Rama Setu -2 - Printable Version

Rama Setu -2 - Printable Version

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Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-28-2007

Dehradun: A rare 1818 coin minted by the East India Company, now in possesion of Sh. Ashok Kamboj, Dehradun, a collector of rare manuscripts and coins.
<img src='http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/out/images/1190897412_Coin1%20002.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

<img src='http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/out/images/1190897140_Coin1%20001.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

link

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-28-2007

A lion from Punjab to protect Rama Sethu
<img src='http://www.newstodaynet.com/2007sud/sep07-images/2709-sun.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Sri.D.Kuppuramu, National Secretary, Rameswaram RamSetu Protection
Movement(R.R.P.M.) and Sri.M.S.Bitta, Chairman, All India Anti Terrorist
ront Seek Strength from God Anjaneya to Protect Sri RamSetu
at Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-28-2007

Non sanksrit speaking sanskrit expert Romila Thapar wrote some article on Hindu stating:QUOTE"Is faith so fragile that it requires the support of an underwater geological formation believed to have been constructed by a deity?" 

Nicely debunked on this blog:
Romila Thaparâs Double standards and Half Truths

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-29-2007

'Sri Rama Sethuâ and Karunanidhiâs existential dilemma!
By U. Narayana Das
TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/2hpmkb

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-29-2007

Nice article, written based on actual understandoing of state of brahmins in TN. Even though the level of persecition of brahmins in TN may seem overstated to many (even those that grew in TN), it is only bacause the worst of it has been subtle and not bloody enough to make it to the headlines.

* the dk, dmk and admk have had their members garland deities with footwear!

* they have built / allowed mosques and abattoirs near temples

* they have appointed atheist officials to administration of temples and temple assets - it is so bad that nowadays we can't even distinguish between trust and pvt property in many places

* ofcourse, everybody knows about the draconian reservation quotas - it is heartwrenching to see kids that score 98% and above in all subjects unable to get their desired college seats because they need 99.6 if they are brahmin

* in the holiest of holy places of TN (such as Ganapathy Agraharam) even core Agrahaarams have been bougjt up by Muslims because youngters from Brahmin community have no way of surviving there and have had to move out either to bigg cities or in most cases, out of state (there is a reason why places like Matunga in Mumbai and several parts of Bangalore are majority Thamizh speaking brahmins)

* I know personally of cases where the tufts of brahmins were yanked (I have not come across ANY cases of Brahmin women being raped, don't know where the author got that from - don't think that has ever happened; I have lived in several villages and towns of Tanjore district and never heard of such a thing)

* the Sankaracharya arrest is such a shell shock that many have still not recovered. In many families, this news has still been concealed from the old bed ridden or weak granmps because it is a guarantee to shatter them to death and much worse. If the arrest is unwarranted and is motivated by anything other than truth, whoever is behind this has earned thousands and thousands of brahmahadthi dhosham

* as a truely trying brahmin I've come so close to cursing karunanidhi and his like but won't do it

Because the truth will emerge.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-30-2007

Karuna to be honoured with title of âShudra Samratâ
Agencies
Posted online: Saturday , September 29, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Saturday , September 29, 2007 at 07:37:45Print Email To Editor

Ayodhya, September 29: Pleased with his recent remarks on Ram, a group of backward and scheduled caste sadhus and mahants of Ayodhya have decided to honour Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi with the title of 'Shudra Samrat' (King of Shudras).
A delegation of sadhus of the Shudra community from Ayodhya will go to Tamil Nadu after Gandhi Jayanti to felicitate Karunanidhi, mahant Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, convenor of a social movement forum called Ayodhya Ki Awaaz said.

"We are the supporters of Karunanidhi because he is espousing the cause of the Shudras. For the VHP, BJP and RSS Ram, an upper caste king, is the only symbol of religion", Shastri said.

