While informing the press on July 18, 1991 of the success in making these metals, Dr. B.B. Siddharth, Director, Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, said that in making these metals, various medicinal leaves, gum, barks of trees, etc. are also used. That is why while the production cost is less, some special qualities are developed in the metals. He further said that if the country'spolicy makers contemplate on the manufacture of the various metals described in the book and how to accumulate the necessary thing, then it will be good for the future development of the country.
The news of the above press conference was released by the news agency Varta. It was published on July 19, in Nai Duniya, MP Chronicle and many other newspapers across the country.
In a similar fashion, Dr. Maheshwar Sheron of the Chemistry Department of IIT, Mumbai also tried to make some things described in the book. These were chumbakmani, which is used in the guhagarbha yantra and has the ability to capture reflection. Paragrandhik drav?this is a type of acid, which is used in the guhagarbha, and is used with a chumbakmani.
Similarly, there is a description of the various kinds of metals and mirrors in Sage Bharadwaj'sAnsha-bodhini. Dr. N.G. Dongre, Reader in the Harishchandra PG College, Varanasi, has undertaken a project with the cooperation of the Indian National Science Academy. The project was named ?The Study of Various Materials Described in Anshabodhini of Maharshi Bharadwaj?.
Under the project, he tried to make a mirror as described by Sage Bharadwaj, at the National Metallurgical Lab, Jamshedpur with the Director, P.Ramachandra Rao, who is at present the Vice-Chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University. He was successful in manufacturing a special kind of glass called prakash stambhan bhid lauh. The speciality of the this glass is that it absorbs visible light and allows only infra-red rays to pass through it.
It has been made of kachar louh-silica bhuch-akra surmitr-adikshar?lime ayaskakant?lodestone ruruk?deerbone ash, as per the process laid down in Anshabodhini. The speciality of prakash stambhan bhid lauh is that it is completely non-hygroscopic. Infra-red hygroscopic mirrors lose their polish and luster in water vapour or humidity and become useless. These days CaF2 is extremely hygroscopic. Therefore, one has to be extra cautious while using these machines, although a study of the prakash stambhan bhid lauh has proved that it works best in the infra-red range of two to five microns (?), where 1? =10-4 cm, and that it can be used without worrying about the moisture in the atmosphere.
Hence, we can say that the truth behind some of the experiments carried out in one of the chapters of Sage Bharadwaj'sbook make us believe that the others must also be true and that aeronautical science was not just an imagination in ancient times, but was a fact. The other chapters are also waiting for courageous researchers to prove them true.
(This book is available with Ocean Books (P) Ltd, 4/19 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-110 002)
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