History

Total Posts : 131 posts

History

Chinese monk Faxian’s Captivating account of Ancient India

Chinese monk Faxian (Fa-Hsien, Fa Hien) walked all the way to India between 399 and 414 CE. Faxian was over 60 when he left Chang’an on his long, dangerous journey through Gobi desert, Kazakhstan entering India via Kashmir. Then walking down all the way to Mathura, Pataliputra (Patna) and

Desh Kapoor

03 May 20 4 min read

History

Who was Shah Jahan as per his own chronicles?

The history and life of Shahjahan, the Mughal Emperor, has been described in a book called Padshahnama or Badshahnama. The account it provides is very different from what the official history books have told us about Shah Jahan. This is also true of Akbar, which we saw in an earlier

Desh Kapoor

29 Apr 20 5 min read

History

Was India a nation 'before the British'? – A Detailed Analysis

India or Bharat is an ancient civilization and a nation of a peculiar culture. That is why despite many kingdoms, it was always considered to be one nation in the eyes of the outsiders. Some ‘history buffs’ these days – like Saif Ali Khan, are announcing, as is the wont of

Desh Kapoor

19 Jan 20 6 min read

History

The Murder of Hypatia: How Christian Fanatics tore apart the Greatest Mathematician of her time

Hypatia – the great philosopher, astronomer and mathematician of her time, has been depicted by the Christian writers in erotic ways. Reverend Charles Kingsley, for example, talked about her curved lips and beauty of her “every line”. This, when Hypatia was rather austere and removed from the pleasures of heart and

Desh Kapoor

11 Jan 20 5 min read

History

Vasant Shinde speaks about Rakhigarhi excavation from Indus Valley Civilization

Prof. Vasant Shinde, currently the Vice-Chancellor of the Deccan College, Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune, is an Internationally renowned Archaeologist who is an expert on Indus Valley Civilization. He was one of the scientists who worked on recovering the DNA material from Rakhigarhi woman and studying her DNA and

Desh Kapoor

21 Sep 19 2 min read

History

Genome sequence of skeleton from Rakhigarhi of Harappan civilization raises amazing questions!

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) or the Harappan Civilization comprised of multiple cultural societies which lived together in large cities like Harappa (Punjab), Mohenjo-Daro (Sindh), Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Dholavira (Kutch/Gujarat), and Ganweriwala (Cholistan). Of these Rakhigarhi is one of the largest sites and was at its peak around 2800–2300

Desh Kapoor

06 Sep 19 3 min read

History

Modern Humans intermingled with Neanderthals and Denisovans when they left Africa: Scientists

Modern humans had Neanderthals as their ancestors. But it was not as if the break and distinction was a clean and one-time thing. There was a lot of intermingling and interbreeding. Homo sapiens intermingled with Neanderthals and Denisovans when they left Africa. Wouldn't that require a lot of maturity? Do

Desh Kapoor

01 Sep 19 2 min read

History

Decade long study decodes the mystery of Roopkund Lake Skeletons

Roopkund lake is an amazing place. Enconsed in the higher reaches of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, this lake is often known as Skeleton Lake or Mystery Lake. It has skeletons near and within it. No one knew whose they were and how they got there. Were they of one group

Desh Kapoor

20 Aug 19 2 min read

History

How Rahul Kanwal Owns a Lutyens Loyalist over Battle of Saragarhi and the Kesari movie

These days the fanaticism of the Anti-Modi brigade’s hatred for BJP or RSS for every issue shows up like the proverbial slip of a girl lacking discretion. The problem is that this Modi hatred has now extended to hating India itself. We had discussed this earlier as well – Modi

Desh Kapoor

22 Mar 19 3 min read

History

History Lies – Nehru was NOT the Father of Bhakra Dam, Sir Chhotu Ram was!

Ram Richpal was born to Chaudhari Sukhiram Singh Ohlyan and Sarla Devi, in village of Garhi Sampla, Rohtak district, Punjab Province. As he was youngest of his siblings, he was called Chhotu Ram. He graduated from St. Stephen’s College in 1905 with a distinction in Sanskrit. After working in

Desh Kapoor

19 Mar 19 3 min read

History

Analysis of the 2018 Elections – Part 1

Shankaran Pillai once fell in the septic tank on the side of a building with no one looking. He started shouting – “Fire Fire”. Soon a passerby called the fire-brigade who came looking that side and seeing this poor man in that filthy tank pulled him out and asked “Where is

Desh Kapoor

11 Dec 18 5 min read

History

How Western Wealth was Plundered from Colonies like India

There is a truth that needs telling. There is context that needs explaining. The racial superiority of Europeans over the people of the past colonies is predicated on ONE lie – that the former were advanced and rich. They were NOT. Their wealth and riches is a measure of their barbarity.

Desh Kapoor

10 Aug 18 2 min read

History

Nehru did Indeed Insult FM Cariappa and General Thimayya!

In an election rally, India’s PM Modi said that Congress has humiliated both General Thimayya and Field Marshal Cariappa. A fact that the Congress aligned sites and online video blogging sites have tried to argue against. Let us first begin with some facts from Kashmir War of 1948 and

Desh Kapoor

09 May 18 8 min read

History

Kamala Nehru and Feroze Gandhi: A Love Affair

Nehru-Gandhi family’s sexual dalliances have been the stock of many a novel and films. Everyone knows about flirtatious Nehru, lonely yet exploring Indira and wild Sanjay. But the story of the family’s romantic history is far wider and deeper. Feroze was a Parsi (real name – Feroze Jehangir Ghandy)

Desh Kapoor

03 May 18 2 min read

History

Denisovans – 18 foot Human Giants who lived 40,000 years back in Asia

Human history, specially the part where man got the intelligence and ability to develop himself and the surroundings, has been held hostage to the limits of Western religious ideology. For years, historians have been loathe to accept that real development and sophisticated work by man started before the advent of

Desh Kapoor

22 Apr 18 5 min read

History

World War I – How British used Kid-Soldiers from India In their Battles

World War I was the first major global war in which the European powers were involved after they had annexed countries in Africa and Asia. How that war was fought on the back of the soldiers from the colonized countries is indeed very interesting. We will look at how the

Desh Kapoor

31 Mar 18 3 min read

History

Why India was Always a Nation in History, much Before the Concept of Nation States

Mona Ozouf, a French historian described the trend for formation of nation states in terms of how the concept of what was sacrosanct in terms of social contract was changing. She calls it [http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0103-40142008000100006&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en#tx02] – “transference of sacrality”

Desh Kapoor

08 Nov 17 6 min read

History

Taj Mahal – a psychopath’s ‘tribute’ – does NOT Represent India!