Rama Setu -2 - Bharatvarsh - 09-30-2007

QUOTEA delegation of sadhus of the Shudra community from Ayodhya will go to Tamil Nadu after Gandhi Jayanti to felicitate Karunanidhi, mahant Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, convenor of a social movement forum called Ayodhya Ki Awaaz said. 
Who is this clown to speak on behalf of us (well yes my caste is technically shudra)?

Some interesting info:
QUOTEAyodhya's sadhus to host iftar party

PTI | September 29, 2007 | 21:51 IST

Renewing the tradition of communal harmony and peace, the mahants and sadhus of Ayodhya will throw an iftar party on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) in Ayodhya.

The iftar will be attended by Shia cleric and religious leader Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, Christian priest Anand John, Sikh leader Gurcharan Jeet Singh and Sandip Pandey, Magsaysay award winner and convenor of National Alliance for People's Movement among others, mahant Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, the organiser of the iftar said.

"We have invited all the prominent Muslims of Ayodhya-Faizabad and mahants and priests of all the temples of Ayodhya besides others," he said.

Shastri said except those sadhus who are governed by the VHP, the majority of sadhus are with us in our move to strengthen the traditional values of communal harmony in Ayodhya.

http://www.rediff.com///news/2007/sep/29sadhu.htm

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-30-2007

Bharatvarsh,
When I saw Sudhra Award news, my first reaction was, it is from Roy brigade and paid by FOSA variety, and I was 1000% RIGHT.
I can also bet, either Sadhus are paid/bought actors with saffaron robes, previously these guys produced fake Shankracharya.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 09-30-2007

Ram Setu becomes tourist attraction QUOTEâIn the early 19th century people used to go up to Ram Setu to perform rites for their forefathers. The practice was stopped and pilgrims offered pooja at Dhanushkodi or Arichalmunai, the confluence of Indian Ocean (Gulf of Mannar) and Bay of Bengal (Palk Strait). Now pilgrims are eager to see the bridge, believed to be constructed by Lord Ram, said Athi, a hotelier here, who also owns a fishing boat.

âThe visitors do not mind spending money, but they want to see what they think is more than 17,000 year old structure,â another hotelier said.

Ram Setu had been used by people of Ramanathapuram district and Sri Lanka to cross the sea till 15th century. But as the sea level increased, a part of it had become deeper and people could not cross.

Following increase in the number of tourists and pilgrims the jeep fare from here to Dhanushkodi has increased from Rs 700 to Rs 1000 for a trip, Krishna Gupta, a visitor to the Dhanushkodi said. He also wanted the government to regulate the jeep operation to Dhanushkodi.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

Supreme Court slaps Karunanidhi, Congress, and Communists again.

QUOTEYour Bandh Call Is Illegal. Stop it.

The Supreme Court on Sunday passed an unprecedented order restraining the ruling DMK-led coalition of Congress, Communists, PMK etc, from going ahead with its Tamil Nadu bandh on Monday or any other day and warned it not to 'play with fire' as an apex court judgment had already banned bandhs.

Hearing an 'urgent' petition filed by DMK's archrival, AIADMK, on a Sunday on the Supreme Court premises â the usual practice on non-working days is to hold court in a judge's residence â a bench comprising Justices BN Agrawal and PP Naolekar declared, "So long as the Supreme Court judgment is there, there cannot be a bandh."

"Dont Play With Fire!", the Court said

In a veiled warning to the DMK and its allies not to fool around with the apex court's order and go ahead with its planned bandh on Monday or any other day, the bench said, "Do not play with fire. If you do (go ahead with the bandh), it is illegal as per law laid down by the Supreme Court."

"Whom are you protesting against, after all???", the Court asked

During the hearing, the bench wanted to know from the state as well as the ruling party why the bandh had been called. Was it to protest against the Centre, the project or the Supreme Court, it asked.

An already chastened DMK counsel replied the bandh call was to get the project implemented as soon as possible.

Exactly a month ago, on August 30, an SC bench headed by Justice Agrawal, hearing a plea on the validity of the Sethusamudram project, had restrained the Centre from damaging the Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge.
Bandh, Hartal, whatever. Illegal.

