By B.R.Haran
The Archeological Survey of India, in its irresponsible & idiotic affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, has questioned the faith of millions of Hindus worldwide. It has questioned the existence of Lord Rama, the Great Avathara Purusha of Bharat Varsha and ridiculed the truth of Ramaayana, which are the essence of Vedas and the backbone of our Bharathiya culture. It has insulted the Hindus worldwide and hurt their religious sentiments.
History & Literature
Lord Rama belongs to the "Ikshvaagu Vamsaa", which starts with Lord Brahmma and Brahmma’s son ‘Mareechi’ takes over the reigns and from him; his son ‘Kasyapaa’, then his son ‘Vaivaswathaa’, then his son ‘Manu’ and later on his son ‘Ikshvaagu’. Then it goes on hereditarily to ‘Manthaatha’ to ‘Bagiratha’ who brought the Ganges (hence the name ‘Baagirathi’) to earth, then to ‘Raghu’ (hence the other name ‘Raghu Vamsaa’) to ‘Yayaathi’ to ‘Ajan’, the father of ‘Dasaratha’ from whom Lord Rama takes over the reigns. In no other nation & no other religion in the world, true history is so meticulously documented, supported by umpteen evidences. Any ancient history is supported with evidences of architecture & literature. The Sangam Literatute is the documented evidence for the existence & ruling of Tamil Kings, and similarly, Ramaayana & Mahabaratha are the documented evidence for Rama & Krishna. Questioning Ramayana & Mahabaratha is like questioning the very existence of Bharath.
Geology
Dr.S.Badrinarayanan, Geologist and former Director of Geological survey of India and Consultant for National institute of Ocean Technology, has said ""Geological & geophysical studies of Ram Sethu reveal the presence of loose marine and below the coral layer clearly indicating the coral layer in the form of boulders are not natural and formed on their own, but have been transported by somebody and dumped there; thus clearly establishing the fact that Ram Sethu is very much man made in the hoary past".
Will the Central & State governments question the credentials & qualifications of Dr. Badrinarayanan?
Tsunami Studies
Prof. Tad S. Murthy, Vice President, The Tsunami Societ, Ottawa, Canada, who is an expert on Tsunami studies has opined that, the execution of SSCP in its present form & alignment would lead to unprecedented disasters along the coast line of Southern Tamil Nadu & Kerala during the next Tsunami. Incidentally the government of India has taken him as the consultant & advisor for constructing the "Tsunami warning systems" for our coastal safety. But, in the case of SSCP, the same government does not want to heed his warnings!
Marine Archeological Standards
Prof. CSP Iyer, Executive Director, Center for Marine Analytical Reference & Standards, Trivandrum, has said, "The execution of SSCP would have an adverse impact on the sensitive ecosystem and the marine life in the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, home and breeding ground for a large number of endangered marine life & species, viz, Dugong, Sea Turtles, Dolphins & Sea Horses, thriving in the coral reefs that abound in this region". Will the government question the credentials & qualifications of Prof.CSP Iyer?
Chennai based Scientist & Director of Sarawathi Research Center, Dr. S. Kalyanaraman has said, "The SSCP would lead to destruction of fish & marine life in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, resulting in loss of livelihood of thousands of fishermen and their families, along the southern coast line of Tamil Nadu. The project does not include the Tsunami protection measures". Will the government question the efficacy of his research?
Marine Biosphere
UNESCO has initiated the idea of biosphere reserve in 1974 under the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB). The objective of the programme was to obtain international cooperation for the conservation of biospheres. In the first council meeting, the idea of a biosphere reserve was mooted to conserve biodiversity. In accordance with that the Gulf of Mannar and its surrounding regions has been identified & notified as a Marine Biosphere Reserve by the government of India. The reserve covers 10,500 sq.km and has 21 Islands with continuous stretches of coral reef, which are referred to as "Under water tropical rain forest" and a treasure house for marine ornamental fishes. It has a highly rich content of more than 3600 rare species of flora & fauna. More than 138 villages and towns spreading over five districts depend heavily on this marine resource. Commercial fishing is done in about 5500 sq.km and nearly 50,000 people dwelling in 47 villages along the coastline bordering the Gulf of Mannar depend directly on these biodiversity resources. When the SSCP was under the serious consideration of the then NDA government, Prof. A.C.Chandra of Duke University shot off a letter to the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in 1999, raising concerns on the safety of the biosphere and the livelihood of the fishermen. This resulted in the NDA government going in for detailed studies of different route plan for the SSCP.
Later, on the 16th of December 2000, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Trust was inaugurated at Chennai. The present Shipping Minister T.R.Balu was the Minister for Environment & Forests then and in his speech during that inaugural function, he had spoken, "The importance of the concept of biosphere reserve cannot be overemphasized. A biosphere reserve provides an opportunity to attempt conservation & protection measures of unique eco systems and seeks harmonization with the human activities in such areas. The Gulf of Mannar is very important as it has rich variety of flora & fauna and is regarded as a "biologists paradise". It holds tremendous generic diversity in the form of sea algae, sea grass, coral reefs, fin and shellfish resources, mangroves and various endemic and endangered species. There are serious problems, which confront the region due to activities of human beings. The biosphere reserve was established for attempting an integrated approach to resolving the adverse impacts of human activities on the rich biodiversity of this ecologically fragile area. I would urge all persons associated with this trust, to rededicate themselves with greater commitment & vigor to the cause of conservation of biological diversity". The very same T.R.Balu is acting differently now, throwing his own words of wisdom away! If this is not hypocrisy then what is?
