The power of zero?

Whenever someone asks whats the special thing India has done for the whole of humanity, you would probably think for a couple of minutes and come up with yoga, medicine, cuisine(s), and the number 0. And maybe we would claim that "0" is probably the biggest contribution. There goes a popular saying that the idle mind is the devils workshop and its probably the devil at work here, but, i am thinking what would a world be without 0? would it actually be crippled? would mathematics grind to a halt and would all our systems as we know today not exist? If 0 was to be outlawed today then yeah but what if noone had thought of it so far? If mankind had made numbers from 1 to 9 and then moved on to 11? all our mathematical functions would have to be re caliberated. for eg 1+9 = 11 and so on. This seems like a daunting task because we are used to the 0 being there but just for an instant think of it not being there and how would it be...? not very different i would say.

"Oh wait a minute! what about all the computer logic and all? they are used to only 0's and 1's in their vocabulary!!" you may ask. Seriously, if you could recaliberate your basic mathematical functions and live with it, why wouldnt you be able to make logic in another way? surely all of us have the thinking power enough to do it. Coming to think of it, not having zero would not have affected us at all. Sure our world would have been vastly different in the way we live and do regular things but it would still ensure the continuation of life. The world would probably a poorer place without curry and medicine ( i cant talk about yoga as i dont practice it) but without 0 it would be just fine.

Now a set of gloomy Indians who have not thought this out fully would ask, "then is all our harping around about 0 useless?" Well, my fellow devils, think this way- we took an utterly insignificant number, and sold it so well that noone can think of a life without it today. And there in lies the greatest gift of India to the world- the art of Selling. And maybe curry in a close second.