Men of the Millenium

TEN GREATEST INDIANS


Bipan Chandra



The wellknown historian on the ten greatest leaders of this millennium

Rajaraja Chola I (985 -1018) was the founder of the strongest state structure in early medieval India. He conquered the whole of the peninsula, south of the Kaveri region and extended his kingdom to Elam (modern Sri Lanka) and parts of today`s Mysore and Andhra. His greatest achievement was the administrative machinery he set up for this region. In effect, the literary imagination of the Sangham poets, which spoke of a Tamil macro-region, was made an administrative reality by Rajaraja. The notion of this region as sharing a common political structure was to continue throughout the successive periods till the colonial period. He built the towering Tanjavur Brihadisvara temple which he named after himself as Rajarajeshwaram.

Akbar, the Great (1542-1605) was along with Asoka the greatest of India`s monarchs. He was the real founder of the Mughal empire which unified diverse regions of India, north of the Vindhyas and gave them a liberal and humane administrative system. With the help of his revenue minister, Todar Mal, he established a scientific land revenue (tax) system which has lasted in its basics till recent years.

Eclectic in his religious and philosophic views, he believed in and practised liberal and tolerant principle of Suleh-Kul (peace for all). He made significant contribution to the development of the composite Indian culture, especially in the fields of music, painting, architecture and literature.

Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833) was the central figure in the great social awakening of India during the 19th century which gradually transformed India into a modern nation. He was a believer in a rational and scientific approach and in the principles of human dignity and social equality of all men and women. He founded the Brahma Sabha, which came to be later known as Brahmo Samaj, and organised a powerful agitation against the practice of Sati. He opposed the rigidity, inequality, oppression and social divisiveness associated with the caste system, and stoutly championed women`s rights.

He was also the first Indian leader to start a public agitation on political questions. Keen to make Indian languages vehicles for intellectual discourse, he translated the Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali and brought out several journals and pamphlets in Bengali. He was a pioneer of Indian journalism and brought out journals in Persian, Hindi and English to spread scientific, literary and political knowledge among the people.

Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917), known as the Grand Old Man of India, was modern India`s first economic thinker and critic of colonialism and was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress. In his writings and political agitation he showed that the basic cause of India`s poverty lay in the British exploitation of India and the drain of its wealth to Britain. This critique was to form the core of nationalist political attack on colonialism during the mass phase of the freedom struggle.

He was also the first Indian political leader to declare `Swaraj` to be the objective of nationalist politics. The high moral standards he set in politics were to inspire Gandhiji and other political successors.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 -1948) was perhaps the greatest Indian of all times. Rooted in traditional Indian culture, yet he was deeply influenced by modern thought. A great leader of the masses, he mobilised millions to play an active role in the freedom struggle and made it perhaps the greatest mass movement in world history. He, of course, led the movement to success. A votary of non-violence, he evolved concrete and viable forms of struggle for political and social emancipation. He declared non-violence to be based on utter fearlessness and a weapon not of the weak but of the strong and the brave. He maintained the highest standards of morality in politics.

He stood for the social liberation of women, the end of caste discrimination and oppression, opposition to communalism in all its forms, total commitment to secularism, democracy and civil liberties, and application of reason to all areas of life. He had the vision of a world where all conflicts would be resolved without the use of violence. His ideas of nonviolent struggle for social and political emancipation have proved to be of abiding value in the popular struggle of people the world over.

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 -1920) was one of the most consistent revolutionary democrats that India produced in the course of its struggle for independence. He formed the strong middle link between the politics initiated by Dadabhai Naoroji and brought to fruitition by Gandhiji after 1918. He initiated the practice of the nationalists boldly going to jail for their convictions when he was jailed for one-and-half years in 1897 and six years in 1908 for his anti-imperialist writings.

He was the most active leader of the Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement of Bengal in 1905 outside the region, and initiated the militant and popular Home Rule Movement in 1916. He had deep faith in the political strength of the masses and argued that Indians themselves must work out their own political salvation. All his life he tried to bring the common people into the vortex of politics.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950) was a major leader of India`s freedom struggle. He organised two major model mass movements -- the Bardoli peasant satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation Movement in Gujarat. During the 1930s, he built the Congress party as a mass organisation which could later undertake the constitutional task of forming Congress ministries in the provinces in 1937. He played a major role in keeping the National Congress united and in avoiding a Right-Left split.

