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Neglectofknowledgetraditions
MichelDanino

VicePresidentHamidAnsariattheIndianHistoryCongressinNewDelhi.

TheIndianHistoryCongress(IHC)recentlyheldatJawaharlalNehruUniversityinNewDelhipassedaunanimous
resolutioncondemninghistoricaldistortionspromotedbytherulingpartyattheCentreoritsassociates.Several
articlesthatappearedonlineandintheprintmedia(forinstance,TheHinduofDecember31)havereportedcriticism
ofPrimeMinisterNarendraModisrecentmentionofGaneshasheadtransplantasproofofadvancedsurgical
expertiseinancientIndia.
ItishardtodecidewhetherMr.Modiexpectedhislistenerstotakehispronouncementliterallyorasametaphor,butit
remainstruethatanumberofpublicationsandwebsitesaboundingrotesqueclaims:ancientIndiansmanufactured
advancedaircraft,whileVedicrishiswentaboutinautomobilesandknewallabouttheheliocentricsystem,nuclear
weaponsandtheTheoryofRelativity.
Butisourjobdonewhenwehaverighteouslycondemnedsuchchildishdaydreamingandconflatedallhistorical
distortionswithit?ItaketheviewthatthekindofhistoriographythattheauthorsoftheIHCresolutionrepresentis,
partlyatleast,responsibleforthissituation.MostmainstreamhistorybooksonclassicalIndia,suchasD.N.Jhas
AncientIndia(revisededition1998)orRomilaThaparsPenguinHistoryofEarlyIndia:FromtheOriginstoAD1300
(2003),arealmostcompletelysilentonIndianscientificachievements.ProfessorJhadoesbrieflymentionAryabhata
(whomhehasclearlynotread,asallhisstatementsabouthimarefactuallywrong)andVarahamihira,butnotonce
BrahmaguptaorBhaskaracharya,classicalIndiasfinestmathematicians,ortheirmanypeersfromBhaskaraIto
Sridhara,MahaviraorNarayanaPandita.Curiously,ProfessorThaparalsolimitsherdiscussionofIndiansciencetoa
coupleofparagraphsonAryabhataandVarahamihira,conveyinglittleoftheformersrealbreakthroughs.
Examplescouldeasilybemultiplied.ArecentexceptionisUpinderSinghsHistoryofAncientandEarlyMedieval
India(2009),whichdevotesoverfivepagestoamoresubstantialtreatmentofscientificandmedicaladvances,
includingSushrutassurgicaltechniquestoreconstructaseverednoseorearlobeandremoveacataractorbladder
stonesadmittedlybetterexamplesofsurgicalskillsthanGaneshasheadtransplant.Thatisindeedthewholepoint:
ifourhistorybooksdidjusticetogenuine,welldocumentedandwellstudiedscientificandtechnological
accomplishments,therewouldbenoroomleftforthefantasisers.Anditisnotjustmathematics,astronomyor
medicinethathavebeenblankedoutbymainstreamIndianhistoriography:chemistry,metallurgy,agriculturaland
veterinaryscience,watermanagementandirrigationtechniques,textilemanufactureanddyeing,constructionand
transporttechnologies,perfumeryandcosmetics,numerouscrafts,andafewintriguingtechnologiesfromicemaking
toweatherpredictionandwaterdivining,areallequallyworthyofstudy.TheyarepartofIndiasconsiderableheritage
ofindigenousknowledgesystems,besideanequallyextensiveintellectualfieldrangingfromgrammar,prosody,
philosophyandlogictoliterature,plasticandperformingarts.
AnystudyofclassicalEgypt,GreeceorChinawouldnaturallyincludeaccomplishmentsinallthosefields,sowhyare
mostofourIndianhistorianssoshyofdealingwiththem?IbelieveplainignoranceofIndiastraditionalknowledge
systemsisonefactorthisattitudeislargelyasubconsciousrelicofthecolonialera,whichhaddecreedthatIndias
literatureswerevehiclesofsuperstitionratherthanofanygenuineknowledge.Asaresult,mostscholarspreferto
confinethemselvestoanoverviewofliteratureandthearts.Yetscientificandtechnologicaladvancesareofequal
importanceironically,weowethefirststudiesofthemtoafewfineEuropeanscholarsofthe18thand19thcenturies,
suchasJeanSylvainBailly,HenryThomasColebrooke,G.ThibautorLonRodet.
Indianscholarsfollowedwithmajorcontributions,butIndependentIndiadidlittletopromotethefield:noIndian
universityhasadepartmentofhistoryofscience.SearchtheInternetforasubstantialresourceonpastIndian
mathematiciansandyouwillsoonreachthewebsiteofScotlandsUniversityofSt.Andrews.Indeed,scholarsfromthe
U.S.,France,JapanorNewZealandhaveinrecentyearscontributedimportantstudiestothefield.Ontheotherhand,
mostoftheirIndiancolleaguesthankfullytherehavebeenquiteafewandofaveryhighorderhaveworkedwith
littleornoinstitutionalsupport.Itishardtounderstandwhyoureducationalsystemandintellectualcircleshavefailed
torealisetheimportanceofhistoryofscienceasafullfledgedacademicdiscipline.Andaveryenrichingone,too,forit
dealsnotjustwiththeevolutionofscientificideasbutwiththeinterfacebetweenmanycivilisationsandcultures.

Thislacunaiswhatneedstobeaddressed.ThehistoriansbehindtherecentIHCpetitionshouldrealisethatsomeof
theblameforthedistortionstheyobjecttoliesattheirowndoor.TheirresolutionistitledInDefenceofScientific
MethodinHistory,butwhatisscientificaboutsuppressingthegenuineachievementsofIndianscience?Ifour
studentshadsubstantialexposuretothem,theywouldfeelnoneedtolettheirimaginationrunwild.
(MichelDanino,authorofbooksonancientIndia,isguestprofessoratIndianInstituteofTechnologyGandhinagar.
micheldanino@gmail.com)