The Vedic inventions of Shabd Bhedi Baan and Pushpak Vimaan were equipped with advanced technology similar to the modern worldโs artificial intelligence (AI), Uttar Pradesh minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said on Friday.
Addressing a gathering of the youth and entrepreneurs, Sharma, who is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, โBow and arrow were frugal inventions. But the Shabd Bhedi baan was an invention of artificial intelligence at that time. A similar invention was the Pushpak Vimaan.โ
The mythical engineering marvels of Shabd Bhedi baan and Pushpak Vimaan find mentions in the ancient Hindu epic of the Ramayana.
While Pushpak Vimaan is considered a mythical flying chariot which was capable of changing its size and could have travelled at the speed of thought, Shabd Bhedi baan was an archery technique that enabled the archer to shoot the target without seeing that before his eyes but with hearing the sound.
Speaking at โUttar Pradesh Retail MSME, Startup, Expo & Conclaveโ, minister Sharma stressed that there is a huge potential for research and innovation in the most populous state of India.
โInnovation with the strength of tradition is very useful in marching ahead in life and business. India has been a land of scientists and innovatorsโฆ UP will be the strongest pillar of Indiaโs 5 trillion dollar economy,โ Sharma said at the conclave.
The BJP leader, who served in the Prime Ministerโs Office (PMO) under PM Modi, said that focus on a country or stateโs cultural strengths is very important for any progress.
โWe have been the land of entrepreneurs, inventors. We should be proud of this heritage of ours. More than 60 per cent of the stateโs population is of working age. The capabilities of the youth are very strong. They can do a lot of things in the startup sector,โ he stressed.
Sharma also exhorted entrepreneurs and startups of the state to work in challenging areas like food grain management and waste management.
โOur governmentโs priority is to facilitate start-ups. I would also urge the parents to allow their children to do enterprise and innovation. Both the centre and state governments are with them,โ he said, adding that around 50 per cent of Indian unicorns are headed by people from UP.
The minister also visited stalls at the exhibition organised as part of the conclave and interacted with vendors and startups at length.