Justices B N Agrawal and P P Naolekar asked DMK counsel A K Ganguly, "Your (DMK's) own resolution says that on October 1, there will be complete cessation of all activities. If that is so, how can you say it is not a bandh but a hartal?"

Noting that political parties generally step around the 1998 judgment by calling for a 'hartal' instead of 'bandh', the bench said, "In our country, we have come to a stage where everything has to be dealt with an iron hand. Nothing moves even after our orders. We have to issue contempt and monitor. Things have come to this stage."

The bench added, "Orders of the Supreme Court are not complied with, what to talk of the high courts where 99% of the orders are not obeyed."

And still, in contempt to the court, State Transport Off road.

CHENNAI: Though the Supreme Court had stayed the Tamil Nadu bandh called on Monday by the ruling DMK and its allies on the Sethusamudram project issue, buses in most parts of the state were off the roads and shops in main thoroughfares remained closed.

It was a 'virtual bandh' in the state, with Southern Railways operating only skeletal services.

However, autorickshaws and taxis were seen plying in the city.

Chief Minister and DMK patriach M Karunanidhi, along with leaders of Congress and Communists are on day-long fast in front of the guest house here on Monday morning, demanding early implementation of the Sethusamudram project.

http://ramasetu.blogspot.com/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Do_not_...how/2417711.cms


Karunanidhi speaks Hindi. Mellows down.

QUOTEâHindustan hai desh hamara, jaan se hai humko pyaara, Hindi, Muslim Sikh Isaai, aapas mein hain bhai bhaiâ (India is our country and Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are all brethren.)

Thatâs Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, pioneer of the stateâs anti-Hindi agitation, speaking the language he campaigned against many years ago - all to prove that he is secular and his comments on Lord Ram were not meant to hurt Hindu sentiments.

The DMK patriarch has called for a voluntary hunger strike in Tamil Nadu to press for the speedy implementation of the controversial Sethusamudram project. In fact, he is ready to defy the Supreme Court ban on the bandh called by him.

âI respect people's decision more than any court's verdict,â he said, addressing a meeting of party workers in Chennai.

Karunanidhi on Sunday accused state Opposition leader and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa of hypocrisy, pointing out how her own election manifesto in 2006 had promised to implement the project.

Pushed into a corner, Congress too, finally, broke its silence.

"How will this benefit Tamil Nadu? Well, it will bring ports and industry. They're spending Rs 2,500 cr on it. Where will this money go? It'll all come back to the people of Tamil Nadu,â Congress State Secretary M Krishnaswamy said.

{jai-sonia-mata-di brand idiot does not know that the money will go to the multinational companies involved in the dredging operations.}

While Karunanidhi accused his opposition of using Ram politics with an eye on the possible mid-term polls, his own coalition partners like Thol Thirumavalavan of the Dalit Panthers of India used Ram rhetoric to woo his Dalit electorate. Many allies like Tha Pandian of the CPI used his signature rebellion to rouse his atheist Communist votebank.

But amidst the political melee, it was Union Shipping Minister TR Baalu who seemed to have had the last word.

âI promise you that the first ship will go through the Sethusamudram channel in front of your eyes,â he said.
{He promises! }

For now, it seems the battle, assuming epic proportions, will be fought in Tamil Nadu and the response to Karunanidhi's so-called voluntary strike, which may invite contempt of court proceedings, could be an indicator of the public mood in the state.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/mk-pulls-a-fas...di/49660-3.html

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

And the breaking news:

QUOTEThe Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Tamil Nadu government for failing to comply with its order on a bandh call given by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The apex court warned the Tamil Nadu government of initiating contempt of court proceedings and said, if necessary, it will not hesitate to summon the chief secretary and the chief minister.

"Is this the government? Is this the Tamil Nadu government? Is it the DMK government, a strong ally of the United Progressive Alliance government? If this is the attitude of the DMK government, the UPA government should not feel shy of dismissing it and impose President's Rule," the court observed.

