India
Twitter jokes about Biplab Deb's remark.
Updated : Apr 18, 2018, 04:29 PM IST
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has claimed that the Internet and sophisticated satellite communication system existed in the days of Mahabharata, drawing criticism from various quarters.
In the Mahabharata, it has been mentioned that Sanjay gave a live relay of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas to the blind king Dhritarashtra, Deb said at a regional workshop on public distribution system (PDS) computerisation and reforms here last evening.
"Communication was possible because our technology was sophisticated and developed during those times. We had the Internet and satellite communication system. It is not like the Internet or media wasn't available in the age of Mahabharata," the chief minister said.
"I do not know what happened in the middle age though, between the Mahabharata era and now," Deb said.
Some European countries and the US claim that the modern communication system were their invention, but "we had all these technologies in ancient times", he claimed.
The CM said he was proud that he was born in a country which had the "best communication system" and "best culture" in the whole world.
"Modern technology and digitisation should be used to check corruption and protect secrecy in the administration," he asserted, adding that his government will dedicatedly work to ensure welfare of the poor and backward people.
BJP leaders have often come up with bizarre theories about ancient India and Hindu traditions.
Union minister Satypal Sing had a few months ago debunked Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, saying it was wrong and the changes need to reflect in the school and college curriculum.
"Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, said they saw an ape turning into a man, the minister had said.
Here's how Twitter reacted:
Pandavas checking thier twitter notifications.
— Advaid (@Advaidism) April 18, 2018
Yudhishthira is angry with the low 4G range in Indraprasta.#InternetMahabharata pic.twitter.com/0it8FnOTPO
In the mahabharata had the pandavas shared their wifi password to the kauravas, then the kurukshetra war could be avoided.
— Jayakumar (@j_ayk_ay) April 18, 2018
And, then Babur refused to pay the electricity bill & it was disconnected. https://t.co/4AMiAUDgLF
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) April 18, 2018
Prince Rama accepting Sita's proposal on https://t.co/vxWAF59N2l as King Dasharatha and his wives watch.
— Sir Hiss (@SirHissALot) April 18, 2018
+ Alexander of Macedonia heading towards India, on hearing that there is broadband internet (“indernettaha:” in sanskrit)
— The Last Caveman (@CarDroidusMax) April 18, 2018
Picture posted on ancient indian instagram (“gurugram”) by king porus’ IT cell, in the year 327 BC pic.twitter.com/BhzZdVwlAA
Nakul enjoys reading @BjpBiplab's statement on Twitter as Arjun & Bheem ask him for his phone to read it themselves (5432 BC) pic.twitter.com/akGtW7rJc9
— Punster® (@Pun_Starr) April 18, 2018
"Dritarashtra ne Mukesh Ambani ko idea diya aur Mukeshbhai JIO leke aa gaye" : Sanjay. pic.twitter.com/7Asb77Fidf
— Thakur Baldev Singh (@HathwalaThakur) April 18, 2018
I'm sure ATMs had cash in those days https://t.co/IuPUFanhcx
— Krishna Allavaru (@Allavaru) April 17, 2018
This raises a few questions. Why didn't Abhimanyu ask Quora how to escape the Chakravyuha? Why did Sanjay narrate the Kurukshetra War when Siri could have done it? Also, Krishna really should have streamed the Bhagavad-Gita on Facebook Live. https://t.co/vrauX1UIpZ #Mahabharata
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) April 17, 2018
And Dhritrashra was a heavy Twitter user hence he stopped breeding kids before the total characters on his wall reached 140. pic.twitter.com/3LEwYpuMjn
— Rahul Raj (@bhak_sala) April 18, 2018
If the Internet existed during the Mahabharatas then Drona is the first documented victim of fake news.
— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) April 18, 2018
Agree. What didn't exist during the Mahabharata period, though, was total unrestrained cataclysmic nutty as a fruitcake unhinged batshit STUPIDITY.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) April 18, 2018
I repeat. This government might go down in history as one with the BEST collection of muppets EVER given a job to run the nation. pic.twitter.com/c0SQje1eQu
Internet existed during the Mahabharata: Biplab Deb (CM, Tripura)
— chickoo (@kingslanding__) April 18, 2018
Of course it did.
That's how Kunti downloaded Karana from Sun.
I met Stephen Wolfram (creator of Mathematica) the other day. He shared with us an interesting anecdote on what led CERN to develop internet.
— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) April 17, 2018
But narrating that technical process on social media is too bland compared to this gem.
Read, laugh, cry. https://t.co/G6cQAqJ9Lu
The Internet existed during the Mahabharata. The biggest issue happened when Yudhistra refused to make Duryodhana group admin in the family WhatsApp group. Now it can be told.
— Naomi Datta (@nowme_datta) April 18, 2018