With great skill and masterful display of persuasion and pressure he successfully integrated with the Indian Union the hundreds of princely states, which formed nearly 40 per cent of the territory of colonial India. His role in consolidating Independent India in a critical period was unrivalled.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) was a major nationalist leader from 1906 to 1920 and the architect, along with Lokmanya Tilak, of the Lucknow Pact. Though adopting from 1920 a more communal stance, he retained strong moorings in anti-imperialist nationalism. However, from 1936, he reorganised the Muslim League around an extreme communal ideology -- the assertion of Muslims being a separate nation and Islam being in danger in a united India. At its 1940 session at Lahore, the League adopted the objective of forming a separate homeland for Indian Muslims which came to be known as Pakistan. Jinnah became the founder of the new state of Pakistan formed after the partition of India in 1947 and also its first governor-general.

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) spent the major part of his life fighting colonialism. He spent many years in colonial jails and gradually emerged as, next to Gandhiji, the most important leader of India`s freedom movement, to which he gave a turn towards the Left and a socialist orientation. As the first prime minister of Independent India -- a position which he occupied for nearly 17 years -- he initiated self-reliant, independent economic development, defended and promoted national unity around the principle of `unity in diversity`, laid the foundations of a secular democratic and civil libertarian polity, and waged an intense struggle against communalism.

He also laid down a foreign policy based on independence, internationalism and national self-interest, even while simultaneously promoting world peace and anti-colonialism. Rejecting the capitalist developmental and civilisational perspective, he worked for and popularised the broad objective of the transformation of India into a socialist society based on equity, equality and social justice.

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was India`s prime minister for over 15 years from 1966 to 1984 with a short gap between 1977 to 1979. She remained loyal to the Nehruvian objective of rapid economic development, and strengthened planning and public sector while maintaining a mixed economy and initiating the economic reform process in 1980.

She played a major role in making India economically, politically, culturally, technologically and militarily self-reliant and independent and in giving the country confidence in its ability to remain so. She kept India free of both the Cold War blocs and ensured that there was no successful overt or covert foreign interference in India`s internal affairs.

Ideologically, she remained true to the national movement`s secular tradition and consistently opposed communal forces. She also strengthened India`s unity and held the country together during a difficult period. She played a crucial role in the liberation of Bangladesh. One blot on her political career was the imposition of the Emergency in June 1975; but she had the courage to lift it in January 1977 and hold a free and fair election which she lost.

source- today`s rediff

And who would be the most repected Indian?

sadhana:

There is no doubt in my mind: Abdul Sattar Edhi.

rgds

t

Aliraza #50?

I agree that Galileo deserves to be right there in the front row of the past millenium`s greats, and also commend your choice of reading material (Economist`s Millenium Edition, available on the internet for all to enjoy). The reason given in that magazine for Galileo, incidentally, is that he was the first scientist to base his findings on the actual experiments and observations, rather than on the a priori deductions only that were handed down through the Greeks and Muslims, with anything to the contrary being considered sacriligeous by the European priests of the time.

Dr. Hoodbhoy,

As difficult an objective decision must have been to choose only five men out of countless choices, your picks are excellent.

Of the five, however, the only figure I would set out to challenge would be your selection of Isaac Newton instead of Galileo Galilei. Galileo, as mentioned by The Economist`s Millenium Edition to be the ``first martyr of science``, obviously contributed information which in turn assisted and inspired Newton with formulating his laws of gravity and motion. Not only that, but Galileo gave us the complete telescope, an instrument that opened up this universe to us, without which, of course, nobody would have come up with the Big Bang theory, a theory which questions our basic beginnings.

On another note, as far as I know, calculus was created by Newton alongside the German mathematician Gottfried Leibnitz, thus it would be unfair to credit Newton alone with it.

Dear Dr. Hoodbhoy,

Would you also like to shed some light on the 5 Women of the Millennium? Take care.

Azam Khan

Re. omarali50 (#62)

Great to see you on Chowk, Omar, my friend! And, as usual, what you say is right on.

I think that the two great revolutions of this millennium (given our foreshortened view, no doubt) are:

1. The empowerment of the common person --- politically, economically, socially, educationally, etc.

2. The triumph of the scientific (and technological) endeavour over all other methods for understanding and changing the physical world.

