(Text
of the address delivered by His Excellency Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Former
President of India on 30.7.2011 while inaugurating the National Seminar on
Scientific Dating of Ancient Events organised by I-SERVE Delhi Chapter)
"The
DNA of a human being is
his history book ever written"
I am indeed
delighted to participate in the inauguration of Seminar on Scientific Dating of
Ancient Events Before 2000 BC at New Delhi. My greetings to all of you.
Friends, I am happy that all of you are engaged in the mission of establishing
synergy between the scientific wisdom of ancient India and modern scientific
inventions in various areas such as agriculture, energy, medicine, weapon
systems and metallurgy. I am sure this type of study will enable us to utilize
the scientific techniques used by our ancestors and lead towards an
eco-friendly planet earth for the present and future. When I am here with all
of you, I would like to share my thoughts on the topic "Past meets
the Present leading to a Better Future".
Friends, when you
are all working on scientific dating of epics particularly Ramayana I would
like to share with you my personal experience. I was born in British India in
Rameshwaram grown there for 16 years when India's? India emerged. My life is
completely inter connected in lovely way because during various phases, my life
sea waves were giving me beautiful songs, songs of freedom and songs of
development. The entire Rameshwaram Island is known to me with great detail
every part of it, because as a young boy I used to travel all parts of the
Island to deliver the news paper daily to various houses. In my eyes
Gandhamanaparvatham appears from where Rama is supposed to have seen Srilanka.
In front of me appears the famous KothandaRamar Temple of Rameshwaram. Also I
see the Ramatheertham, Lakshmanatheertham and Jatayutheertham and Agnitheertham
in different areas of Rameshwaram. The central point is the Ramanathaswamy
Temple where we find the Siva linga which Lord Rama had worshiped. Today being
the new moon day of Adi month, minimum 3 Lakh pilgrims from different parts of
the country will be converging at Rameshwaram for sea bath. On this day, Lord
Rama is supposed to have taken the bath in the Rameshwaram Sea after returning
from the war to remove the Doshas of killing Ravanan. Thousands of pilgrims
visit the Island every day and enjoy its beauty and spirituality. I will be the
happiest fellow, if through scientific dimensions establish the places from
where there Lord Ram, Lashmana, Hanuman, Sugreeva and the Vanarasena created a
base before launching the war on Srilanka. Really I have a profound interest in
scientific dating of Ramayana.
Dating of events
leads to transforming mythology into history
Vedic
and post-Vedic literature has a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge which
will be extremely beneficial to humanity. For creating a faith in these
documents, there is a need to establish the date of occurrence of Vedas and
Upanishads which are contained in our mythology, so that they are transformed
into historical events and not imaginary mythological events. I am happy that
this is what the researchers in astronomy, ecology, theology, archaeology,
anthropology and space science assembled here have carried out and are in the
process of demonstrating it to the modern scientific world.
If we
look at the study on Scientific dating of Ramayana, the important aspect about
the Ramayana is that when Valmiki wrote the epic, he made it with many proofs.
He packed so much information about the various planetary positions of those
days, the geography of the areas mentioned in the epic, the seasonal events,
and about the genealogy of various kings that it is virtually a no-brainer to establish
the dates on which those events occurred.
Genealogical
links and archaeological findings provide clues to the dating of the Ramayana
era. According to writer B.R. Haran, in no other nation and no other religion in the
world, true history is so meticulously documented, supported by many evidences.
Any ancient history is supported with evidences of architecture and literature.
The Sangam literature is the documented evidence for the existence and ruling
of Tamil kings, and similarly, Ramayana and Mahabharata are the documented
evidence for Rama and Krishna.
Archaeological and literary methods can only provide approximate datelines. For
determining the precise time of the Ramayana events, scientists use
astronomical calculations. Several of India's leading astronomers and nuclear
scientists have come together to establish the dates of India's ancient
history.
So
how is astronomical dating done? Says eminent historian Dr P.V. Vartak:
"Sage Valmiki has recorded the dates of events in detail, albeit by
describing the positions of stars and planets. To decipher the astronomical
encodings has not been a trivial task, and not many have attempted to do so. It
should be noted that the ancient Indians had a perfect method of time
measurement. They recorded the 'tithis', days according to the nakshatra on
which the moon prevailed, the months, the seasons and even the different
solstices. By noting a particular arrangement of the astronomical bodies, which
occurs once in many thousand years, the dates of the events can be
calculated."
Dr. Vartak has taken hundreds of illustrated passages from the epic to establish
dates. Valmiki records the birth of Rama as ChaitraShuddhaNavami (9th), on
Punarvasu Nakshatra and five planets were exalted then; Sun in Mesha up to 10
deg., Mars in Capricorn at 28 deg., Jupiter in Cancer at 5 deg., Venus in
Pisces at 27 deg. and Saturn in Libra at 20 deg. (Bala Kanda.18/Shloka 8,9).
