Disparagement of Indian Science

The recent past, particularly after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power at the centre in 2014, has seen

dubious claims being made by government-supported forums and public platforms with regard to institutions, food habits, lifestyles that prevailed in ancient India and, most prominently, our achievements in the areas of science and technology. This is part of a project of cultural nationalism that seeks to establish hegemony of the majority through literal, uncritical and selective reading and interpretation of our ancient texts, folklore, mythology, etc. Thus, the argument goes: all that the modern world has to offer in the realm of human endeavour, social and political institutions of liberal democracy, scientific and technological attainments, etc, had already been discovered by our sages, seers and writers and were actually in practice in ancient India.