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Wright brothers inventing plane not ‘Right,’ this union minister has a another take

By Deepika
|
Google Oneindia News

Why are IIT students being taught about the Wright brothers when an Indian invented the aircraft? This was pertinant question asked by union minister Satya Pal Singh.

Union Minister Satya Pal Singh

Singh was addressing a gathering of engineering graduates and diploma-holders in the national capital when he mentioned that the airplane is among ancient Indian "discoveries."

Singh feels the best lessons for the country's future engineers lie in ancient Indian scientific "discoveries" and "inventions".

"Why are students not taught that before the Wright brothers, an Indian called Shivkar Bapuji Talpade was the first to invent the airplane? This person invented the plane eight years before the Wright brothers. Are our students taught these things in IITs or not? They should be," Singh said.

He also urged that students should learn about Hindu deity Vishwakarma, worshipped by craftsmen and the engineering community. Singh mentioned the "Pushpak Vimaan", the flying chariot mentioned in the Ramayana, which students ought to be taught about.

He said that despite producing around 40,000 PhD scholars every year, India is lagging behind in the field of research and innovation. And according to him, teaching them about the country's "rich culture and civilisation" will change that.

Singh is a former IPS officer who was posted as the Mumbai Police Commissioner from 2012 to January 2014. He is a BJP MP from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier this year, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had equated the rockets developed by ISRO with the arrows of Lord Ram, and credited him for his "engineering skills" for building the mythical 'Ram Setu' between India and Sri Lanka.

OneIndia News

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