Should Taj Mahal be a representative of the Indian culture and ethos? The anwer is a clear NO! Let us deal with this issue the way it is. Why #TajMahal – a psychopath’s ‘tribute’ - does NOT Represent India! [https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.me%

Desh Kapoor

18 Oct 17 6 min read

Africa

How can the Africans and Blacks Succeed?

In Anthony Bourdain’s Lagos related program [https://explorepartsunknown.com/destination/lagos/], there was a discussion with a local TV anchor – someone who also anchors the Presidential debates there. She made a stunning comment that hit me hard. She said – and I am paraphrasing – Blacks in Africa and the African-Americans

Desh Kapoor

16 Oct 17 4 min read

History

Should Evil of History Ever be Commemorated?

As the confederate monuments were being brought down in the US, my mind wandered to the fetish of the Indian Secularists with genocidal devils and their attempts to not just honor them but to actively sanitize their characters by re-writing history. One man – way back in history said this [http:

Desh Kapoor

17 Aug 17 5 min read

History

Why Cow Slaughter Represents Regressive Minds and Hegemonic Ideology

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti had entered India along with the barbaric invader Muhammad Ghori, all the while motivating him to fight Prithviraj Chauhan. He and his followers used to bring a cow to a popular temple near Ajmer and slaughter it and then cook kebabs from it and eat it to

Desh Kapoor

29 May 17 5 min read

Asia

Mind-Blowing Pictures of World War II Relics in Ocean and Jungles

The Guadacanal is an island in Solomon Islands, a small nation. During World War II, a major battle was fought here called the Guadalcanal Campaign, or theBattle of Guadalcanal. It was code-named Operation Watchtower. Solomon Islands is a country over 28,400 square kms with 6 major and 900 smaller

Desh Kapoor

06 Dec 16 5 min read

Hinduism

Why Does Khajuraho Temple Have Sexually Explicit Carvings?

Mandana Misra was a householder spiritual Guru of his time who was a student of mimamsa scholar Kumarila Bhatta. He would perform all the rituals of the Vedas and followed the methods detailed in the Vedas. When Adi Shankara went about the country promoting Spiritual way of life, he came

Desh Kapoor

26 Aug 16 6 min read

History

Two Great Escapes That Changed India’s History Forever!

Aug 18th. This is the day of Great Escapes in Indian history. Two amazing and daring escapes which decidedly changed the future of India forever. The first was by Shivaji, who escaped the Agra Fort on Aug 18th from the clutches of the Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. The second was the

Desh Kapoor

18 Aug 16 4 min read

History

Is Lake Mansarovar the Playground of Alien Forms?

We were on our way to a very special place – the Lake Mansarovar. We had made the journey through very high altitude and some of us had fallen sick due to altitude sickness even though the journey was made very easy due to great roads that the Chinese had built

Desh Kapoor

30 Apr 16 3 min read

History

Top Art Galleries Selling Ancient Indian Statues Worth Millions Busted in NY

A marble statue of Shiva and Parvati (8th Century) sitting on tiger skin, originating from Afghanistan was seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials from a gallery on East 67th Street [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/arts/design/ancient-statue-is-seized-from-manhattan-gallery.html?_r=3] in Manhattan – owned by Leonardo Vigorelli

Desh Kapoor

21 Mar 16 4 min read

History

India’s Daughter: Ok, We are Outraged, Indian Men are Devils Incarnate with Medieval Mindset… now WHAT?!!

“A trial by press, electronic media or public agitation is the very antithesis of rule of law” stated India’s Supreme Court in State of Maharashtra v. Rajendra J. Gandhi [(1997) 8 SCC 386]. This goes to the heart of a democratic society as opposed to a banana republic. The

Desh Kapoor

08 Mar 15 13 min read

Hinduism

Surya Sidhant and its measure of history: Restoring its claim of accuracy

By Ramesh Panchwagh, Woodstock MD The Surya Sidhant is the most ancient literature after the Vedas, in India and the World. It is written about the Astronomical Science and mathematics. It is based on the calculations of the Kalpa and Manvantar Math. Its year of writing is given in the

Desh Kapoor

05 Feb 15 6 min read

Love

Richard Branson blogs about a story of Generosity that brought a couple together

Richard Branson shared an interesting story on his blog [http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog/paying-it-forward], about the generosity of his friend, Pankaj Shah. Pankaj is a businessman who has an intriguing, but generous habit – “Whenever he is out to dinner, he asks the staff to find the couple who

Desh Kapoor

02 Apr 13 1 min read

History

Reminiscing the Last Days of Alcatraz 50 years after it closed

It has now been 50 years since it closed. Alcatraz, the legendary prison in California, remains etched in every person’s mind who has seen it once. Only 3 people ever escaped that place. No one knows if they ever made it to the other side of the bay.. on

Desh Kapoor

01 Apr 13 2 min read

History

What was happening in India and the Rest of the World at the time of Mahabharat and Ramayan

There has been a concerted effort since the times of British to discredit India’s history and to brush it aside. The scriptures which are historic in nature in many ways had been painted as “mythology. But when you look at the evidence and evaluate the “stories” and the narratives,

