Important gifts that India gave the world

Friday, January 22, 2016

With Republic Day right around the corner, as Indians we should know the important things that India has introduced to the world. Talented and creative people have made India proud by introducing the world to some of the greatest inventions. This list points out some of the lesser known inventions that Indians made:

• Takshashila University: India gave the world its first University in as early as 700 B.C. It was located in the northwest region of India and had 300 lecture halls, laboratories, a library and a towering observatory for astronomical research.
• Zero: Indians were the first ones to use zero as a symbol and in arithmetic operations. The concept of zero was invented by Aryabhatta, a great mathematician.
• Chess: It’s believed that Chess originated in Eastern India, c.280-550 CE, in the Gupta Empire and its early form in the 6th Century was known as Chaturanga.
• Buttons: Ornamental buttons were used in the Indus Valley Civilisation as early as 2000 BCE. They were made from seashells and were carved into different shapes with holes pierced into them.
• Shampoo: The word shampoo came from the word champo and dates back 1762. It originated in the eastern regions of the Mughal Empire where it was used for head massages and consisted of natural oils and fragrances.
• Ayurveda: It is the ancient system of natural medicine and dates back to Iron Age India (1st millennium BC). Even today, Ayurveda is practiced in different parts of the world as an effective way of alternative medicine.
• Cashmere wool: The cashmere wool industry was founded by the 15th century ruler of Kashmir, Zayn-ul-Abidin who employed weavers from Central Asia. The mention of woollen shawls made from this wool in Kashmir are found in several books between 3rd century BCE and 11th Century CE.
• USB: They are developed and designed by Ajay V. Bhatt, who is an Indian-American computer architect. This proves that even today, Indians are proving themselves and introducing great and life-changing things into the world!

We hope you enjoyed reading this and are even prouder of our country! Let’s work hard, follow our dreams and continue to introduce great inventions into the world! Be one step ahead of everyone else and move forward, making yourself and our country proud!