The New And Uplifting History Of An Indian PI

Claim: India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.

Fact

: This is not fully true, as the Cholas conquered Sri Lanka and took its ruler prisoner. In AD 1025 the Chola navy of Rajendrachola I (r.1012-1044) conquered Sri Vijaya in the Malayan archipelago.

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Pius Malekandathil, maritime history specialist at JNU, Delhi

Claim: The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5,000 years ago. The very word 'navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'navgatih'.

Fact

: It is absurd. All river-valley civilisations like the ancient Egyptians, the Mesopotamians and the Chinese resorted to riverine navigation and coastal navigation. The English word 'navigation' is derived not from Sanskrit 'navgatih', but from two Latin words navis (ship) and agere (to drive). It is from them that English and Latin family languages, like Portuguese, got the word.

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Pius Malekandathil, maritime history specialist at JNU, Delhi

Claim: The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.

Fact:

Takshila happens to be in present-day Pakistan. Why should only India claim credit for it? Such e-mails only skew a matter of serious debate such as the shared legacy of India and Pakistan and humanity at large. In any case, we can't call it a university in the modern sense.

- Gauhar Raza, a specialist of science in the public sphere at National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies in Delhi

Claim: Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs.

Fact

: The Taj was built by Shah Jahan. Every single brick and stone purchased has been documented in the Taj Mahal archives. so is the land deed. Travellers from different periods also saw it being constructed.

- Mushirul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Milia Islamia

Claim: Baudhayana first calculated the value of pi, and explained the concept of the Pythagorean problem.

Fact

: The Sulbasutras of Baudhayana had the value of pi but were written somewhere in the 7-8th century. Its value was, however, first calculated in the Rhind papyrus in 2000 BC (correct up to one decimal place), followed by Archimedes in 250 BC and then by Vitruvius, Chang Hong and Ptolemy, all before Baudhayana.

- Man Mohan Gupta, Indian Society for History of Mathematics, Delhi

Claim: There are 3.22 million Indians in the US (1.5% of the population). But 38 per cent of US doctors are of Indian origin. Also, 36 per cent of NASA scientists are Indians.

Fact

: Only about 10 per cent of physicians in the US are of Indian origin and that includes Indian-Americans. As for NASA,
it doesn't keep an ethnic headcount. But five per cent at the most.

- Chidanand Rajghatta, TOI's Foreign Editor in Washington DC

Claim: When physicists from Princeton University tried to measure Sudarshan's (our Einstein beating whizkid) IQ with an IQ meter ( at the American Embassy in Delhi), the meter broke down.

Fact

: There is no such thing as an IQ meter. In any case, the IQ test is a misleading way to test intelligence, as it is designed for Americans with questions from an American context.

- Gauhar Raza, a specialist of science in the public sphere at National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies in Delhi

Claim: Times Group is owned by Bennett & Coleman. 'World Christian Council' does 8- per cent of the funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share the balance 20 per cent.

Fact

: Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) is largely owned by the Jain family and some subsidiaries, such as ENIL are listed. All details of the holding company, BCCL, are available in ENIL's prospectus at the time of listing.

- Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, author of The Indian Media Business

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The New And Uplifting History Of An Indian PI

Debunking anachronisms, fallacies and plain fudged facts harnessed to bolster our national worth