Those who have participated in these great trends in their various ways --- big and small --- are the heroes of the millennium. I will admit a personal bias in favour of those whose work in the medical field has led, or will lead in the future, to palpable reduction in human misery. My heroes are people like Jenner, Pasteur, Koch, Fleming, Lister and Salk. How much is the smallpox or polio vaccine, or an antibiotic worth?

Ali

since everyone (including ali minai...hi Ali!) is playing, here are my choices:

1......most inappropriately (considering the increasingly warlike atmosphere prevailing in the sub continent, specially since paija launched kargil..) mahatma Gandhi…man of the millennium!….everything he preached has ended in failure in his own homeland (and his own practice was sometimes at variance with his preaching…but I am paying tribute to his ideas, not so much to his actual achievements in politics)….and it is quiet possible that age-old trends in history will not yield to any attempt at civilization….but if any society manages to use non-violence and love as workable tools, they will not forget the mahatma as they do so…..his influence can already be seen at work in the American civil rights movement, in south Africa, in every movement that tries to win over the enemy rather than crush them underfoot….most don’t succeed and none achieve such success that all doubters will be silenced….but almost everyone who even tries a little on these lines pays tribute to the mahatma…soI decided to do the same...may allah bless his soul...

2. Amir khusrao...for his reputed role in the synthesis of persian/islamic and indian culture...thus giving us north indian classical music and qawwali...both on the endangered species list, but probably worth more than penicillin

3. Nietzche. for announcing the obvious.

4.madhuri dixit/nene...after all, this is my list and i make the rules.

5.tyagraja..for sublime developments in south indian classical music....and since south india may survive the holocaust that north indian muslims and hindus are planning for each other, the genre may even survive the next millenium.

from the museum of lost causes.

omar

One way to look for the men/women who had the greatest influence in the millennium is to first identify those events which changed the course of history, and then look for who the leading figures in those events were. I am not competent to compile an authoritative list, but here is my list of events (perhaps events is the wrong word, since some of them took centuries). I have tried to indicate why I think the events listed were important (IMO, of course). I must also say that the list reflects my disgraceful lack of knowledge in Eastern, African, and Pre-Columbian American history, so I hope that others will add to the list:

1. The Crusades: Arguably, the crusades have shaped the attitudes of two great civilizations (the Islamicate and the Western) towards each other over several hundred years. The consequences of these attitudes are still being felt today in the way the Islamicate world responds to Western influences.

2. The fall of the Mayan civilization: Those who have not read up on this are probably not aware of the incredible sophistication, strength, and longevity of this civilization. Its fall was an event comparable in some ways to the fall of Rome and Constantinople. Of course, in the context of Old World history, this fall was like that of the proverbial tree in the forest where no one was present to hear.

3. The Reformation: As Prof. Hoodbhoy points out, the Reformation was perhaps the single greatest liberating event in human history. By destroying the doctrine of papal infallibility, it forever tilted the balance in favour of Reason throughout Europe --- even in those areas which remained Catholic. I do not know if Luther had read Averroes, but the latter certainly was a huge influence on the general awakening we call the European Renaissance (I do not consider the Renaissance an event, so it is not listed here, but some of its aspects are.)

4. The formulation of the mechanical world-view: The work of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Descartes, Leibnitz, et al. brought about a total transformation in how man related to the world --- at least in the West --- and laid the foundation for what I think is the greatest product of this millennium --- technology: The idea that whatever we wish to do can be achieved by a device of our construction (though in some cases, we have not yet figured out how). The key element here --- again, presaged by philosophers and scientists such as Avicenna and Averroes --- was the removal of the necessity for God (or the Prime Mover a la Aristotle) from the equation --- literally and figuratively. Henceforth, the equation itself came to stand for the reality it described, and this is the basis of the tremendous growth of science and technology.

5. The invention of the printing press: With this one invention, the knowledge (and, thus ideas) that was once the purview of a few became available to a much larger audience, changing the nature of learning itself.

6. The Christian reconquest of Spain: Of all events that marked the Renaissance, this was perhaps the greatest igniter of Europe`s self-confidence, and shaped its attitudes and actions for a long time to come. It also represented the expulsion of the last overt Arab/Islamicate influence from Western Europe, thus severing a link that would not be recreated until France annexed Algeria.