Desh Kapoor

28 Mar 13 1 min read

History

Unequivocal Evidence of Brain Surgery being done in Harappan Civilization found

A 4300 year old skull from the Harappan times has shown signs of brain surgery. A paper in “Current Science” says that it is an “unequivocal case” of a procedure called Trepanation on the skull. Trepanation – is a common means of surgery practised in prehistoric societies starting with the Stone

Desh Kapoor

18 Mar 13 2 min read

Humour

Rahul Gandhi Jokes: The joker does make for a good laugh if not much of a politician

Here are some of the best: To start off – it is important to know where does a politician think about “Politics”. Where and what is this “Politics”. Apparently, it is not where you think it is! Have fun! Read Quote of Dhananjay Gowda’s answer to Rahul Gandhi: What is

Desh Kapoor

17 Mar 13 1 min read

History

Genocidal Pilgrims and Shocking Savagery of Europeans in America’s Formative years

Bernard Bailyn, over 90, is probably one of greatest American historian of the early days of this nation alive today. He has come out with a new book – The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675 [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394515706/ref=

Desh Kapoor

26 Feb 13 4 min read

History

Truth of Pakistan’s role in Kargil Exposed by ex-DG-Analysis of ISI, Gen. Shahid Aziz

In this program Islamabad Tonight (1st February 2013) Gen. Shahid Aziz, who was Director General (Analysis) of ISI at the time of Kargil War exposes Pervez Musharraf’s short-sighted strategy of Kargil War, how Pakistan lost badly, how it didn’t even claim the bodies of its soldiers and also

Desh Kapoor

14 Feb 13 2 min read

History

Was Lal Bahadur Shastri Assassinated? By whom?

Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Prime Minister who almost led India to a victory, when he had to go to Tashkent to talk of truce with Pakistan. We have discussed it earlier in our blog post “The Betrayal of Tashkent in 1965 [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/betrayal-tashkent-1965/]“. Here

Desh Kapoor

13 Feb 13 1 min read

Europe

King Richard III, 15th Century England Monarch, found lying under a Parking lot?

History has a great way to level the playing field for people. Well, while leveling the parking lot, skeletal remains were found under a municipal parking lot in central England. Many believe that these remains are of King Richard III. This 15th century King ruled England between 1483 and 1485

Desh Kapoor

03 Feb 13 2 min read

History

Why did Buddha select Sarnath to promote his teachings? (and other interesting insights – Audio)

This question and many other very interesting insights are brought out by this smart guy from Deutsche Bank, Sanjeev Sanyal. He traces Indian history back to the Ancient times and then looks at the current times and tries to connect dots. He makes the story of Indian history very exciting

Desh Kapoor

18 Jan 13 1 min read

History

Did Krishna really exist?

Was Krishna real or not. Did he walk this earth? Well some people are doing some research and here is an interesting video based on research on one guy – Prof Achar. ALso read through the detailed research articles by another person, Mr. Ramesh Panchwagh, which differ slightly from Prof. Achar’

Desh Kapoor

17 Jan 13 1 min read

China

China’s Historical Cycles of Center vs Regional Control; can it avert regional implosion this time?

On a larger scale, when you look at the “Big Picture History” of China, one sees constant periods of expansion and contractions fueled by strong Central rule and Regional power grab. With the uneven growth in China – Rural/Urban, North/South, Coastal/Inland – the fissures that have ensured the cycles

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 13 1 min read

History

Gandhi and his call for Firearms to be given to India’s Citizens: Was he really a Pacifist?

A quote from Gandhi has gained prominence [http://www.shelfari.com/groups/18664/discussions/18814/When-did-Ghandi-profess-weapons-ownership-] in recent months, specially in the US because of the Guns possession debate. > “Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 13 1 min read

Australia

Indians more Australian than European Settlers: Study finds Indians went to Australia 4230 years ago

In times when Australians – Caucasian primarily – are targeting Indians, for being “outsiders”… comes the scientific reminder from the Gene pool. Mate!! We are MORE Australians than you all are! From the perch that Indians see Australia now, YOU may be outsiders! LOL. See, how a small Gene thingy turns the

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 13 1 min read

Health & Medicine

“Medical Chest” from 2000 year old Roman Ship wreck shows an Eye Medicine

What happens when you find an over 2000 year old ship wreck under sea and rummage through its contents. Specially when you get access to the “Medical Chest” of that crew. Well, that is what the researchers got hold of from a Roman shipping vessel, Relitto del Pozzinosank that sank

Desh Kapoor

08 Jan 13 1 min read

History

Mauritian President: “I am a Bihari”

Indian diaspora is spread all over the world. And it constantly returns to trace its roots and heritage. One such visit was by the Mauritian President Rajkeswur Purryag. He broke down as he met villagers from Bihar, who are apparently related to him. > Mauritius PresidentRajkeswur Purryag turned emotional and broke

Desh Kapoor

07 Jan 13 2 min read

Health & Medicine

Are Tattoos an advanced form of Acupunture?

Tattoos today are more a fashion statement. In fact, in some cases, they signify rebellion to tradition in modern society. But that may not have always been true. Tattoos, it seems, may have been used to help in alleviating some illness or health issue in prehistoric times. Interestingly, an Iceman

Desh Kapoor

11 Dec 12 16 min read

History

Chanakya’s speech on how to keep Hinduism alive

Chanakya TV series was one of the best ever. Many people I know still go back to it. Chanakya was an inspiring personality in his own time and even now. He brought the nation of India together in a way that no one had done before him or later. He

Desh Kapoor

10 Dec 12 2 min read

Europe

Mail sent from Bombay to London in 1866 reached in 28 days! (Image)

Here is a very interesting piece of postal history [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1866_Bombay_to_London_28_days.jpg]: > A piece of registered mail postmarked Bombay, November 23, 1866. The postage of 10 1/2 annas includes 4 annas for registration. The 6 annas stamp of 1866,

