Inaugurating the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that in prehistoric times, India had mastered genetic science and plastic surgery. “There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time to fit an elephant’s head on the body of a human being,” he is reported to have added.
The comment has triggered a controversy. Critics have expressed regret that the Prime Minister who is supposed to lead in the promotion of a scientific temper should cite unscientific facts in Indian mythology. Many have questioned those who believe that such an advancement was real and pointed it out that such feats cannot be science as they cannot be verified. Nor is there any authentic proof by way of any book or a rock inscription to substantiate the claim. The claim and the argument against it should be put in perspective. A comment from one of the world’s most....