7. The conquest of Eurasia by the Golden Horde: No single event changed the course of history and the shape of the world as quickly and as drastically as the Mongol conquest --- except perhaps the two World Wars in our century. By destroying the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad, it unleashed the forces that would lead to three other great empires --- the Ottoman in the west, the Safavid in Persia, and the Mughal in India. It also produced the socioeconomic displacement that ultimately led to the greatest flowering of Persianate and Turkic culture ever. The direct effects on Europe were confined to Eastern Europe, and were perhaps not as profound as those in Asia, but the latter certainly had their impact on Europe for a long time.

8. The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans: Not only did this signal the arrival of the Ottoman Empire, it also represented a psychological turning point in one of the great engagements of the millennium --- that between the Arab/Persian/Turkic Islamicate civilization and the Hellenic/Christian West.

9. The arrival of the Portuguese (and eventually other Europeans) in the Indian Ocean: A very convincing argument can be made that this was the point at which the balance of power shifted in favour of Europe and the process of colonization was born (I recommend Amitav Ghosh`s ``In an Antique Land`` to those interested in reading about this fascinating topic). The Indian Ocean was one of history`s great multicultural crossroads and trading systems, with a well-defined and mostly benign culture (there were a few pirates:-). The Portuguese introduced their naval fleet into this system as an aggressive force, thus destroying the system`s fundamental assumptions, and beginning the process of cultural fragnmentation that has had such a painful history.

10. The Columbian ``discovery`` of America: Whether Columbus was the first European to find America or not, his voyage to the New World changed everything forever. The significance of this event is so manifest as to be almost beyond description. The subsequent Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French colonization was, of course, very significant, but Columbus was the trigger.

12. The rise of mercantilism in Europe: Though we often gloss over it, it is worth remembering that the mercantile transformation of Western Europe created the middle class, laid the foundation for colonialism, and, ultimately, for the rise of liberal democracy (when the middle classes could not abide their rulers). This was, indeed, a world-view totally different from that which existed in Europe before, and was a direct consequence of the Reformation.

11. The rise of colonialism: This was the single greatest globalizing force in history, since the colonists brought in their wake missionaries, who spread Christianity, and their languages. This, for the frst time in human history, created a situation where a few languages were spoken and understood over far-flung areas of the world, laying the foundation for today`s global culture. Colonialism also infused contemporary Western ideas of lberal humanism into other cultures, forever altering the attitudes of the latter.

12. The invention of the steam engine: This was arguably the invention that powered the Industrial Revolution and led, ultimately, to the ubiquitous use of technology in our lives.

13. The French and American Revolutions: These altered forever the relationship between the rulers and the ruled, first in Europe and America, and then everywhere in the world. They also led to such things as capitalism, the welfare state, and the consumer culture.

14. The Great War: Ended the old world order and sowed the seeds of the greatest catastrophe in history.

15. The invention of vaccines: Saved hundreds of millions --- perhaps billions --- from death and disability.

16. The formulation of Darwinian evolution: Changed our unerstanding of life, its origins, and its development.

17. The discovery of microbes: Transformed our understanding of disease --- later refined by discoveries such as viruses.

18. The discovery of antibiotics: Arguably the single greatest advance in the history of medicine and, therefore, of humanity.

19. The formulation of relativity and quantum physics: I hate to put the two together like this, but from a purely historical point of view, it is not the scientific relationship between the theories that is important, but their effect on the world-view of the educated lay person. In that respect, these two great theories of 20th century physics do belong together. In my opinion, one of the most profound effects of the post-Newtonian physics has been in cosmology, and how that has expanded the horizons of human imagination.

20. The Russian Revolution: The first great challenge to Western capitalism, setting the stage for the Cold War.

21. The development of the internal combustion engine.

22. The development of electric power.

23. The invention of the airplane.

24. World War II.

25. The end of colonial power: Not only did this create the present political landscape of the world, it also created many of its most pressing problems as the colonizers --- having destroyed indigenous cultures and ravaged local resources --- withdrew, leaving the fledgeling nations to fend for themselves.

26. The development of nuclear power, and its use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: For the first time, man found in his grasp a power that could destroy the world. Not only did this create a palpable sense of danger, it also, IMO, produced the consciousness of global issues that underlies today`s environmental and economic concerns.

27. The development of the personal computer: While the invention of powerful computing machines has had profound effects, the production of computers for individual and personal use has really transformed the world.

28. The invention of plastics: The ability to work with a potentially infinite variety of polymers has expanded the possibilities of human invention like few ther things.