Desh Kapoor

07 Dec 12 1 min read

History

New Study establishes Romas origin to Punjab and debunks Aryan Invasion Theory

Romas, the gypsies of Europe, have been found to have their origin in North-west India [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.6133333333,77.2083333333&spn=10.0,10.0&q=28.6133333333,77.2083333333 (India)&t=h]. It is said that the Romas were driven out of India due

Desh Kapoor

07 Dec 12 3 min read

Corruption

Chanakya -Those who cannot change their situation need to learn how to cope with them

जिनमें स्तिथियों को बदलने का साहस नहीं होता, उन्हें स्तिथियों को सहना पड़ता है कल्याणी Chanakya, the TV series, was one of the finest to have come on Indian TV. Every one of its episode and dialog

Desh Kapoor

07 Dec 12 2 min read

Corruption

When the Rulers loot the nation: wisdom from “Chanakya”

What to do when the King and the rulers themselves steal from the Treasury of the nation? This is a tragedy that India has faced again and again. And now, this has become plunder! Here is a scene from the TV series “Chanakya” where the Chief Minister catches the swindling

Desh Kapoor

06 Dec 12 1 min read

Creative

When Taj Mahal was to be demolished for auctioning its marble

In 1830, the British Governor of India, Lord William Bentinck, in the 1830s, thought of demolishing the Taj Mahal and auction off the marble to the landed English gentry of that time. Even the demolition crew and machinery had entered the grounds and were ready to begin work but were

Desh Kapoor

06 Dec 12 1 min read

History

Famous people who missed Titanic disaster narrowly

Guglielmo Marconi – the father of long distance radio transmission, developer of radio telegraph system and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 1909 was offered a free passage on Titanic which floated off on Wednesday 10 April 1912. But he had something to finish and needed to have a stenographer

Desh Kapoor

05 Dec 12 3 min read

History

First Trailer of “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” starring Farhan Akhtar

The new movie – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – is all set to come and promises to be a great movie! Here is the first trailer. Check it out! “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” starring Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor. Directed by the talented Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

Desh Kapoor

30 Nov 12 1 min read

History

Suppression of History and India’s Civilization

Pashupati seal from HarappaJuan Armenta Camacho and Cynthia Irwin-Williams started excavations in 1962 at Hueyatlaco, which is an archeological site in Valsequillo, Mexico. The team was joined by Virginia Steen-McIntyre in 1966. What the excavation came up with should have shaken the very root of Historical studies in the world.

Desh Kapoor

03 Jun 12 5 min read

History

Impact of Climate Change and Saraswati River study and analysis

A recent science article [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120528154943.htm] suggested that the Harrapan civilization ended due to a flood and climate change. > The new study suggests that the decline in monsoon rains led to weakened river dynamics, and played a critical role both in the development

Desh Kapoor

02 Jun 12 5 min read

History

Losing our Historical Legacy

India’s heritage seems to be in a major crisis. As a nation, India has not really cared for its historical legacy and day by day, it seems to get worse. Recently Comptrollers and Auditor General of India came out with its take on how the historical sites and legacy

Desh Kapoor

30 Apr 12 2 min read

History

Varna, Caste System, and Skin Color: Shallow understanding and Dubious arguments

There is a sad problem with those who consider themselves “Hindus” in India and those who comment on the larger history of the Hindus. Personally, I don’t like this term because it boxes India’s historical ethos into a box. Indians prior to religious invasions were “Dharma” oriented. So

Desh Kapoor

13 Apr 12 3 min read

History

History at Cross roads as Shaheed Bhagat Singh returns to Lahore today

Shaheed Bhagat SinghToday (23rd March) in 1931, at 7.30 pm three young men were hanged in the Lahore Jail. they were to be hanged on the 24th, but their hanging was moved 11 hours earlier and in an unprecedented decision, hangings were done not in the morning but in

Desh Kapoor

22 Mar 12 2 min read

History

“Ashoka the Great” was India’s first Religiously Fanatic Jehadi

Indian history is a virtual lie. And, as it remains in the hands of Communist HIstorians, the depth of lie increases by the day. Sometimes, one doesn’t know whom to consider as a great and whom not to. The baggage of our conditioning is so heavy that we have

Desh Kapoor

10 Dec 11 4 min read

History

Cult of Eminent Indian Historians and the Ayodhya verdict

It has been said time and again that the so called “Indian History” experts were anything but. Justice Aggarwal declared: > “One cannot say that though I had made a statement but I am not responsible for its authenticity since it is not based on my study or research but what

Desh Kapoor

09 Oct 10 5 min read

History

Lord Ram as Juristic Person and Legal History of Religious Juristic Persons

One of the interesting parts of the Ayodhya verdict was declaring Lord Ram – the deity of Ram Janmabhoomi temple – as a “Juristic Person”. As per Common law, which is the basis of Western law system, also applied in India since the British time, there are two persons: Natural and Legal.

Desh Kapoor

01 Oct 10 5 min read

History

Ram Janmabhoomi verdict is not about Ram, but about Humanity of India

Tomorrow, after one postponement, the Allahabad High Court will give its verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babr Masjid issue. The judges are Justice D V Sharma, S U Khan and Sudhir Agarwal. The bench will begin the delivery of its verdict at 3:30 p.m. in Court Number 21 in

Desh Kapoor

29 Sep 10 5 min read

History

How the British conquered the Indians

I recently came across a review written in 1893 (March 19) in New York Times [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B04EEDA1F3FEF33A2575AC1A9659C94629ED7CF] of book “The Rise of the British dominion in India” by Sir Alfred Lyall. The piece describes the view of the “other side” on

Desh Kapoor

06 Sep 10 6 min read

History

Astronomical Proof of the Mahabharata War and Shri Krishna: Part II

In the last article, we have established that 1) The Mahabharata war took place starting on November 6, 3126 BCE, and 2) Shri Krishna died and the Kaliyuga started on February 18, 3102 BCE. Both conclusions were based on the Computer generated sky maps for the specific dates, the planetary

