Indians are said to be the descendants of Manu. In the Indian mythology he is the first man of this land, and the legendary author of an important Sanskrit law code, the Manu-smriti (Laws of Manu). This is traditionally the most authoritative of the books of Hindu code (Dharma-shastra). Most rulers of medieval India have traced their genealogy back to him. Manu has remarkable similarities with prophet Noah of Hebrew Bible figures. Both have survived a great flood and both names have a syllable beginning with “N”. There is a high likelihood that they may actually be pointing to the same person. They are also alike in having many descendants. It is the same era both from Hindu and Christian texts. The tale of great flood has been mentioned in Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharata with some variations and is referenced by eminent historians such as Romila Thapar in her research works. Manu had built a boat to carry his family and the seven sages to safety. We find a similar story in Islamic traditions. In fact this story is told in more than twelve hundred cultures across the world. There is anthropological and historical evidence for ‘Noah’ and there are sedimentary strata all over the world. Noah’s ark was found in Urartu, an ancient kingdom in eastern Turkey which can be identified with Mount Ararat in Bible, according to Jack Sasson, a professor of Jewish and biblical studies at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, USA. Some local links in India can be traced to Mewat region which spans parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Here a district was carved out in 2005, from Gurugram, and renamed “Nuh” in 2016. Two years later, NITI Aayog ranked it the most backward district in India. Around 79 percent of Nuh’s population comprises Muslims, and most of whom are called Meo Muslims, whose faith includes a mix of Islamic and Hindu customs. However, it should be left to annalists and archaeologists to ascertain the truth of history through excavations and findings.
But for the taste of explorers of outer space, there is another story of captivating interest as Noah is also believed to have been an alien. Was he but? A very ancient history and lately the sacred scriptures like Bible have recorded that the people of Idris and Noah were enslaved by the alien beings. Idrees was the great grandfather of Noah. Though both were earthly human beings but they were bestowed with extraordinary abilities. As reported by Bible, Idris was capable of intergalactic travel and therefore no wonder that he is known to have died on the 4th heaven. The duo fought the aliens many times. Eventually the great flood came as a helping hand from Almighty to get rid of this menace. Noah’s ark was a craft built to save Earth’s biodiversity from a planetary crisis. The great flood also served as a demarcation. The deluge engulfed the extra terrestrials and spared the humans and the biodiversity on earth. Back in space, the exoplanet hosting the aliens was blasted leaving behind the debris in the form of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. New evidences suggest that these fabled aspects of the great flood may, in fact, be true. From traces of a major meteor impact in the Indian Ocean, to a worldwide ash layer, and even remnants of Noah’s gravesite, researchers are starting to put the pieces of a very deadly puzzle together to throw a direct hint at the story of extraterrestrial beings. Coincidentally an American television writer, director, producer, screenwriter, and bestselling author, by the name Noah Hawley is all set to create a new television series based on the “Alien” film franchise. He is already popular for creating and writing the FX television series Fargo (2014–present) and Legion (2017–2019). Currently, all of us exist in only one basket i.e Earth and given the existential threats to life such as a global pandemic even more deadly than COVID-19, or a runaway greenhouse effect due to climate change, the outer space seems to be our ultimate destination. But even if we achieve that feat some day, we can never be sure if we will be at peace with the natives there. Therefore, there is nothing more practical and urgent than Noah’s ambition of saving life on earth itself ? Though I am least interested in the pages of history but this story carries a relevance for future. The end times are going to bear striking similarity with the Noavaic period particularly with regard to extra terrestrials. The aliens that are going to visit us in future have been prophesied both in Quran and Bible as Gog and Magog. No amount of search and research could trace them on earth especially when we are now enabled for satellite imagery and 3D terrain of the entire globe. So they are exotic species in a greater probability. They will be hostile to the hosts and we will not have a Noah to spare us. From the scientific point of view, it can be assumed that they have the power to travel between the planets much like what we call time travel or intergalactic travel. While as this is for us a distant dream sought after by physicists, for the extraterrestrials it may be a routine affair. I have unlearnt that we have advanced in astronomical science. The fact may be that the remote residents in time were far more superior and supernatural, truly cherishing and living through the miracles of science. Here I am dropping my pen today and dropping many ideas.
Dr. Qudsia Gani, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Govt. College for Women M.A Road Srinagar
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.