Know Your India

[bala]

From Devanagari to Mohenjo-daro: Scripts Bridging Bharat’s Millennia-old Heritage

Explore the fascinating journey of Bharat’s ancient scripts — from the spiritual elegance of Devanagari, to the lesser-known Sindhi (Khudabadi) script, and further back into the cryptic Indus Valley inscriptions of Mohenjo-daro.

This video dives into:
The evolution and spread of writing systems across Bharat
The legacy of Hindi Diwas and how Devanagari became India's official script
The enduring cultural relevance of Sindhi amidst centuries of invasions
The mysteries of the undeciphered Indus Script
How these scripts form a bridge across time, preserving the unbroken cultural thread of Sanatan Dharma



// we have Yajnadevam's ( Bharath Rao) paper on decoding Indus script, which is sanskrit. PGurus takes a journey on other scripts including brahmi, sindhi lipi (closely related to Santali) and devanagari. Devanagari has 48 primary characters (14 vowels and 34 consonants). Inscriptions are available 1-4 centuries CE in Gujarat, 11th century in Udayagiri MP. By 1000 CE manuscripts in devanagari appeared. 120 languages including Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali, Konkani, Maithili, Bodo, Dogri, etc. The sindhi lipi is more closer to harappan symbols. Devanagari is an abugida script, ensures accurate representation of spoken sounds.

Kharosthi - right to left. Indus is also right to left. Sanskrit has शब्दमञ्जरी Sabda Manjari or declensions (case in english). Sanskrit has singular, dual and plural. Latin also has dual. Prakrit was used prior to Sanskrit. During the Ashoka phase brahmi was used extensively. From Brahmi devanagari evolved.

[Vayutuvan]

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dl ... 3/mode/2up
PP 365-369
(PP 365 is page # 373 in a PDF viewer)

[uddu]

India's Stitched Ship: Built Without Nails. Sails Across Oceans | Sanjeev Sanyal | Vishnu Som

Economist Sanjeev Sanyal leads ground-breaking reconstruction of 5th century Indian stitched ship INSV Kaundinya, revealing India's forgotten maritime dominance. Based on Ajanta cave paintings and ancient texts, this authentic vessel demonstrates sophisticated shipbuilding techniques that enabled Indian Ocean trade networks spanning till Rome. The project preserves vanishing traditional craftsmanship while showcasing India's advanced maritime heritage predating European naval technology.

About the Speakers:
Sanjeev Sanyal is a leading Indian economist, historian, and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. A Rhodes Scholar and former Global Strategist at Deutsche Bank, he now shapes India’s economic policy and global financial engagement. He was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. He is also a well-known environmentalist and urban theorist. He has been a Visiting Scholar at Oxford University, an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore and a Senior Fellow of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He is an accomplished writer of many critically acclaimed books.

Vishnu Som is Group Executive Editor at NDTV and anchor of the flagship show Left, Right and Centre. An award-winning television journalist with nearly three decades of experience, he has reported from major conflict zones. Vishnu has interviewed world leaders from Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe to Bill Gates and John Kerry, anchored global sessions at the World Economic Forum, and produced over 50 acclaimed documentaries.

Topics Covered:
00:00 Introduction - India's Peninsular Identity Crisis and Maritime Heritage Gap
01:24 INSV Kaundinya Project - From Vision to Construction
08:55 Sanjeev Sanyal’s Vision of Ancient Shipbuilding Renaissance
10:38 Kaundinya's Epic Love Story - First Indian Mariner
13:15 Design of the Stitched Ships of Ancient India
19:24 Sailing Challenges - Square Sails, Steering Oars, and Ancient Navigation
22:23 Indian Ocean Trade Dominance - Merchant Guilds and Naval Power
24:20 Support and Backing for the Stitched Ship Project
27:01 Harappan Anchor - Stone Technology Spanning Millennia

[uddu]

Cross posting from Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
https://x.com/ksmkkbookscom/status/835001141574385664
@ksmkkbookscom
This is how ASI has stored ancient palm leaf manuscripts at Satyagiriswar temple Thirumayam

[Amber G.]

^^^ The tweet is from 2017..
(short googling -- couldn’t find any local news or an official follow-up about the Satyagiriswar (Sathyagiriswara) Temple, Thirumayam palm-leaf manuscripts beyond the original 2017 social-media post and recent re-shares. The only direct traces online are the 2017 tweet/image and a wave of X/Twitter reposts (2025) that re-circulated the same photo — but no published conservation report, ASI press release, or Tamil-local write-up that documents their present condition...