Desh Kapoor

04 Sep 10 8 min read

History

When African Slaves fought British in Indian War of 1857

African continent has been the worst victim of humankind’s worst crime – Slavery. While Europeans and Whites in the US have been often characterized as the main culprits, that is not the whole truth. The art of keeping slaves was actually perfected by the Arabs. The trend was pre-Islamic but

Desh Kapoor

02 Sep 10 4 min read

History

Astronomical Proof of the Mahabharata War and Shri Krishna: Part I

Why one more date based on the astronomical evidence quoted from the Mahabharata? I have made this effort for the following reasons: * All the previous dates by various scholars are from misunderstood quotes, incorrect translations and incorrect conversions between the Gregorian calendar and the Indian astronomical calendar. These scholars here

Desh Kapoor

01 Sep 10 7 min read

China

Chinese came from Indians

If the issue had not been settled as yet, here is another study (Aryan Invasion Theory is REALLY a Myth [https://drishtikone.com/?q=blog/aryan-invasion-theory-really-myth]).Mapping Human Genetic History in Asia is the study conducted in 10 countries including India. From Indian side the team comprised: Council of Scientific

Desh Kapoor

11 Dec 09 1 min read

History

How India got its Independence – The Real Story

Utpal Dutt, the actor who played comedian in one of most memorable role in Hindi Cinema in Golmaal, was arrested on December 27, 1965 by the Government of West Bengal under the Preventive Detention Act. The Government of Bengal and India feared he was “subversive”. Why? Because he wrote a

Desh Kapoor

14 Oct 09 5 min read

History

Racial Genocides, Aryan Racism and the Aryan Invasion Theory

The development of the racialist theory of the superiority of the Aryan “master” race is often attributed to Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, a French aristocrat and novelist and “Father of modern Racial Demography”. He did so in his book An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races (1853–1855)

Desh Kapoor

11 Oct 09 8 min read

History

Aryan Invasion Theory is a Myth: large Harvard study

I still remember so much of hue and cry was made by the so-called secular fraternity in India on (i) why the Aryan Invasion Theory was true and (ii) anyone criticizing was doing so out of “inferiority complex” and with “Hindu superiority” leanings. As if looking for a factual explanation

Desh Kapoor

27 Sep 09 1 min read

History

Krishna and Mahabharat: Historical reality

Dr Manish Pandit, a nuclear medicine physician from UK is making a movie on Krishna as a historic figure. Pandit has based his movie on dates and timelines coming out of scientific based research by credible evidence based on Archeology, Astronomy and Linguistics, apart from Oral evidence from Indian tradition.

Desh Kapoor

30 Aug 09 13 min read

History

Indus Valley Script being deciphered

Indus Valley script is on the verge of being de-coded. Work on it has been in controversy because of overzealous and self-important Western Historians who somehow believe that Indian scientists are less capable of doing the right job on Indian history, because they may be “clouded by their bias”. Such

Desh Kapoor

08 Aug 09 1 min read

History

Taste 9000 year old Beer Recipe soon

A 9000 year old beer recipe is now going to be available to the world. > Called Chateau Jiahu, this blend of rice, honey and fruit was intoxicating Chinese villagers 9,000 years ago—long before grape wine had its start in Mesopotamia. University of Pennsylvania molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern had

Desh Kapoor

31 Jul 09 1 min read

History

Netaji Bose on Time's cover

On March 7, 1938, Subhash Chandra Bose was on the Time cover. Not that Time really loved Netaji, in fact Time used a lot of pejoratives for him all the time and his Indian National Army. Of course, Time would also refer to Gandhi with a sarcasm calling him “Saint

Desh Kapoor

17 Jul 09 1 min read

History

Goseck Circle and Nebra Disk: there is something wrong with historic stereotypes!

There are many things that happened back in history – prehistory, even – which seems completely incongruent with the historical eras and the accomplishments that our historians would have us believe existed at that time en-masse. Neolithic Age, for example, was the Stone Age where man was just a farmer and a

Desh Kapoor

17 Jun 09 3 min read

History

Akbar's Intriguing departure from his predecessors

Today I downloaded a book from Project Gutenberg – a source of free books whose copyrights have expired. This book is titled “Akbar, Emperor of India” written by Richard von Garbe (Rector of the University of Tubingen) reprinted in April, 1909.[1] The author talks of how Akbar was one of

Desh Kapoor

13 Jun 09 3 min read

History

How to talk to Ice Age folks

Have you ever thought if you were transported to the Ice Age or Stone Age, how would you communicate with those people? Well according to a new study it seems that at least we will be able to speak some thing. And what about going forward? Well, there are somethings

Desh Kapoor

28 Mar 09 1 min read

History

Buddhist artifacts of 2000 years back found in Gujarat

Gujarat once had a big presence of Buddhism. Hsieng Tsang had also documented that in his travelogues when he visited Vadnagar between 640 and 644 AD. He had documented presence of 1,000 Buddhist monks and 10 Buddhist monasteries. For last decade more and more Buddhist artifacts have been found.

Desh Kapoor

17 Aug 08 1 min read

History

Harkishan Singh Surjeet finally leaves the stage: Thank God for small mercies!

[http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cpmcongress1316.JPG] Image via Wikipedia [http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cpmcongress1316.JPG] The Indo-China War [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_War] of 1962 remains a watershed in Indian politics – internally. It was again, in modern India, that its own leaders – and traitors

Desh Kapoor

01 Aug 08 4 min read

History

Trashing of History – CPI ishtyle – and our collective amnesia

Quisling . Tojo’s dog . agent of imperialists . Imperialist Dog. Who do you think these choicest words were used to describe? Anybody we know in India? Now, Cut to the thundering response to Advani’s suggestion that Savarkar and Bose have met with the same treatment at the hands of subsequent

Desh Kapoor

01 Aug 08 1 min read

History

Conquest of Goa and our blind generation!