Though the Supreme Court had stayed the Tamil Nadu bandh called for Monday by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies on the Ram Sethu Project, buses in most parts of the state were off the roads and shops in main thoroughfares remained closed.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/01tn1.htm


I am very happy. Vinashkale Vipareep Buddhi. They are taking all the right steps to destroy themselves.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

And finally. Priyaranjan Das Munshi came out in full support of Karuna Nidhi and DMK Govt. Lines are drwan. Take Judiciary heads on.

CPI went a few steps further sayig that SC must be reigned in.

Ironic what happened 32 years back. It all started from the same room of the Supreme Court when Indira Gandhi was chastised by the court.

CPI was solidly behind Indira Gandhi, in war against judiciary that ensued and finally resulted in the emergency. the other side was spearheaded by the same people - like Subramanyam Swami, as now. Only Peopel like Nidhi etc have switched sides.

Will the outcome be different?

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

DPA leaders hit out at SC.

QUOTESpeakers at the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance day-long fast to press for speedy implementation of the Ram Sethu project has criticised the judiciary, saying that "the judiciary should stay within its limits".

Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu wondered whether the courts were giving the right decisions.

"Why would there be appeals or higher benches if every judge was right?" he asked.

In an apparent reference to the recent controversy surrounding former Supreme Court judge YÂ K Sabharwal, Baalu said even persons in the judiciary commit scandals.

"There is an impeachment procedure even for judges in this regard," he said.

CPI national secretary D Raja said that only Parliament should decide on people's welfare and related issues which courts should not interfere with".

He was apparently referring to the apex court stay on the DPA bandh today for speedy implementation of the Ram Sethu project.

"The Supreme Court has been giving some strange verdicts on issues like the SSCP, 27 per cent OBC quota and other labour issues," he said, while stressing that courts should stay within their limits.

Dravida Kazhagam president K Veeramani, in his address, criticised the "enthusiasm of the apex bodyÂ to hear a case even on a Sunday, whereas lakhs of cases are pending in many courts across India.

ia.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/01tn2.htm


Hey, but what is this?

Karunanidhi backed out?

QUOTEKarunanidhi leaves fast venue after SC rap

Hours after the Supreme Court passed strictures on his government, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi left the venue where he had been observing fast along with DPA allies since morning and attended to work at the Secretariat.

Karunanidhi left the venue after the news about the apex court's strictures on the DMK and his government came in. His ministerial colleagues also followed suit. Meanwhile, official sources said chief secretary L K Tripathy had given instructions to operate public transport immediately.

Arrangements had been made to ensure that normal life was maintained in the state. Buses were off the roads only because the crew did not report for duty, the sources added. The secretariat functioned normally, but attendance was thin.

ia.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/01tn5.htm

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

QUOTECentre backs Karunanidhi government 

New Delhi: With the Supreme Court warning the Tamil Nadu government that it would not hesitate to direct the Centre to impose President's rule if the state fails to comply with its order on bandh, the Centre on Monday said it would do nothing to "hurt" the DMK-led government.

"We will do nothing to hurt the Tamil Nadu government. We are committed. They (DMK) are part of our government. We will not disturb the state government remotely, directly or explicitly," Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.

He was replying to a spate of questions on the apex court's observations that if there was no compliance with its order on bandh, it will have to direct the government to impose President's rule.

Maintaining that the issue did not figure in the Union Cabinet meeting, Dasmunsi said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is "one of the stalwarts" not just of the DMK but of the entire country.

He said the Chief Minister has begun a "fast and (is) not violating the court order. This is a non-violent response showing respect to Mahatma Gandhi's ideals a day ahead of his birth anniversary."

Karunanidhi, Dasmunsi said, has set an example through his support and concern for the poorest of the poor, the scheduled castes and tribes, minorities and the downtrodden sections of the people.

