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In Physics and Chemistry the development of the idea on the Greco – Roman
It would be surprising for many of us today the
concept of atom (anu, paramanu) and relativity
(Sapekshavada) were explicitly stated by an Indian
philosopher nearly 600 years before the birth of
Christ. These ideas which were of fundamental
import had been developed in India in a very
abstract manner. This was so as their exponents
were not physicians in today’s sense of term. They
were philosophers and their ideas about the physical
reality were integrated with those of philosophy and
theology.
Pancha Mahabhootas (Five Basic physical elements):
From the Vedic times, around 3000BC to 1000 BC,
Indians (Indo-Aryans) had classified the material
world into four elements which is – Prithvi (Earth),
Agni (Fire), Vayu / Maya (Air), Apa (Water), to these
four elements was added a fifth one Aakasha / ether
(Sky / space). According to some scholars these five
elements (Pancha Mahabootas) were identified with
various human senses of perception, earth with
smell, air with feeling, fire with vision, water with
taste and ether with sound. Whatever the validity
behind this interpretation, It is true that since very
ancient times Indians had perceived the material
world comprising of these 5 elements.
Paramanu Siddantha (Atomic theory)
The word ‘Paramanu’ is a combination of Param,
meaning beyond, and ‘anu’ means atom. Thus the
word ‘Paramanu’ is suggestive of possibly that,
at least at an abstract level Indian Philosophers
in ancient times had concerned the possibility of
splitting an atom which as we know today, is the
source of atomic energy. The Indian concept of
atom was developed independently and prior to
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world. The first Indian philosopher who formulated
ideas about the atom, in a systematic manner was
‘Acharya Kanad’ who lived in the 6th century BC.
In Metals and Metallurgy
In ancient Sanskrit books we can see plenty of
explanation about silver ores, copper ores, furnaces,
corrosion of metals etc.
It has been explained by the experts that the
metallurgy of zinc and related technology was taken
to the west from India during the 5th – 6th century
BC and further later during the 18th century AD.
There is a history of ‘smuggling’ the technology of
zinc production to the west. The details are well
documented in 1597, Libarius received Indian zinc
which he called Indian / Malabar lead – He was
uncertain what it was. Paracelsus in 1616 AD is
generally credited to have given the name ‘zinc’ to
this Malabar Lead. Large scale export of metal from
India to the West was common during the latter half
of 17th century.
Detailed study of zinc was reported from Europe
only in 1695 by Rosco of Hamburg. He produced
the metal from its ore, calamine. In 1751 Postleny
Universal Dictionary of trade and commerce has
to admit ignorance how zinc metallurgy had not
reached the West.
William Champion of United Kingdom experimented
and applied for a patent for zinc metallurgy in 1743.
It was found later that Indian know how was copied
and the patenting palgiriam was reported with
criticism as follows.
“Champion was notoriously close with details of
the Indian process at Zawar mines (in Rajasthan)
and possibly a third party described the general
principle of the process to Champion” and the
patent application was reported rejected.
British historian Grant Duff has remarked: “Many
of the advances in the Sciences that was consider
today to have been made in Europe were in fact
made in India centuries ago.”
Dr. Girish Chandran
M.Sc. M.A, MBA, B.Ed . PhD
Principal & Director
Global Institute for Management Science
Kingdom of Bahrain
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