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RSS junks Newton, Columbus, says Indians did it first

Didn't you always believe that Newton discovered the force of gravity, Columbus discovered America and the famous Pythagoras theorem was formulated by Pythagoras?

You were wrong if you did so. A booklet distributed by the Hindu revivalist outfit, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, during its recent nationwide awareness campaign, has challenged several such established facts of general knowledge.

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 specifies 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 the geometrical principle in the sixth century which was later presented to the world by Greek philosopher Pythagoras and is known as the Pythagoras Theorem.

The outfit also discounts the story of the discovery of electrical force by Benjamin 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 the 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 2,600 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.

According to the RSS, the naval transport system was also started for the first time in the Indus river some 6,000 years ago.

The words 'navy' and 'navigation' were derived from the Sanskrit words nau and navgati with similar meanings..

The booklet also claims that in irrigation technology, the first dam-based water reservoir of the world was built in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, that a beautiful artificial lake, named Sudarshan was also made on the Raivatak hill in the times of Chandragupta Maurya around 321 BC.

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