In an extraordinary sitting on Sunday, the apex court had stayed the bandh called by the ruling DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance and asked the government to stop it.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=1453...vsv=SHGTpicslot

Unfortunately, SC makes only an empty threat! The President's rule will never be imposed in TN for any reason whatsover, no matter how much it (TN) goes to the dogs (constitutional crisis), or how badly the DMK, the ruling party in TN, conducts itself. The center, which is in hand with the DMK, will never take such a decision; nor will the President, who is hand picked by the Congress, and will abide by whatever the Congress/UPA says, OK it. The president's rule in India has been for the most part about the ruling party at the center flexing its muscles and retaining its power and control over its oppositions.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

'The Sethu Samudram does not make nautical sense'


Continuing our series on the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project, Shobha Warrier speaks to Captain (retired) H Balakrishnan of the Indian Navy to know a mariner's view of the project. Captain Balakrishnan has been associated with the navy for 32 years.

He was one of the first batch of three Indian naval officers to do specialisation in anti-submarine warfare in the erstwhile USSR Naval War College.

Out of interest, he did a study on the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project from a mariner's point of view. Ever since the series appeared in the Indian Express, the captain has been much sought after for his interesting calculations.

Why did you get interested in the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project?

I don't belong to any political party. It was purely a mariner's interest that made me research the project. There were many reports and statements in the media but I found that the mariner's point of view was not talked about at all. It is sad that even today the entire discourse on the project has got completely side tracked from the main issue; that is, the project is for ships and the shipping industry.

As a mariner, how do you describe the Sethu Samudram project?

The Sethu Samudram project, if I can put it simply from a mariner's stand point, does not make any nautical sense. 

Why do you say so?

I have worked on the project from three different perspectives, all concerning the nautical world. I analysed the project in the backdrop of the environmental factors that would impinge the safety of the ship and also the safety of lives at sea. Number two was the security aspects which is maritime terrorism as it stands today. And the third was certain aspects of general navigation.

What does your research on the environmental factors say?

We mariners call the coast between Rameswaram and Cuddalore the cyclone coast. The India Meteorological Department has assigned this coastline as a high risk probability. To site one example, in 1964, the Pamban Bridge was washed away by a severe cyclonic storm.

A ship is safe when she is moving at the onset of a cyclone. Imagine a ship waiting to pick up its pilot as it approaches the Palk Straits to enter Sethu Samudram. No captain will wait for the pilot; his safety lies in heading south, towards Sri Lanka [Images].

The wind and waves bring in a large amount of silt and wash it ashore. The same thing is going to happen to the Sethu Samudram Canal. This brings me to another point. Marine scientists have identified five areas on the Indian coastline they call high-sinkage pits, and one of them happens to be the Palk Straits. 

What is left unsaid by the Sethu Samudram authorities is that maintaining the 12 metre depth (of the channel) will entail round the year dredging. Once you establish the channel, you have to maintain it.

You mean other than the capital expenditure, there will be maintenance expenditure too. Will that be expensive?

Naturally. But this cost is not mentioned anywhere. This is the hidden cost which the authorities will have to pay to the dredging company. It is a high siltation and sedimentation area. So, what you pick up today is going to get filled up the next day.

What is the security threat you spoke about?

The Sea Tigers of the LTTE have control of that area off the Jaffna coast. What the Sea Tigers may do is difficult to say. Piracy exists even today.

Those who are against the project say the 12 metre depth of the Canal is not enough for big ships to pass through the canal. As a mariner, what is your opinion on this?

It is quite true. If you take global shipping trends today, to reduce operating cost, they go in for larger ships of the order of 60,000 deadweight tonnes and above. A 60,000 deadweight tonne carrier will need anything in excess of 17 metres of draft.

And as far as tankers go, the days of the super tanker are gone and you see only very large crude carriers of the type of 150,000 and 185,000 tonnes. It makes more sense to have such big tankers as in one voyage, you are bringing in more cargo and reduce your operating cost.

