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Vimarsha - VIF’s monthly series of talks - was held on Jun 29, 2012. Ms Saroj Bala, Member - Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, Ministry of Finance – Govt. of India & Director - Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas, gave an insightful talk on ‘Scientific Dating of Ancient Events from 2000 to 7000 BC. She argued that scientifically it is possible to ascertain the exact dates of events which are mentioned in Vedas, epics and other ancient books. Her talk explicitly underscored the fact that it is high time that historians rewrite the true history of the world, particularly of the subcontinent, purely on scientific basis, ignoring the linguistic guesswork and the religious beliefs. She emphasized that the results of astronomical calculations to determine the exact dates of events are also corroborated by evidences which have been obtained through a host of other sources such as archaeology, geology, genealogy, genetic profiling, palaeobotany, oceanography, space imagery etc. Pointing to the antiquity of Indian civilization, Ms. Bala said that it could be 10000 years old.

New scientific tools and techniques are now available - planetarium soft wares, computers, space imagery, underwater explorations, and radio carbon dating etc. – which clearly validate the existence of characters and events which are described in the Ramayana. There are 39 planetary references in the Valmiki Ramayana, all of which have been tested for scientific validation and found to be correct in the sequence they occurred. Making a pointed reference to Ramsethu, a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in South India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka, she said that it was a walk-able bridge in 5000 BC as per sea level curve prepared by the oceanographers of the world. The planetarium software ascertained the birth of Lord Rama as 10th January 5114 BC from Ayodhya (250N; 810E). Other important dates – based on astronomical calculations – included: Lord Ram’s journey to Lanka started on 19th Sept. 5076 BC; Killing of Ravana on 4th December 5076 BC; and, Lord Ram completing 14 years of exile on 2nd January, 5075 BC which is also a Navami of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month. In so far as event dating of the Mahabharat era is concerned, there are some contradictions which still remain unresolved. The planetary references in Bauddh literature however are still being searched out.

Indian civilization developing indigenously for 10000 years is a source of shared pride for all Indians. She said further that let us not beguile ourselves by the fact that North Indians and the Dravidians are two separate identities. The new research shows that that both share a common ancestry. Drawing her conclusions from a stimulating presentation, Ms Bala said that Indians, by virtue of their civilization, were better equipped to become world leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ajit Doval, Director VIF said that different nationalities have different identities. The template i.e. national identity is derived from various sources such as ethnicity, language, and religion etc. In the case of India, her identity is essentially linked to her composite civilization which is several thousand years old.

Full text of Ms. Saroj Bala’s exposition is given here

Report prepared by Sanjay Kumar