Edu Ministry's new book highlights India's contribution to science

The Union Education Ministry’s new book highlights India’s ancient contribution to science, including laying the foundation for the development of the decimal place-value system of denoting numbers.

The 430-page book, 'Indian Knowledge Systems: Indian Contributions to Science (Volume 1)', is aimed at providing a gentle introduction to the various achievements of India focusing on unique knowledge systems for school and college students and the public.

The book states that Vedic daśaguṇottara (refers to the decimal place-value system used in ancient India for large numbers) scales laid the foundation for the development of the decimal place-value system of denoting numbers.

The book is edited by GK Venkataraman, former curator at the National Council of Science Museums, and Professor Ganti S Murthy, professor at IIT Indore and National Coordinator for the IKS division.

“The Jaina and Buddhist thinkers also made significant strides in the direction. Ultimately, by the classical period, we find the crystallised synthesis of the decimal place-value system with Aryabhaṭa’s 'Aryabhaṭiya' being the first recorded instance of zero being used in a mathematical sense, and then Brahmagupta’s 'Brahmasphutasiddha' ̣further accorded zero its full numerical stature by specifying the rules for arithmetic using zero,” the book states.

It claims that India’s numeral systems therefore democratised computation. “Albert Einstein’s words in this regard are surely worth noting: “We owe a lot to the Indians who taught us how to count, without which, no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made,” the book says.

The ministry’s book highlights that colonisation severely damaged India’s Indigenous knowledge systems, which had evolved over thousands of years.

The book has a primary focus on the Indian contributions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The book is divided into chapters focusing on various STEM disciplines, ranging from agriculture to astronomy, metals to naval architecture, mathematics to musical instruments and many, to which the Indians have contributed significantly.