Absence of evidence ≠ proof of neglect ( there’s no public confirmation of proper archival conservation for that specific stash, in my short google search)

[bala]

Gyan Bharatam Keeps Bharat’s Spirit Alive



Prime Minister highlighted the Gyan Bharatam Mission, under which over one crore manuscripts are being located, preserved, and digitised. Guided by five pillars - preservation, digitisation, capacity-building, research, and outreach - the mission creates a national digital repository, keeping alive the spirit of Bharat’s culture.

My Notes: This is good effort by PM Modiji. I hope ancient sanskrit texts are also included. For Vedas, the oral transmission ensured that generations were able to preserve the precious Veda. Recitation with proper intonation is the key, as heard by the Rishi of yore. There is more in actual recitation which is lost by mere text writing. These mantra sounds heard by Rishis are tappings of the global knowledge base of the universe which is transmitted to those Rishis in deep meditation. It is authorless, meaning it has no one conjuring and writing things down, it is mere transmitted knowledge which is eternal. Preservation by Vedic people included the following techniques:

1. Divisional Protection
2. Meter protection
3. Swara protection
4. Mudra Protection
5. Paatha Protection

Today's generation are bowled over by McCauley education and everything western. Vedic Recitation is becoming rarer. As part of Gyan Bharatam Mission actual proper recitation of Sanskrit Vedas should also be recorded and preserved. The heritage of India has to be preserved and the coming generations need to study and propogate them correctly. I can safely say there is no other text on earth which talks about dharma and aatma which are para subjects.

[Hriday]

https://x.com/WokePandemic/status/19830 ... tVjeg&s=19

A Canadian tourist visiting India has following observations about India, There are many things we have which are not anymore in West

We Indians should value things which the west is desperate to have, here are his observations

India feels unsafe when focusing on roads and footpaths, generally speaking.

➡He feels safer India than his home country, Canada.

Indian society seems unpredictable and chaotic, but is actually quite orderly.

There's a social rhythm that allows for understanding people's intentions beforehand.
Because of this, India rarely "feels like a gamble."

The speaker doesn't have the same feeling back home; everything feels random (attacks, violence, confrontations).

Examples of Western unpredictable danger include: a wild person attacking out of nowhere, a drug dealer trying something, or a mentally ill person with a knife.

Western society is individualistic and people are "untethered" (not connected to community or family), which is dangerous as they are more likely to "snap."

In the West, you are "one wrong small event away from violence.

In India, most people have an unspoken understanding or "social bond.

Society in India is interconnected, which provides a baseline for safety.

People in India care about their neighbors and are aware of what's happening.

In the West, there's less petty stuff, but the dangers are more unpredictable, like going from learning the alphabet one day to running from an AR-15 the next.

2.29 minutes video of the Canadian in the link above.

[Amber G.]

The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite captured a striking image of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya!

The aerial image from the IRS satellite shows the temple's intricate design, surrounded by a large courtyard and several smaller shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities.

[A_Gupta]

I think where Yajnadevam’s methodology is the weakest is the number of glyph variants he has to identify as representing the same sound (is phoneme the right term)?

Some of his identifications look natural, but, as I recall, many do not.

Note: I am no expert but just looking at a “meta” level at his decipherment.

[Amber G.]

Om sadgati praptirastu!

129 years must be the world record for longevity, or close to it.

Padma Shri Swami Sivananda passes away at the age of 129....23.11.2025.

[bala]

Dr M. L. Raja an MBBS doctor, ophthalmologist with deep expertise in epigraphy, archaeology, and history. He is currently Director of AVINASH (Academy of Vibrant National Arts and Scientific Heritage) and of RICH (Research Institute of Chronology and History). In May 2025, he was nominated by Hon’ble Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to the Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair in the Rajya Sabha for one year. His research interests are focused on Indian historical chronology, ancient inscriptions, Tamil and Sanskrit sources, and preserving traditional heritage.

Dr. M.L. Raja reveals groundbreaking epigraphical evidence that challenges Western narratives about ancient Indian chronology. 916 stone and copper plate inscriptions dated in Kali Yuga years prove this was a historical era used across Bharat, not merely an astronomical construct. Dr. Raja spent five years documenting dated artifacts from across India and neighbouring to show how Kali Yuga served as a common chronological anchor across diverse regions. He demonstrates how temples dedicated to Mahabharata characters span from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir, proving continuous civilizational memory.

