As far as I know this vidya was not restricted to India only... it is a rare skill acquired by warriors of China and Japan... I have even heard that the Native Americans or the Red Indians knew this art... and as shown in PRC - this art was sacred and never meant to be misused!
Now for the modern times... I don't know for sure but I believe that the vidya still survives, hidden and guarded more fiercely than ever by the great men...
the native americans (not red indians, its not politically correct) knew something along the lines of shabd bedi vidya...they could listen to sounds and know which direction their enemy were coming from....this is the tactic they used against the colonizers of the americas ie. british and spaniards....and concentration is the biggest thing required in this type of art and the natives had a lot of it...
btw, very interesting topic Miss Ppiyu...