December 4, 7323 B.C. therefore is the date of birth of Rama, when the four
planets exalted. Ramayana occurred over 9300 years ago.
For
example, Rigveda talks about an advanced civilized predominantly urban and
maritime society which has used variety of ships, boats and 75 different types
of houses which includes hutments
and palaces. Vedic literature reveals that Indians had very advanced knowledge
of mathematics and were possessing extraordinary knowledge of astronomy.
Takshila University was established in 700 BC where more than 10,000 students
from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. Similarly,
Nalandauniversity was in existence in 3rd century BC which had housed more than
90 lakh books. Maharishi Atreya was the first Guru of internal medicine, Shri
Dhanvantri of Surgery and Kashyapa was the first Guru of Gynaecology and
pediatrics. ShushrutaSamhita describes more than 40 types of surgical
instruments and Ayurveda talks about holistic treatments.
Astronomical
calculation making use of planetarium software have proved that events narrated
in Valamiki Ramayana actually occurred around 7000 years back and they can be
sequentially dated. Ramasetu is found submerged at the same location as is
described in Valamiki Ramayana and the city of Dwarka has been explored by
marine archeology wing of Govt of India.
As per the
estimate made by the Inter-Governmental panel on Climate Change (NASA, Global
Change Master Directory), the rise in the sea level during the last 7000 years
has been about 2.8 meters which roughly corresponds to 9.3 feet. The remains of
Rama Sethu are found submerged nearly at a depth of 9-10 feet. Thus, obviously
this bridge was capable of being used as a land route 7000 years back. This is
the only existing evidence on manmade bridge a few thousand years back. It is
essential that our researchers launch a mission-oriented programme in an
integrated way by earth science, geological science, remote sensing and space
scientists, oceanography and climate change teams and the people who are
engaged in construction under the sea.
Here I request the
researchers to launch research on India's epics with at least 100 Ph.Ds with
the highly talented historical, geological, astronomical and space scientists
to ascertain the veracity of history and date of events in our epics. Science
always has multiple sources of research information to verify the conclusion.
It should be true to all our research on epics and their dating.
Let me now discuss the work of Prof Tobias on human evolution.
Human Evolution
I was studying
the work of Prof. Tobias on Paleo-anthropology and discovery of archaeological
sites and I thought of recalling the advances made in the research on human
evolution. Traditionally, there have been two distinct and different approaches
in understanding human evolution. First is the archaeological evidence. The
lessons that we have learnt in India from Mohan-jo-Daro and Harappa and many
similar excavations the worlds over have been seminal and many a civilizations'
way of living, its culture and its origins have become evident.
Prof. Tobias
has made a significant impact in this area, particularly emanating from land,
which is said to be the cradle of human evolution. The second and more recent
approach is propelled by advances in our understanding of the human genome.
While the major part of the human
genome sequence is common between human beings and even with mice, the small
portions that differ, control and contribute to the diversity that we find in
the evolution of humans.
I am happy that through such genomic studies, it has been
found that Harappan civilization was not of mysterious people of unknown
biological origins, or migrants from centers of high culture in western Asia,
but they were descendents of population identified with pre-Harappan cultures
of the North Western sector of the sub continent. Gene flow between Mesopotamia and the Indus domains,
perhaps along trade routes, accounts for the higher incidents of some
phenotypic features along this east-west axis than what is apparent across
north-south axis penetrating peninsular India. But migrant theory need not be
invoked to explain various patterns. This makes research in genetic
engineering, using human genome sequences to understand the evolution of
humans, very fascinating for scientists. The scientific dating of our epics
has also to co-relate genealogies mentioned therein with human genome
sequences, and the evidences that we found in the form of fossils.
Prof. Tobias is one of the pioneers in the area of
genetics. From his vast experience in genetics and Paleo-anthropology, Prof.
Tobias has been able to present to the world, in an understandable capsule
form, the whole process of human evolution over 600 million years. The
simplicity of the outcome of his complex research has also stimulated many
scientists the world over to look at the challenges posed in our understanding
of human evolution. Today, the world talks about convergence of many
technologies. Prof. Tobias and others have shown us that all our origins
converge to a single point both in space and time. The evolution of human
origins put forth by Prof Tobias should be related to events of Indian epics.
After all, every Indian epic deals with human history, their conflicts and
their civilization. Hence, it has to be related with the evolution of human
origin.
Origins of Life
Ancient human history has been revealed
beautifully by Paleoanthropology. Life originated 600 million years ago and
continental drift occurred 200 million years ago creating five continents.
Mammals evolved 140 million years ago, Hominids that is the human type, evolved
26 million years ago but modern man only arrived on the scene some 200,000
years ago. He migrated and colonized the world only in the last 50,000 years.
The spoken language is some 10,000 years old while writing evolved only a few
thousand years ago. All this phenomenal progress has been achieved only within
the short span of 200 to 400 generations that is in just 10,000 to 5,000 years.