29. Human space flight and the Moon landing: Man`s first steps into the extraterrestrial universe have profoundly changed the way we view the earth --- not least because of the pictures from space. Also, the very idea that humankind is beginning to advance beyond earth is one that will probably drive us for many millennia to come.

30. The discovery of DNA structure and subsequent advances in molecular biology: Like space flight, this represents a whole new dimension for human exploration and understanding. The possibilities in terms of treating diseases, altering human life, and changing the very course of history are, to say the least, limitless.

31. The invention of audiovisual media and telecommunications: Radio, TV, film, the internet --- these have completely changed everything about the way we live, work, and behave.

The fall of communism: It remains to be seen how this unfolds.

I am sure I have left out many interesting and critical events, but it has been fun to think about all this.

If I were to try and name five individuals who truly changed the course of history in this millennium --- for good or evil --- I would have to choose 10:-), so I won`t try. Some possibilities: Ghengis Khan, Tamerlane, Luther, Columbus, Gutenberg (or should it be Caxton?), Copernicus, Vasco da Gama, Newton, Washington, Jenner, Watt, Pasteur, John Stuart Mill, Marx, the Wright Brothers, Lenin, Hitler, Fleming (or should it be Lister?), Einstein, Gandhi, Mao Tse Tung, Gorbachev... There are no artists or poets in this list because I could not think of any that really turned the course of history. Perhaps that focus is too narrow.

BTW, the new millennium does not begin until next year.

Ali Minai

Yar Chowkwalo... Kuch to Khuda ka khoof karo... Dr. Sahab kia Baat kar rahe hain aur tum log baat ko kaha le aaye ho... hadd ho gai yar..

Just a chowkwala..

Adnan.

Shankar: 57: ``Whoa, calm down pal!--I never said anything about Sindh, someone else did.`` I believe you are referring to a comment I made on the hijacker`s thread, and not on this one. Sorry about that. I got my numbers mixed up.

``Believe it or not, but I happen to agree with you.India should`nt hold on to Kashmir if they dont want to stay with us.`` It is good to see that you think this way. I am a strong believer in Ghandi`s concept of peaceful resistance. I think that should always be the first method of resistance. I believe the current Kashmiri uprising started in 1989. Before that, they were waiting for a peaceful solution.

It is a bit difficult however to compare Ghandhi`s struggle to the struggle of the Kashmiri`s struggle for the following reasons: Gandhi had numbers on his side. The British in India constituted a very very small ruling minority. So over 99% of the Indian population was against the British. In the case of Indian Kashmir, over 95% of the Indian population is against the Kashmiris.

The British were at the weakest (during and after WWII), and did not really have the power or desire to control a country the size of India anymore. For all practical purposes, they were just not strong enough to control India. Added to this, the geographic distances were too much. Currently, India is much much much stronger than the Kashmiris. Also, India does not face the geographic distance problem.

Most importantly, the British left before the situation got out of hand for them. They realized early on, that there was no way they would be able to control such a large population if it became violent. This is something that is very important to note. The British could have brought in their armies, and fought it out. Had they done that there would have been a lot of violence, regardless of how peaceful Gandhi wanted to keep his movement. After all, once the partition started, violence did break out, and their wasn`t too much Gandhi was able to do to stop it, even though he wanted to. Had the British brought in their armies, similar kind of violence would have broken out between the Indians and the British military. Quite similar to what is going on in Kashmir right now. So, along with Gandhi, one must give the British some credit (if that can be used for a coloniser) for avoiding violence. They could have brought in their armies had they wanted to, and lengthened out the independence process, but they did not due to factors mentioned above. In case of Kashmir, the Kashmiris after 50 years know, that a peaceful struggle has not worked. The Indian govt. is not going to back out like you have suggested if things remain peaceful. If the Indian govt. had such intentions, it would have done so in the 40 years preceeding 1989.

Your comments about the violence in Kashmir are correct to some extent. However there is one thing that should be kept in mind. The Kashmiris will stop their violence, if the Indian govt. agrees to set a date for a self-determination vote. Unfortunately the flip side is not true, i.e. If the Kashmiris stop their violence, the Indian govt. will not set a date for a self-determination vote. If the Indian govt. today declares openly that it will allow the Kashmiris a free vote, if they stop their violence, I would fully support the Indian govt. I think the Kashmiris would as well, since they are the ones getting killed.

