” in Panchajanya blames the media for presenting news in a way that suggests “intolerance has suddenly increased in the country”, and a “civil war-like situation has emerged…” NDTV India said during a debate how “this rebellion has spread to all fields”, even as “the anchor repeatedly got annoyed by the arguments of Rakesh Sinha, who presented the views of the RSS”. The article claims that the “family interests this anchor are linked with the Bihar election”.
The media attacked Delhi Police for its raid on Kerala House over the issue of “beef”, but the media “concealed the fact” that the venue came under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Police. “It is not the embassy of another country,” it said.
Compiled by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
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