The spoken language period as per Prof. Tobias is around 10000 years old
and the birth of Rama based on the 9th thithi of Chaitra month dates to 10th
January in 5114 BC, that is 7117 years back. We need to establish the
relationship between the birth of spoken language and the evolution of Valmiki
Ramayana.
New DNA technologies
Newer DNA technologies have given us better insight in
retracing the history of man. The DNA of a human being is his history book ever
written!. Nowadays, intelligence, cognizance, drug response, behavioral
problems, everything, is related to genes: disease gene mapping is progressing at a faster pace with new age DNA technology.
It is probably during the 30,000-50,000 years of co-existence that societies
have evolved adopting newer innovations and cultures.
Thus the 'Nature - Nurture' philosophy holds good even in this Genomic Era: ? Genes?
What we inherit
from our parents is the basis; a beautiful 'building' is built over it, be it
Einstein or certain unique creations, the environment plays a crucial role in
shaping the destiny of the individual and leading to excellence. It is just the
opportunity that makes Man. All children when they are born are equally poised
to become great scholars. The nervous system, and for that matter any of our
systems, should co-operate with an individual in his or her progress.
Origin of civilization in Indian subcontinent
I am happy that through the use of modern
technology the perception of Indian Archeology has changed and has facilitated
by researchers to prove an indigenous origin of civilization in the Indian Sub
continent. This is an important factor which should work as an integrator of
the entire nation since all of us have come into this land from the same
ancestors and roots. While discussing this issue, I am reminded of a
conversation with one of my cardio thoracic surgeon friends. He said, "When
I perform an open heart surgery, on different patients, after opening I find
the blood of the patient is same in colour, hence I cannot discriminate amongst
patients and provide differing attention and care." This thought-process
has to get embedded scientifically and culturally amongst all Indians so that
we can see that nation is bigger than any individual and all of us have to
contribute to the accelerated progress and development of the nation. Now, let
me talk about certain application of knowledge derived from Scientific Dating
of Ancient Events.
Agriculture in Ancient India
The dating studies have found that the farmers in the
Vedic period used natural manures for their agriculture. They have found 12
types of soil and determined the associated organic manure compatible to the
soil types. They did not make use of pesticides or any poisonous elements in
the agro sector. This has resulted in reduced atmospheric pollution and also
provided quality food for the humankind. We have to learn a lot from this
experience. Today, we have to ensure that we should use eco-friendly
fertilizers, pesticides and plant systems in our overall agricultural
development taking the cue from ancient civilization that will make a big
contribution to green agriculture goal of 21st century. We need to integrate
our past civilizational heritage in forms of agriculture or other forms of
systems which provides earning capacity with reference to modern technologies.
Induction of modern technology definitely adds values to our ancestor database
of civilizational heritage.
For the mission for scientific dating of our epics, I
have the following suggestions:
1. Launching research on India's epics with at least 100 Ph.Ds with the
highly talented historical, geological, astronomical experts and space
scientists to ascertain the veracity of history and dates of events in our
epics.
2. The scientific dating of our epics has also to be related to Genealogy with
human genome sequences, with the evidences that we found in the form of
fossils.
3. The evolution of human origin put forth by Prof Thobias should be
related to events of Indian epics. After all, every Indian epic deals with
human history, their conflicts and their civilization. Hence, it has to be
related with the evolution of human origin over 600 million years ago, which is
scientifically proven.
4. The spoken language period as per Prof. Thobias is around 10000 years old
and the birth of Rama based on the 9th thithi of Chaitra month dates to 10th
January in 5114 BC, that is 7117 years back. We need to establish the
relationship between the birth of spoken language and the evolution of Valmiki
Ramayana.
Conclusion
I have discussed few areas which can benefit
from the dating of our ancient events. I am sure the scientists and
technologists assembled here will be presenting several areas in which the
dating can be beneficial. To disseminate the findings of these studies to the
large population will require intensive documentation and the application
potential of each one of the findings. I would suggest that the teams assembled
here can work out areas which need to become the part of the learning process
of our youth. This will enable the seminar to make specific recommendations on
vital areas of our ancient culture in the primary, middle and secondary school
text books. In addition, the seminar should attempt networking of people and
ideas belonging to different specialities like agro-scientists, doctors,
engineers, archaeologists, geologists and environment experts so that the
benefits of lessons arising from earlier civilization and their lifestyle make
a change to our thinking and lead towards the development of an eco-friendly
human habitat. The research on scientific dating may have partners,
who can provide scientific, astronomical, anthropological and geological and
genetic data to ascertain the veracity of the historical events.
With these words, I inaugurate the Seminar on Scientific Dating of Ancient
Events before 2000 BC. My best wishes to all the participating for success in the
mission of connecting the past to the present leading to a better future.
May God bless you!
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Dr. Kalam requests Scientists & Scholars to extract knowledge of Sciences from Vedas / 30th July 2011