The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Showcasing scientific heritage of India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 17, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Showcasing scientific heritage of India

Staff Reporter

Exhibition was organised as part of Sanskrit Week celebrations

TAKING A PEEK: Visitors check out the exhibits at the event organised by Samskrita Bharati in Chennai on Tuesday. — PHOTO: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: An exhibition on the scientific heritage of the country, including references to scientific practices from ancient Sanskrit text, was held in the city on Independence Day.

The event hosted by Samskrita Bharati, a voluntary organisation of Sanskrit scholars, as part of Sanskrit week celebrations, featured 150 exhibits that had information about contributions of Indians to science. The details were attributed to Sanskrit texts in fields ranging from astronomy, physics to even cosmetics.

Besides basic information in science, the exhibition featured the discovery of laws of planetary motion several centuries ago, substantiated by excerpts from Sanskrit texts. There were also information of several chemical tests such as extraction of pure metals from ores titled `Kosthiyantra' and distillation titled `Tiryakpatana.'

Students throng expo

Though a public holiday, several students thronged the exhibition and jotted down notes. Agricultural techniques, indication of groundwater, rain forecasting and use of herbs to desalinate water were some of the information attributed to the ancient Sanskrit texts. The 15 fields covered included ecology, architecture, aeronautics and metallurgy. Profiles of the ancient Indian scientists such as Varahamihira (Astronomy) and Dhanvantri (Medicine) and Vishwakarma (Architecture) were on display.

Contribution to society

R.Ramachandran, State secretary of Samskrita Bharati, said the exhibition was part of the Sanskrit week celebrations. "We wanted to propagate that Sanskrit was not just a religious language. It contributed to society in several other fields."

`Pride of India,' a book, which gave a glimpse of scientific heritage of India, published by the organisation was available at the exhibition. For more details about the book, priced at Rs.1,000, contact the organisation at 5, 7th Street, Dr.Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore. Ph: 28472632.

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