None of these big ships will ever be able to use the Sethu Samudram. So, the question is, for whom are you building the canal? 30,000 tonnes was alright when Sethu Samudram was conceived in the early fifties and the sixties.

That leaves you with only the coastal bulk carriers that carry coal from Kolkata, Paradeep and Visakhapatanam to Chennai or Tuticorin.

How much time and money are saved if the ships go through the Sethu Samudram Canal instead of going round Sri Lanka?

I plotted physically on a chart what we call 'passage planning' for a bulk carrier on passage as it happens today from Kolkata to Tuticorin; one of them circumnavigating Sri Lanka as is happening today and the other one going through the canal.

The voyage distance from Kolkata to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka works out to 1227 nautical miles. If you went through the canal, it is 1098 nm. So, you are saving just 120 odd nm.

The story doesn't end there. The majority of our bulk carriers go at a speed between 12 and 13 knots. That is the average speed at sea. I have checked with my friends who currently sail. They all said they do 12 knots. However, I worked in a bracket of 12-15 knots. So, if you are going around Sri Lanka at 12 knots at constant speed at sea, the time taken to reach outer anchorage at Tuticorin is 102 hours and 15 minutes.

When you go through Sethu Samudram, the point to be remembered is, you cannot proceed at the speed at which you are sailing at sea. The reason is the shallow water effect or what we call the 'Squat Effect'. So, the moment you enter Sethu Samudram, you have to reduce the sped by 50 per cent or more depending on the conditions prevailing at that particular time. So, I worked on a speed bracket of 6-8 knots. But many of my friends tell me 8 knots is too high for a 30,000 tonne bulk carrier. In all my calculations, I gave the benefit of doubt to the Sethu Samudram project.

The second aspect is, it is not an open seaway; it is like entering a port. A pilot boards the ship, who is a local mariner with greater knowledge of the marine environment. The same thing has to be done at Sethu Samudram also. I have given one hour delay for the ship to reduce speed for the pilot to climb aboard. You repeat the process at the other end too for him to disembark.

With this 6 knots speed and 2 hours pilotage delay, my time to Tuticorin via Sethu Samudram works out to 100 hours 30 minutes. If you went around Sri Lanka, it is 102 hours 15 minutes! So, your net savings in time by going through Sethu Samudram is 1 hour 45 minutes! Is it worth spending Rs 2,400 crore to save 1 hour 45 minutes?

You spoke of travel time. What about the cost?

The Sethu Samudram project from the media reports and the statement given by the finance minister will cost at Rs 2,400 crore, of which Rs 971 crore is through a special purpose vehicle. The debt portion has been pegged at Rs 1,465 crore. Assuming an interest burden of 10 per cent, the interest payment on Rs 1,465 crore is Rs 146 crore per annum. Twenty to 25 years is the time given for repayment.

Assuming 25 years for Rs 1,465 crore, capital repayment works out about 56 crore per annum. So, Rs 146 crore for interest burden and Rs 56 crore as repayment works out to roughly Rs 204 crore per annum which is what the authorities will have to repay to any financial institution. This is only to break-even. But the web site says it is a profitable industry and it is going to make 'mammoth profit'.

As the earning is going to come only from ships, I asked, how many ships are going to transit in a year through the canal? Ships that can use the canal will be coal carrying bulk carriers as long as the Tuticorin thermal power plant exists.

Having made the calculation, I feel they are rather optimistic in their figures. They have given a mean value of about 3,055 ships meant to use the canal in the year 2008 and by the year 2025, they expect it to go to in excess of 7,000 ships. Mind you, for 12 metres of depth! But I can't see more than 1,000 ships using the Sethu Samudram canal in a year.

If you take Rs 204 crore as annual repayment, and 1,000 ships use it, your per ship cost works out to Rs 22 lakhs pilotage charge to break even. There is an interesting comparison done by K S Ramakrishnan, former deputy chairman, Chennai Port Trust. He pegs around Rs 50 lakh as pilotage rate per ship if you have to make a profit.