Tale of India’s conquest and its decline is so horrendous and so depressing that everytime you hear about a new element it leaves you will utter disbelief! How could someone do such a thing?? Read this story of Goa’s conquest. It would have been fine, if we had

Desh Kapoor

29 Jul 08 3 min read

History

Nehru's arrogance and scorn for which we keep paying

In the world of geopolitical maneuvering either you should become a powerful “bad-ass” or side with one. Those who do neither and with arrogant demeanour as well as false confidence as their ally are very few and far between. India had the dubious distinction [http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2004/

Desh Kapoor

26 Jul 08 2 min read

History

Betrayal of the jawan who died un-named

“Dear Comrade, On the eve of my visit to China, I venture to write to you to dispel doubts and rumors.” Thus wrote Jawaharlal Nehru [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,823573,00.html] to each member of his Cabinet in 1954 before his famous (and in

Desh Kapoor

26 Jul 08 3 min read

History

Aryan Invasion Theory: the myth cant die?

There is yet another discussion going on at another blog – Shunya [http://blog.shunya.net/shunyas_blog/2008/07/indigenous-arya.html?cid=123310506#comment-123310506] – on the so-called Aryan-Invasion Theory. It is interesting the way Namit, the author of the post characteristizes different protagonists in the discussion. Subhash Kak (head of

Desh Kapoor

22 Jul 08 3 min read

History

Choco alcohol.. 1100 BC back..

What could be worse than being a chocoholic? Or an Alcoholic? Becoming an addict of alcohol made of chocolate! Now this was going on ···1100 BC .. where else? In Latin America [http://discovermagazine.com/2008/apr/07-getting-drunk-on-chocolate-in-1100-bc]… > A recent chemical analysis of 3,000-year-old pottery shards in northern Honduras turned

Desh Kapoor

03 Jun 08 1 min read

History

When Prostitution was a state enterprise and paid for by the State

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had talked about prostitution in an earlier post [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/?q=blog/spitzer-law-enforcers-human-failing-and-10000-years-pretense] and how despite its presence and ability to thrive in every society, everyone has closed their eyes to its inevitability and played a holier-than-thou game only to abuse the women folk

Desh Kapoor

23 Mar 08 2 min read

History

The Indian Magic Mango Trick

This is a very interesting picture [http://ian.macky.net/secretmuseum/page_3.22.html] set from “The Secret Museum of Mankind [http://ian.macky.net/secretmuseum/index.html]“. I am not sure of the year of this picture – but it seems really old! The Asia section also has some

Desh Kapoor

12 Feb 08 1 min read

History

Myths of Gandhism, Ram, and the Partition

Mahatama Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948. It has roughly been 60 years since then. For all these years, a lie – and a blatant one at that – has been perpetuated by the Indian National Congress. That, while dying he uttered the words – “Hey Ram”. This was to make him

Desh Kapoor

09 Feb 08 5 min read

History

One ton rodents and pregnant teen Dinosaurs – crazy world it was!

A One tonne rodent [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7189341.stm] and pregnant dinosaur teens…. well circa 1-200 million BC was a strange time huh! The fossilised skull of the largest rodent ever recorded has been described by scientists for the first time. The remains of

Desh Kapoor

17 Jan 08 1 min read

Economics

How can India progress?

We are a country and a society that is badly wounded and impoverished over the centuries. I would argue that it has as much to do with our attitude of self-induced helplessness as much as it is to do with the needless aggression of the outsiders. Nevertheless, a beginning needs

Desh Kapoor

24 Oct 07 4 min read

History

Today in History

Today is my Mother’s birthday! So, Happy Birthday Mom! Today’s Events in History 1740 – Maria Theresa (pictured) assumed the throne of the Habsburg Monarchy in Austria, following the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. 1818 – The United Kingdom and the United States signed the Treaty of 1818, which settled the

Desh Kapoor

20 Oct 07 1 min read

History

Today in History

People born today:Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar [http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761566035], American astrophysicist and Nobel laureate (1910) Sir Thomas Browne [http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761567522], English physician (1605) Auguste Lumière [http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761573634], French

Desh Kapoor

20 Oct 07 1 min read

History

Lord Ram – A look at Astronomy as the proof of History

Got an email from a friend regarding the facts around Lord Ram. I am not sure how true they are… I am reproducing them as such. I will however research this later and get back to you.. those who can provide some background on the astronomy of this may please

Desh Kapoor

18 Oct 07 7 min read

History

Jodha-Akbar's Trailer

Here is a trailer from Jodha-Akbar, the movie by Ashutosh Gowarikar. I saw it at Ravi’s site [http://bolllywood.blogspot.com/]. I must say that the movie looks extremely promising!

Desh Kapoor

15 Oct 07 1 min read

Education

How do Languages Evolve?

Languages change in strange manners. There are words in Indo-European languages that are still very similar – like the pronunciation of the word for numeral 2 – Dos (Spanish), Do (Hindi), Dva (Russian). Yet, there are many words, obviously, that are very different! There’s a reason why Japanese translations [https://word-connection.

Desh Kapoor

12 Oct 07 2 min read

History

Myths of Islamic "Sciences" and its history

A very interesting blog from Global Politician, Islam, the Greeks and the Scientific Revolution, part 1, [http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=3559&cid=3&sid=9] by Norwegian blogger Fjordman. Here he argues that Islam and the Arabs may have transferred knowledge, but they didn’t contribute much of

Desh Kapoor

08 Oct 07 3 min read

History

Sethusamudaram: Smart cost savings initiative or a White Elephant in the making?

Decision making is essentially about asking the right questions. One of the most basic questions that one needs to ask in an investment decision is: What do I get out of it? The Sethu-samudram project has taken on an emotional turn in India. Those in favor would go to any

Desh Kapoor

05 Oct 07 5 min read

History

Karunanidhi calls Ram a drunkard and BJP Issues "Fatwa"!

