HINDU CHAUVINISM IS THERE WHERE IT WAS 1000 YEARS AGO (AL BIRUNI)

HINDU CHAUVINISM IS THERE WHERE IT WAS 1000 YEARS AGO (AL BIRUNI)

On Facebook we often read comments. "It is an Indian who invented Facebook." "Of the total No. of scientists in USA 30% are Indians." "We Indians are the first to develop satellites and space technology." "Our seers in the Vedic period new flying." "The scientific knowledge was originally developed in India, the West stole from us." 

Unfortunately this false patriotism or pride or chauvinism is not restricted only to internet communications but this kind of lesson is even given in school text books also. So do u think if a child is taught falsehood would in any position be able to compete with foreign scholar?

Today I am really surprised to read that even the 10 C. famous traveler and astronomer   Al Beruni holds the same opinion of the Indians about their false pride. Read in original:-

"In the fifth place, there are other causes, the mentioning of which sounds like a satire—peculiarities of their national character, deeply rooted in them, but manifest to everybody. We can only say, folly is an illness for which there is no medicine, and the Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no kings like theirs, no religion like theirs, no science like theirs. They are haughty, foolishly vain, self-conceited and stolid. They are by nature niggardly in communicating that which they know, and they take the greatest possible care to withhold it from men of another caste among their own people, still much more, of course, from any foreigner. Their haughtiness is such that, if you tell them of any science or scholar in Khorasan and Persis, they will think you to be both an ignoramus and a liar.

 If they traveled and mixed with other nations, they would soon change their mind, for their ancestors were not as narrow-minded as the present generation is. One of their scholars, Varahamihira, in a passage where he calls on the people to honour the Brahmans, says : “ The Greeks, though impure, must he honoured, since they were trained in sciences, and therein excelled others. What, then, are we to say of a Brahman, if he combines with his purity the height of science ? ” In former times, the Hindus used to acknowledge that the progress of science due to the Greeks is much more important than that which is due to themselves.

 But from this passage of Varâhamihira alone you see what a self-lauding man he is, whilst he gives himself airs as doing justice to others. At first I stood to their astronomers in the relation of a pupil to his master, being a stranger among them and not acquainted with their peculiar national and traditional methods of science. On having made some progress, I began to show them the elements on which this science rests, to point out to them some rules of logical deduction and the scientific methods of all mathematics, and then they flocked together round me from all parts, wondering, and most eager to learn from me, asking me at the same time from what Hindu master I had learnt those things, whilst in reality I showed them what they were worth, and thought myself a great deal superior to them, disdaining to be put on a level with them. They almost thought me to be a sorcerer, and when speaking of me to is sweet. Fifth reason: The self conceit"