Union Minister of Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, M Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled “The Chronology of Ancient India: Victim of distortions and concoctions”, written by Dr Vedveer Arya, here today.
In his lengthy speech on the occasion, Venkaiah said that what he liked about the book is the small details of the ancient history based on epigraphic and literary evidence.
He said: “As I read in the synopsis of the book, Indians traditionally preserved the chronology of ancient times in Puranas but unfortunately, the tradition got discontinued after Gupta period. Gradually, the exact epochs of ancient eras have also been forgotten by the 10th and 11th century CE that led to certain inconsistencies in the chronology of ancient India. Taking advantage of these inconsistencies, Western historians and their followers distorted the chronology and concocted many false theories also that led the modern Indian historical research in the direction that suited their purpose. Since the Western and colonial historians systematically nurtured a bias towards the traditional chronology of ancient India, the majority of historians, particularly those with Leftist leanings, of independent India have also carried forward the same legacy that also got patronized by certain sections of political establishment.
“The entire edifice of the chronology of ancient India was erected on false foundations during the colonial period. Many scholars have attempted to expose the fallacy of the distorted Indian chronology with reference to the Puranic chronology. I am told that the present research work is completely based on the comprehensive study of the chronological content of the inscriptions. I hope the present research work not only rediscovers the exact epochs of various ancient Indian eras as mentioned in the inscriptions but also conclusively exposes the fallacy of the chronology given in the modern textbooks of Indian history.
“Unfortunately, many in India’s intellectual elite continue to promote the notion that pre-colonial India was feudalistic, pre-rational, and by implication in need of being invaded for its own benefit”.
He said that our Ancient medical systems of Ayurveda still continue to thrive and its allied discipline of Yoga is rocking the western world today. Only recently, the United Nations declared an International Year of the Yoga. Ornamental buttons were used by the Indus valley people more than 4,000 years ago. Indians had made high quality crucible steel about 2,500 years ago. Harappan people had thorough knowledge of sea tides and accordingly built docks; today’s ‘Navy’ has its roots in the Sanskirt ‘nav’ meaning boat. Indians had used the ‘scale’ made of Ivory more than 3,500 years ago. The Indus Valley civilization was the world’s first to build planned cities with underground drainage, civil sanitation, hydraulic engineering, air-cooling architecture etc. India was the first to produce rust free Iron more than 2,500 years ago.
Venkaiah regretted that such great ancient knowledge traditions of our motherland has subsequently run into dark ages with the never ending invasions which were motivated by our wealth. This destruction had reached its peak during the colonization of the British that spanned over hundreds of years. What follows from this account is that our country is strictly not a developing country but a ‘redeveloping’ country since we were once developed. (NSS)