Stench gets a name

India is a great nation but most Indians will argue that it is by far the greatest nation in the world.  For as far back as I can recall my memory,  when the question pops up, in classrooms, the workplace, in debates  with foreigners and particularly in situations when a bottle of single malt has spirited its way to the gut, we Indians will state with immense pride that we are the greatest country on earth.

But why do we feel this way?  from time immemorial we have invented, sculpted, worshiped, acquired great wisdom and taught ourselves to live a glorious life. Indians have been path breaking in fields of medicine, architecture, technology and most importantly we have mastered the spiritual, ritual and esoteric philosophy. We are the pioneers of understanding the human body and it's complex function. We developed realistic ways to overcome misery and transition to bliss.

Mera Bharath Mahan hai!!

We gave so much to the world long long long before any other civilizations contributed. Today these inventions are gifts to the world that no one can do without.

Here are a few of these great inventions.

Button: were used in the Indus Valley Civilization by 2000 BCE. Imagine we only had zippers!!

Ink has been used in India since at least the 4th century BCE.

Chaturanga: The precursor of chess originated in India during the Gupta dynasty (c. 280-550 CE).

Crucible steel: In  300 BCE high quality steel was being produced in southern India also by what Europeans would later call the crucible technique.

Mysorean rockets: The first iron-cased and metal-cylinder rockets that traveled up to 2kms were developed by Tipu Sultan, in the 1780s.

Ruler: Rulers for measurement were in use by the Indus Valley Civilization in 1500 BCE.

Shampoo: Shampoo was first introduced in Britain by a Bengali named Sake Dean Mahomed, in the early 19th century.

Mathematics:

The Indian mathematician Brahmagupta had begun using algebraic abbreviations for square roots and cube roots by the 7th century.

Zero: In 500 AD circa Aryabhata gave a new symbol for zero (0). Indians were the first to use the zero as a symbol and in arithmetic operations

Trigonometry is attributed to Madhava (c. 1340–1425) and his Kerala school of astronomy

Medicine:

Ayurveda  dates back to Iron Age India (1st millennium BC) and still practiced today as a form of complementary and alternative medicine.

Cataract surgery: Cataract surgery  and the cure for leprosy was known to the Indian physician Sushruta (6th century BCE). 

I will stop now on espousing the greatness of India and allow a fighting chance to some other great countries that could stake their claim as being the greatest.

Some other nations known for their inventions, architecture and culture are....

China - The Ming dynasty and The great wall, The golden age of the Tang Dynasty. The now greatest emerging economy and the most number of asian billionaires.Fried rice.

Italy - Julius Caesar and the great roman empire. The Coliseum and The Pantheon. Divine Michaelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. Pasta and Pizza....bellisimo!!!

Egypt - The Great Pyramid of Giza and The Sphinx. The Mediterranean seaport of Alexandria.  The mysterious Tutankhamen and the one and only true beauty....Cleopatra

.....and this list can go on and on and on but obviously the timer is not going to be that kind to me today.

 Moving on, which countries of the world today are glorious  and a place people aspire to live in,

1. Denmark - A country where murder and other crime rates are at zero. A country offering a pollution-free and corruption-free life quality with stable economic growth even at recession times

2.  Norway’s oil manufacturing and its strong socialist system contributes to the wealth of every citizen.  Even garbage collectors own luxury phones and live in decent homes. Norwegians eat the healthiest foods, drink clean water and breathe fresh air.

3. Switzerland is one of the best countries to live in because it provides a very high life quality, safety, wealth & health to all its citizens even including the ones living in remote places.

 4. Sweden offers 16 months of parental leave and pays 80% of a citizens salary. So parents get loads of time to spend with their children. It’s the reason why Sweden is considered as one of the best countries to live and to see your kids grow up. University is free. Sweden is the safest country for women to reside. Throughout Sweden you can breathe fresh and clean air. Sweden is packed with nature and the water over here is perfect for both swimming and drinking.

5. High per capita GDP, longer life expectancy and excellent level of education are factors that put Australia on the hit the list of best countries to live in the world.

Enough said about other countries, let's take a look at where our great mother India is today.

Let's not focus on what our great country gives the rest of the world, let's focus on something much much closer to home.

Let's take a look at the greatness we have developed in our very own singara Chennai.

We are still at the forefront of invention. We are now transforming the English language.

...this is something no other country has managed to do.

We have managed to equalize a noun and a proper noun. 

Originally known as Cochrane's canal, a saltwater navigation canal in 1806 stretched from Madras North to Ennore for a distance of 11 miles.

The canal was taken over by the government of Madras Presidency in 1837 and further extended, ultimately reaching 315 kilometers  north of Madras to Vijayawada on the banks of River Krishna

During 1877 the people of Madras suffered from a terrible famine and more than 6 million people perished. An  8-kilometre stretch, linking the Adyar and Cooum rivers, was built in 1877-78 at a huge cost for famine relief work. The canal was named the Buckingham Canal in 1878 because the link, was built on the orders of the Governor, the Duke of Buckingham

The canal was widely used to transport goods up and down the coast from Vijayawada to Chennai.

Now, within the city of Chennai the canal is badly polluted from sewage and industrial effluents, the stagnant water is an attractive habitat for malaria-spreading mosquitoes and other diseases.

Buckingham Canal is the most polluted major waterway in the world with nearly 55 million litres of untreated sewage being let into it daily, including by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

So what am I getting at??

The word stench is a noun, meaning : a very bad smell or stink or reek

The opposite of aroma or fragrance

Undeniably Cooum means Stench and Stench is The Cooum.

This is the continued greatness of our country, we are transforming English.

Thank you and Jai hind.