Manjul Bhargava became one of the
youngest fulltime professors at Princeton University when he was 28. At 40 he
is again one of the youngest mathematician to have won the prestigious ‘Fields
Medal’ the Nobel equivalent for Mathematics. His work extends the work of
classical mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. His parents, especially his
mother Mira Bhargava, herself a mathematician and grandparents interested him
in Sanskrit literature. Bhargava sees his work as a continuation of the legacy
of Brahmagupta. The young cheerful
professor of mathematics said thus in a recent interview:
Growing up, I had a
chance to read some of the works of the masters: the great linguists/poets such
as Panini, Pingala, and Hemachandra, as well as the great mathematicians
Aryabhata, Bhaskara, and of course Brahmagupta.
Their works contain incredible mathematical discoveries, and were very
inspirational to me as a young mathematician. The classic works of Pingala,
Hemachandra, and Brahmagupta have been particularly influential in my own work.
… While growing up, I learned from my grandfather how much incredible
mathematics was discovered in ancient times by scholars who considered
themselves not mathematicians, but poets (or linguists). Linguists such as Panini, Pingala,
Hemachandra, and Narayana discovered some wonderful and deep mathematical
concepts while studying poetry. The
stories that my grandfather told me about them were very inspirational to me.
Yuva Bharathi congratulates the young mathematician on this
achievement wishing him all the best in his exploration into the fascinating
realm of numbers.
This is not the first time the Indic
heritage has provided a basis for Indian achievement in modern science. Eminent
Neurologist V.S.Ramachandran has provided neurological basis for Advaitic experiences and their relation
to the formulation of ethics. Theoretical physicist E.C.George Sudarshan has
pointed out how Vaishesika
conceptualization of atom is closer to the modern quantum mechanics than the
Greek model of atom developed by Democritus. Prof. G.N.Ramachandran employed Syaad Nyaaya of Jain tradition to evolve
a new formulation of sentential logic. He created a matrix for the
identification of possible molecular structures of complicated bio-molecules. Prof.
Subash Kak works on integrating some basic aspects of quantum phenomena and the
problem of consciousness. He acknowledges the influence and guidance of Indic
knowledge tradition.
Yet these are exceptions. The
understanding of the philosophical heritage of Indic knowledge systems came to
each of these individuals either through their family milieu or through their
individual efforts. There is no system in Indian education to make the students
familiarize themselves with the approaches of Indic systems to the basic
questions of Existence. The relevance of Panini
to linguistics and that of Patanjali
to neurology of religion remain largely untouched by Indian researchers. The
West has already started systematizing these knowledge realms.
Let us consider the following. It
is impossible for a serious student of modern physics in the West to get her
PhD without knowing Plato, Pythagoras, Aristotle and Democritus. Yet it is
perfectly natural in India for a physics research scholar to remain ignorant of
Ganatha and Kapila. The way pre-Christian Greek philosophical traditions have
influenced the development of modern physics in the West cannot be overstated.
Werner Heisenberg, one of the principal architects of quantum mechanics points
out the continuity:
With regard to this
question modern physics takes a definite stand against the materialism of
Democritus and for Plato and the Pythagoreans. ... But the resemblance of the
modern views to those of Plato and the Pythagoreans can be carried somewhat
further. The elementary particles in Plato's Timaeus are finally not substances but mathematical forms. (Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy, p.71)
Interestingly in a confident
understanding of the worldview revealed by the modern physics, Heisenberg was
helped by Indian philosophical systems. Physicist Fritjof Capra records:
In 1929
Heisenberg spent some
time in India
as the guest of
the celebrated Indian
poet Rabindranath Tagore,
with whom he had
long conversations about
science and Indian
philosophy. This
introduction to Indian
thought brought Heisenberg
great comfort, he told
me. He began to
see that the
recognition of relativity,
interconnectedness, and impermanence
as fundamental aspects of
physical reality, which
had been so
difficult for himself
and his fellow
physicists, was the
very basis of
the Indian spiritual traditions.
"After these conversations
with Tagore," he said,
"some of the
ideas that had
seemed so crazy
suddenly made much more sense.
That was a great help for me." (Capra, ‘Uncommon Wisdom’, 1988,
p.43)
What these show is that with the
artificial removal of Indian metaphysics from the curriculum the educational
system is absolutely wasting its scientific human resource by denying them
exposure to Indic knowledge systems. This artificial divorce between Indic
tradition and educational curriculum effected during the Nehruvian regime has
cost us heavily. It has alienated the Indian mind from the pursuit of science.
The result is that though India produces the highest number of science
graduates in the world, the same graduates are among the least innovative.
We need to integrate the
philosophical systems of India with the modern curriculum. It is neither false
glorification of past nor inventing science in ancient scriptures. In fact it
is not about beliefs but inducing the human mind to fearlessly explore the
mysteries of existence with rootedness. This should not definitely be the
juvenile attempt to read the new discoveries of science in religious scriptures
as done by some fundamentalists. On the contrary this demands hard work on the
part of curriculum framers. They have to thoroughly grasp the Indic
philosophical traditions, their relevance in providing epistemological tools in
exploring the deeper questions of science (e.g. the hard problem of
consciousness). Then the curriculum
framers have to design modules to suit the different grades in schools and different
streams in the colleges.
Workshops on consciousness
studies by both scientists and scholars of Indian philosophy conducted by Sri
Ramakrishna Institute of Culture, is a welcome step in this direction at the
level of research. The textbook 'The Systems View of Life: A unifying vision'
by Fritjof Capra and biochemist Pier Luigi Luisi (Cambridge University Press,
2014) is another important book in this respect. Here the autopoietic networks of cognition replacing
the mechanistic deterministic models defining life at the basic level. Again
Eastern wisdom traditions from Vedanta
to Buddhism have much to offer in
providing philosophical substratum for such scientific explorations. This has
implications for biological, ecological, psychological and social sciences,
particularly for developing societies like India.
The Government of India today is committed
to the rejuvenation of the nation. For this pedagogic systems integrating Indic
philosophical traditions with modern education need to be created. So while Yuva Bharathi with rightful pride
congratulates Prof. Manjul Bhargava, we also emphasize the need to work hard to
create the integral educational system that will make more Bhargavas flower in
our campuses as a routine rather than as exceptions.
S. Aravindan Neelakandan
YB-ET.
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