Ancient Inscriptions Prove KaliYuga Was Real: Rewriting India's Dating History | Dr M.L. Raja
in Sangam Talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbQjyryXtRo

[bala]

We need an Indian History Institute to research all existing knowledge base of India and appoint many people who are contributing to newer understanding of Ancient India. Make them professors and pay them a stipend on monthly basis. Record their research and update an History database with facts. Those interested in such topics can be granted access to such knowledge base to continue their research. There is enough data points to triangulate the truth. Currently, there is too much FUD caused by the Britshits and Western scholars on India which needs to be debunked and rebuked.

[bala]

Sanjay Dixit has roped into two seminal figures in Indian history of Mahabharat. This is fascinating and must watch.. in Jaipur dialogues.

When Exactly Did the Mahabharata Happen? | Nilesh Oak vs Vedveer Arya Debate | SanjayDixit

Vedveer says around 5000 before present times (roughly 3000 BC) and Nilesh Oak with solid astronomy says 5561 BC. Both rubbish the 500 BC timeframe of academicians who have zilch proof.



// you need to watch patiently and understand the logic which brought each of them to such dates. It is great to see debates like these and there is no acrimony.

[bala]

Powerful Vedic Chants | Chanting by Priests of Kashi

I find these Vedic chanting so inspiring and calming for the mind. The breadth of intonation in the chanting is mind boggling.

In Shikshavalli of Taittiriya upanishad it is mentioned that when chanting a vedic mantra four factors must be taken care of when chanting a syllable and these are:

1. Varna (Syllable) – Every syllable must be correctly pronounced.

2. Svara (Accent) – Each syllable must be pronounced with one of the three accents namely Udaata, Anudaata and Svarita

3. Matra(Duration) – Each syllable must be chanted for the proper time duration. There are 4 time durations namely Hrasva, Deergha, Plutam and Ardha maatra.

4. Balam (Effort) – Each syllable must be pronounced with appropriate force.

Hence we must take care to listen and chant a vedic mantra correctly (Any non mantra like shlokas, 108 names etc. can be sung in any manner).

After chanting the mantra, we need to observe where our mind has been. If the recitation is perfect but the mind has been involved in thoughts of office, an individual etc., the results experienced will be minimal. If we give our full attention to the meaning/deity of the mantra during recitation, better results will flow.

Sukta - Purush, Shri, Rudra, Devi, Surya, Brahmanaspati, Vishnu, Suraksha, Shanti
and Mahamrityunjay mantra

[bala]

How the Rigveda Preserved India’s Ancient History | Former ISRO Scientist Jijith Nadamuri

From satellite mapping at ISRO to research on the Saraswati River, our guest explains how the Rigveda acts like an inscription of ancient civilization, preserving historical memory through rivers, settlements, and migration trails.

33 rivers - Ganga to Kabul rivers - are mentioned in RigVeda. Saraswati river is at the heart of RigVeda. From 2200 BC the river dries up.

[bala]

Valedictory address at the Pan IIT Alumni meet in Chennai by Shri S Gurumurthy



The speech by Gurumurthy is about the identity of an Indian. When India is becoming #3 and is a rising nation, there is a need to change the way Indians think. Gurumurthy is urging every Indian to rethink history and understand India and its seminal culture including Sanskrit. Aurobindo who studied abroad in England, and returned back to India, was a great thinker. However he had to unlearn what he studied in England in order to understand India and its great civilizational roots. Aurobindo is considered a great rishi of India. The de-colonization of the the mind is the first step.

Edward Pococke, a thinker, linguist, wrote a book (India in Greece, or truth in mythology: containing the sources of Hellenic race..), in which he claims that Greeks are direct descendants of People from the gangetic plain/Bihar and not European. He claims that most Greek rivers, mountains have connection to the Indian counterparts.

[Amber G.]

Know Your India:

Amber G.'s challange:

Who are these three giants? Where was this picture taken.



(Photo Credit - Social Media prof P.S.)

Hint: Three faces that every Brfrite should recognize- This rare photo captures a moment of pure brilliance. If you (or your AI/google search) know who they are, don't spoil it—just drop a " " emoji and a hint (say initials) - just for a few days.