Scientific Media
The word famous magazine "Current Science", in its February 2005 issue, has noted as follows: "Some relevant questions can be raised on the technical feasibility of this project (SSCP), which seems to have been overlooked by the project impact assessment studies, sponsored by the central government. In general, the navigation channels near the ports of the east coast have been facing three major problems persistently. These are caused mainly by natural sedimentation, tropical cyclones and the dumping of the dredged materials. SSCP cannot be exception to these problems and these issues could be more complicated by the fact that the project area occurs in the offshore. The central issue, therefore, is whether these issues have been adequately addressed before embarking on this venture". What answers can the government of India or the Shipping Ministry give to these relevant observations made by "Current Science"?
Marine and Ocean conservation news from the website www.earthdive.com has noted on 6th January 2007, "at least six whales have died since July 2006 as a result of digging under the sea to create a shipping route off India’s southern coast, proving that the controversial plan hurts the environment, activists said". The portal had referred to the claim of Ossie Fernandes of Coastal Action Network, an alliance of over 45 social & environmental groups, as, "Since July, at least six whales have died after getting stranded on beaches or have been washed ashore already dead. But local fishermen have seen more dead whales, so it could be as high as 10 and most of the dead whales were found off the coast of Rameshwaram, a Hindu holy town in Tamil Nadu state". Activists said, "Whales’ navigation sensors get affected by the loud noise of the dredging and the powerful sound waves emitted by sonar machines used to conduct marine surveys. As a result the marine mammals lose their sense of direction and get stranded in the shallow waters near Rameshwaram". Will T.R.Balu say that Mr.Fernandes is a Hindu fundamentalist and that he is lying?
Tourism
Also, the Tourism Ministry of Tamil Nadu lists Gulkf of Mannar Marine National Park as a very important tourist spot with a marine biosphere running along the coasts of Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin Districts abounding with distinguished marine life covering 21 islands. What will happen to our tourism claims & campaigns if the marine biosphere gets spoilt because of the destruction of Rama Sethu?
Archeological Survey
The ASI, in its affidavit has said that the Rama Sethu could not be declared as an ancient heritage monument. But, Dr. SR Rao, Founder of Society of Marine Archeology in
India had said, "Ram Sethu is an ancient monument of National & International importance. Based on overwhelming archeological, epigraphical and scientific evidences, Ram Sethu must be declared and protected as a world Heritage Site". Will the government of India and the ASI question the efficacy of Dr. S.R.Rao’s statement and call him as a Hindu Fanatic?
The stupid ASI contradicts the findings of "The Temple Art Museum", Madurai, which comes under ASI itself. In the book "The Saga of Rameshwaram Temple" edited by Mr.Somalay and published in 1975, Mr.A.V. Jeyachandran, Honorary Director, Temple Art Museum, Madurai, in his article "The mystery of Rama’s Bridge" (page 381 to 384) says, "The scientists just dismiss it as a natural formation of sand dunes & coral reefs, but the shape & size makes it impossible to believe it as a natural formation. In other words, it must be man-made". Mr.Jeyachandran confirms the existence of man-made Rama Sethu after immense research. Will the present ASI Director and the Shipping Minister suspect the sincerity of Mr.Jeyachandran?
Naval Studies
It is alleged that the Armed forces in general and Indian Navy in particular is against the SSCP itself, as the project is deemed to cause terrific security risks. Captain (Retd. from Indian Navy) & Master Mariner Hariharan Balakrishnan, Ex Commanding Officer of guided missile frigate INS Trishul, had written an excellent essay titled "SSCP- A Mariner’s perspective", which was published in the mainstream national media. In that essay, he says, "Considering the global & geopolitical situation and insurgency & terrorists’ threat perception, it is felt that the execution of SSCP would pose a grave danger to National Security". He had also analyzed the economical viability of the project and concluded that the SSCP is"Nautical Nonsense". His article is believed to be with the Naval establishment for a detailed study now. Will the Shipping ministry & government of India say that Captain H. Balakrishnan is a traitor or unpatriotic?
Questioning Faith & Double Standards
In Chennai, we have two Churches in the name of St.Thomas, one on a hillock (St. Thomas Mount) and the other on the seashore at Santhome. The Pope Benedict himself has said that St.Thomas has never visited India. Will the Central & State governments question the Catholics and ask for proof for the arrival of Thomas to India and his death in Madras? Will the governments have the guts to demolish the Churches saying that St.Thomas is a myth?
The Hazrathbal Shrine is supposed to have the "holy hair" of Prophet Mohammed. Will the Central & State governments ask the Muslims to prove that the hair belongs to the Prophet? Will the governments have the courage to demolish the Shrine?
If Lord Rama is a myth, then Lord Venkateswara must also be a myth! That being the case, why did this Italian woman Sonia visit Thirupathi on her Sixtieth Birth Day? Why the kin & kith of T.R.Balu & Karunanidhi visit the various Temples in our country? Why the Congressmen, the slaves of Sonia, visit Rameshwaram & Thirupathi? Why the Dravidians belonging to DMK visit Rameshwaram & Thirupathi? When a government can fight for the inclusion of Taj Mahal in the list of wonders of the world, why can’t it do the same for the inclusion of Rama Sethu in the list of World Heritage Sites?
Conclusion
Religion and faith are beyond the purview of political governments. No government or politician has the right or authority to question the faith of its citizens. Questioning the faith amounts to contempt of Constitution, which provides & ensures freedom of religion to all the citizens of this nation.
One Tsunami is not enough for this Non-Hindu Central Government & Anti-Hindu state government! But sadly & unfortunately Tsunami affects only the innocent people and the Ruffians & Rapscallions in the seats of power get away with anything! If at all the government wants to save a little amount of respect, which it doesn’t deserve at all, it must withdraw the affidavit immediately.
May Lord Ram save this Great Hindu Nation!