> "Some say there was a person over 17 lakh years ago. His name, they say, was Ram. And we should not touch the bridge he built. Who is this Ram? From which engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof of this? Ram is a big lie. In fact,

Desh Kapoor

02 Oct 07 2 min read

History

British contingent in India to pay homage to barbarians of 1857 War

War is a strange situation. Both sides kill and both fight. Strangely, both feel their rationale is justified. IN 1857, the First War of Indian Independence was fought. At that time the Indian sepoys rose up against their British Masters and fought for freedom. Some Brits were killed and after

Desh Kapoor

24 Sep 07 1 min read

History

Half of languages of the world will disappear by end of century!

History of the world is full of how might was right and how he powerful changed the structure of the world. When the history is written of the post Christ era, one thing that will stand out if how Europeans decimated so many local ecologies, cultures and ethnicities! By the

Desh Kapoor

23 Sep 07 1 min read

Economics

Change keeps the Past Current!

India has a lot of problems – population, apathy of the educated, pollution, and corruption. That is what keeps the country down. Can it move on? Tom Friedman said that technology is a great equalizer.Vinay Rai [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/?q=think_india_an_interesting_book_from_my_

Desh Kapoor

22 Sep 07 2 min read

History

Indian Postal: delivers life, death and runs India…

Post office is the life line of India. Not everyone has an email.. in villages, the villagers wait for the postman on the bicycle in the remotest of areas with the eagerness of a kid! An old Mother is waiting for a money order from her son… a sister send

Desh Kapoor

22 Sep 07 1 min read

History

Today's Ram never Existed!

I often wonder if it is time that God be abolished from the public life? The personalities that fill up the pantheon of "Gods" around the world are USED shamelessly by everyone. In the US, when a politician or a pastor rapes young boys as a gay and he suddenly

Desh Kapoor

14 Sep 07 4 min read

History

Indian History – finally someone talks sense!!

The Indian pseudo-seculars, the Indologists, and the Indian "historians" have long claimed nonsensical stuff in the name of Indian history. Their claims were as credible as Snow-white’s story is.. with at times hardly any basis. Never have any scientific methods been used in learning from history by this "intellectuals"

Desh Kapoor

11 Sep 07 1 min read

History

Jehad, Economics and the Structure of Islam!

> "Interestingly, we’ve found that the vast majority are not inspired by jihad or hate for the coalition or Iraqi government – the vast majority are inspired by money," said Captain John Fleming of the navy, who is spokesman for coalition detainee operations in Iraq. This is the conclusion of this

Desh Kapoor

26 Aug 07 2 min read

History

Communists and the downright Anti-National Marxists!

Netaji, Vivekananda, and Aurobindo are the forgotten Bengali geniuses as they are inconvenient to the Marxists Here is another article [http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14514872] that clearly shows the utter hypocrisy of the Communists.. and Marxists in particular! People whose masters were and are rabidly arnti-Indian.. can’

Desh Kapoor

25 Aug 07 2 min read

History

How Partition affected the Sub-continent's Music soul!

Some letters in the Pakistani daily Dawn are sometimes very interesting. Here is another one.. where this guys juxtaposes the melodies born out of the melting pot of Bengal, UP and Punjab.. against the "two nation theory" and partition. How partition took away – ruthlessly – the soul and the many wonders

Desh Kapoor

22 Aug 07 2 min read

Environment

Adam's Bridge (Ram Setu) is a Man-made structure: Top Indian Geologist!

Recently the Adam’s bridge or Ram Setu has been in news and controversy, because the Government wants to get away with it and build a canal that can help the ships go around. It has often been believed to be a natural structure by most non-religious folks. The Hindus,

Desh Kapoor

01 Aug 07 6 min read

History

Modern Indian History timeline

Here is a very informative timeline of Indian history given in a comment by Harpreet [http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2007/07/partition_of_in.htm#comment-96306] on Shekhar Kapur’s blog. I think it should be shared with all. Part One – the East India Company1600 Elizabeth I grants

Desh Kapoor

31 Jul 07 4 min read

History

Indian Intelligence and the Prostitutes of Indian Media

This is one of the finest articles [http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jul/26raman.htm] that has come out of the amazing B. Raman himself (by far my favorite commentator). Here he describes the details of two amazing stories in the Indian intelligence history – one a failure and one

Desh Kapoor

28 Jul 07 6 min read

History

Vande Matram the Controversy – my thoughts

There was a huge controversy in India over Vande Matram – the National Song of India. The issue was that it praised a Goddess and that was against Islam because of its monotheism and there were also discussion on the intent of Bankim Chandra’s novel as one that perpetrated hatred

Desh Kapoor

21 Jul 07 5 min read

History

History of Religions in 90 seconds

This is a rather interesting map of the spread of religions in the world. Rather amazing to see how the different protagonists were born and died and how the religions spread around the world. Powered by Qumana [http://www.qumana.com/]

Desh Kapoor

13 Jul 07 1 min read

History

A Voyage in 1893 that Changed India!!

See below an interesting letter that Jamshetji Tata – the pioneer of Indian Science and learning wrote to Swami Vivekananda recalling their voyage from Japan to Chicago on a ship in 1893! Here he is asking Swami Vivekananda to take leadership of the Research Institute of Science (later to become the

Desh Kapoor

11 Jul 07 3 min read

Creative

Taj is now amongst the Top 7!!

The new wonders of the world have been announced. Nation-wide campaigns for voting have been successful, but suprisingly, I have found that other places came 1st and 2nd!! Any way, here [http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jul/08wonders.htm] is the list: * The Colosseum, Rome * The Pyramid of Chichen

Desh Kapoor

08 Jul 07 1 min read

History

The Highly Disrespectful Indian Presidential Candidate: Pratibha Patil!!

The Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil is – by her own logic – a HIGHLY DISRESPECTFUL woman! In a complete 1800 turnaround within a week or so! The reason according to her for Purdah was the Mughals – to save their honor from these barbarians, the Rajput women had started purdah… but then on

Desh Kapoor

29 Jun 07 1 min read

History

How India was lost 250 years ago TODAY!