If you would like to discuss this furthur, it would be better if we take it to another thread, since this topic has nothing to do with this thread. In the meanwhile, if you have time could you check out a solution Amit and I presented to the Kashmir problem at reply 88 (Amit) and reply 95 (UR) of the article titled, ``Again deparate times.`` http://www.chowk.com/bin/print_replies.cgi?filename=zmian_nov1499&r=470

And once again, I apologize for getting the reply numbers mixed up.

Two words: William Shakespeare. End of discussion.

Happy New Year to one and all.

Jonty

Ummair

Whoa, calm down pal!--I never said anything about Sindh, someone else did.

Believe it or not, but I happen to agree with you.India should`nt hold on to Kashmir if they dont want to stay with us. Unfortunately, there is too much bad blood spilt on this issue. Part of me doesnt want to give up Kashmir because of all the violence & terrorism perpetrated by Pakistan & their proxy warriors. They are not only targetting hindus, but also muslims who are sympathetic with the Indian point of view. I dont condone the behavior of the Indian Army as well.

An eye for an eye or tit for tat has resulted in 5o yrs of stalemate, with no resolution in sight. As I have said, no matter how noble the cause, violence just bastardises it.

When one envisioned Palestinians, all that the world saw was terrorism.

So how does one break this stalemate? this Gridion`s knot? Its difficult, but not impossible.If a charismatic Kashmiri leader calls upon his people to truely renounce violence, extolls Ghandian principles of peaceful noncooperation & civil disobedience, the Indian govt will be really ``terrorised``.

Just like the Dalai Lama, MLK jr, he will get international recognition & really make the rest of the world seriously debate Kashmir. The Indian govt just doesnt have that many jail cells to incarcerate all the Kashmiris. besides, Indian public opinion will turn.

Will this take time, effort & commitment---sure. But what has the last 50 yrs accomplished?

``You may say I`m a dreamer, but I`m not the only one--I hope someday you`ll join us---& the world will live as one---``

May this be a joyous & peaceful millinieum for all.

re:sac, Bina

Let`s not forget that Pamela Anderson`s contributions to this millenennium are due to certain *ahem * enhancements that would not be have been possible without the invention of those little bags of silicone... Most likely this was done by a scientist... So should that person be one of the nominees on this list too? :)

Regards,

Fozia

Dear mannyd: You are right about Guru Gobind Singh. It is not easy to pick only five people from 1000 years. I still believe I picked the right number one, Guru Nanak, to the best of my convictions and knowledge. I have much less informed about dravidian southern Indian states and that is apparent in my choice of all five northern Indians. As PM has pointed out, Mahatama Gandhi`s influenece is really worldwide but only in the latter half of this century. His and Mother Teresa`s influence, I hope, will be lot more in the coming centuries. Dropping out his name as well as Ranjit Singh/ Shivaji should make space for Guru Gobind Singh and someone from Tantric or Vedanta masters. Amir Kusrow is more of an archetypal of north Indian arts and culture and Syed Ahmad Khan is a model for Islamic renaissance and reformation. I hope to see your picks.

Regards,

Sameer

December 31st is finally here and soon this millennium hysteria will mercifully be over. Patience does have its rewards.

As for the new millennium, its just a coincidence that we evolved with ten fingers as opposed to twelve (or eight). Our ten-base counting system could just as easily have been a twelve-based (or eight-based) system, in which case the new millennium would have been four hundred years in the future (or four hundred years ago), today would just be like any other regular day.

This ``Why too K`` nonsense has been really amazing. The droves of lemmings really went for this one. But I wonder what they will get themselves worked up about after all this, when come January 2nd and no planes have fallen out of the sky, nor have power grids glitched and Jesus has missed his earth-bound chartered flight? I suppose the Christ fundos have to get busy trying to re-calculate by how much The Rapture has been delayed.

To appreciate the magnitude of our collective folly let us just entertain this image of the worried Romans towards the end of the first millennium BC, as the year ZERO approached them rapidly. :) Even then all kinds of speculation must have been rife as to the fate of the world at midnight as time reached ZERO? Would time itself come to a stand still and the world freeze in its place, some asked? Others were busy making money selling YZK-tested wheel barrows. There was also a group which claimed that after mid-night everything would start moving in reverse. All eyes were on the great hour-glass that had been set there in the forum Romanum under the watchful guidance of the pontifax maximus. People huddled together as the hour approached.

Why you K? No, not me. I sleep right through it, thank you very much.

...SR