Many globalization critics in India have blamed East India Company directly for our long suffering at the hands of British. Little realizing that it was, after all, our own rulers and people who put us in a mess. Every character was, in himself, enough to create havoc. But when they

Desh Kapoor

24 Jun 07 4 min read

History

1.6 million ancient manucripts found and being documented in India!

1.2 million manuscripts from ancient and medieval India have been documented [http://hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=98cf1878-904f-418b-a229-dd3fede1328a&ParentID=6e6a22fb-8f38-4192-9c9e-340216133e78&&Headline=Manuscripts+unfold+new+vistas+of+medieval+India] by National Manuscripts Mission in India. Now it is digitizing them. These include: Smriti, Dana, Abhiseka, Upanayana, Vrata and Puranas

Desh Kapoor

21 Jun 07 1 min read

History

Shiv Sainiks: the losers!!

Can someone tell these ultimate losers that cyber cafes do not CREATE websites!! Cyber Cafe just offers services to access the web! And most of the folks surf in their homes! Most importantly someone in the Hindu community should shove some sense into these idiots’ minds.. either they get their

Desh Kapoor

03 Jun 07 1 min read

History

Nehru's legacy – 43 years later!

Today is Pandit Nehru’s Death Anniversary. He died on May 27, 1964. He represented a lot of things in Free India. He represented secularism to many (although I believe he was a radical pseudo-secular) and a romantic vision (again misguided at most times though) for the future. His rule

Desh Kapoor

27 May 07 6 min read

History

Indology Nonsense from Univ of Chicago's Martha Nussbaum!

Martha Nussbaum is the Professor at University of Chicago for Philosophy. Here she is talking about the Gujarat riots after Godhra. It is amazing the way the Leftist view is taken and the history is made a mockery of! Let me deal with her points – in italics here. First, Aryan

Desh Kapoor

17 May 07 4 min read

Economics

Two Millennia of India’s Economic Journey: 1st Century to 2000 AD

India is a poor country today. But was it always like that? If you look at the GDP figures [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_past_GDP_%28PPP%29] (courtesy: Wikipedia) of India vs the rest of the world – the journey is extremely interesting. For most part

Desh Kapoor

13 May 07 4 min read

History

World was and will remain a "Zero Sum" Game!

We started in the primitive era as beings who saw the world as a "zero sum game". Many centuries and lots of education and "progress" later… we still think that world and life is a zero sum game! We still face the same issues.. the same wars.. the same threat

Desh Kapoor

10 May 07 1 min read

History

Islamic Fundamentalism and Western Imperialism are closely and fatally intertwined!

This one seems to be an interesting book! It is on my "to-buy" list for now. I will surely get it when I go to India next – "The Last Mughal". It is indeed an important observation that Islamic Fundamentalism and Western Imperialism are very tightly intertwined. When it will stop

Desh Kapoor

08 May 07 2 min read

History

Martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev and what happened after their hangings?

This year a cycle march [http://www.gujaratglobal.com/nextSub.php?id=2502&cattype=NEWS] is being organized in India to commemorate the 75th year of martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. Long back, I read a series of books on History titled "India Betrayed". In that, it was

Desh Kapoor

08 Mar 07 1 min read

History

Panini's Ashtdhyayi Rules for Sanskrit and Backus-Naur forms for Functional Programming

VishK [http://vishk.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/backus-naur-form-and-ashtadhyayisanskrit-grammar/] talks about "Functional Programming" – a paradigm in programming. > Functional programming (FP) is of interest to many people because it describes ‘what a programmer is trying to accomplish’ without worrying about ‘how the computer will accomplish it’. It is a paradigm where

Desh Kapoor

24 Feb 07 1 min read

History

The Truth About Aurangzeb – and the Fiction from Likes of Romilla Thappar!

Francois Gautier, the French journo, talks about the deeds of Aurangzeb in a direct manner in his article on rediff. it is time to spread the tolerance of Dara Shikoh and NOT the sanitized versions on Aurangzeb! For the first time I have seen someone take out the old documents

Desh Kapoor

16 Feb 07 2 min read

History

Stop Equating Kashmiri Terrorists to Bhagat Singh!

Hizbul-Mujahideen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizbul_Mujahideen] is one of the worst terrorist organization in the world. Syed Salahuddin is their chief. Everyone who knows them knows how close they are to Al Qaeda and Pakistan’s ISI. But these idiots keep trying to confuse the world. Be that

Desh Kapoor

08 Jan 07 2 min read

Europe

When Millions Should be Killed to Mourn a Few Thousands!

It has become so fashionable to talk of peace these days and blaming the World.. yes.. actually the West and the others in the world for all the mess in the Islamic world and the direct connection between Poverty and Terrorism that it nauseates me no end!! This argument of:

Desh Kapoor

16 Aug 06 1 min read

History

Guru Arjan Dev Controversy and the Manipulated Indian History!

There has been enough controversy that was started sometime back on the Indian History’s manipulation. At that time I used to say and rightly so that all that you need to know how the History has been manipulated by the "Secular Elite" in our country is to see how

Desh Kapoor

24 Jun 06 5 min read

Asia

Balance of Views, Expression and Violence

The current controversy on the Prophet cartoons ceases to stop. And as it grows on around the world – more property and lives are lost. The debate on the range and intensity of response takes on a life of its own in all fora. I have been to at least two

Desh Kapoor

06 Feb 06 2 min read

History

Revolutionaries of One Era are Moderates of Another!

“Revolutionaries of one era are moderates of another” …… was how Bal Gangadhar Tilak assessed Dadabhai Naoroji’s opposition to his “Swaraj is my Birth-right!”. Little realizing that one day he himself will “live” his own principle! July 30, 1920: Tilak Dies Aug 1, 1920: Gandhi launches Non Cooperation Movement Is