Then I calculated the fuel consumed. These ships consume 1 metric tonne of fuel per hour, which costs Rs 24,000. For the Sethu Samudram canal, you have to add the pilotage cost too. In effect, if a ship goes through the canal, a shipping company loses Rs 19 lakh per voyage. It is more cost effective to circumnavigate Sri Lanka from the point of view of the shipping industry.

Therefore, neither are you saving time nor is it viable economically. These are the two aspects that need to be highlighted. So, there is absolutely no advantage to the ships and the shipping industry. So, what are we gaining by spending Rs 2,400 crore of tax payers' money? It is a white elephant in the making.

So, you must be against realignment which some political parties are talking aboutï¿½

Any course, any realignment, is going to prove uneconomical to the shipping industry. If it is of no use to the shipping industry, why build it? You can bring about better economic progress to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu by building expressways. That is why I say the Sethu Samudram shipping canal project makes no nautical sense. That is the tragedy of the project.

Those who support the Sethu Samudram Canal compare it to the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal and say the Sethu Samudram is the Suez of the East.

In the case of the Suez and the Panama canals, ships save thousands of nautical miles in sailing distance and hundreds of hours in sailing time vis-ï¿½-vis the Sethu Samudram where a ship will probably save a few hundred miles and at the most twohours in sailing time. This is the difference.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/01inter.htm

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-01-2007

Commie, Fascist of Italy and Hitler never believed in judiciary, so if UPA, COngress, Queen Sonia and DMK are against Judiciary its no surprise. Fascist forces are ruling India.

Rama Setu -2 - ramana - 10-01-2007

Sulekha Blog on Rama and Krishna

Its about antiquity of Hindu civilization to 20000 BC. This was a point that Kaushal made at the combined mtg in Milpitas.

Rama Setu -2 - ramana - 10-02-2007

Sandhya Jain in Pioneer, 10/2/07

QUOTEJayalalithaa shows the way

Sandhya Jain

Tulsidas marvelled "it is impossible to keep count of the Ramkathas in the world" (Ramkatha kai miti jaga nahi). Valmiki's account of the evolution of Indian society's moral and cultural codes, notions of kingship and the limits of political power, and above all, integration of land and people into a civilisational matrix that enduringly transcended the multiplicity of political authority, is enmeshed in the psyche of every Indian. There is literally no one, not even adherents of other faiths, unfamiliar with the narrative.

Having massively influenced the entire Asian landmass, there are probably as many versions and interpretations of Ramayan as there are Ram-bhakts. All variants are legitimate, like myriad paths in quest of the Ultimate Truth. From Sangam poetics to the bhakti of the Alwar saints, the classical rendition of Kamban, the grand philosophy of Ramanuja, the soulful depths of Thiagaraja, and the sheer energy of Therukuttu (street theatre), 'what was built forever is forever being built.'

So deeply has the epic and its hero-god impacted the Damir (Tamil) mind that major episodes, such as the tethering of Lord Ram's aswamedh horse by his unknown sons and the location of Valmiki's ashram, have been identified with this land. The state is home to some of the grandest Ram temples. The great Chola dynasty (Chola is the Tamil form of Sanskrit 'Surya') claimed kinship with the Suryavanshi kings of Ayodhya. Rajaraja I's inscriptions (10th to early-11th century) trace the family tree from Vijayalaya whose son Aditya was famous as Kodanda Rama. Their early ancestors were Surya, Manu, Ikshvaku, Kakutsth, Mandhata, Sagar, Bhagirath, Dilip and Ram. 

This devout land suffered grievously under colonial rule, when a little understood divide-and-rule policy pitted various groups against each other with the objective of making Madras Presidency the first Hindu region to break away from Bharat. Notwithstanding the social ugliness that saw the flight of Brahmins from the State, a deep reservoir of culture and common sense prevented the final brinkmanship. The British did manage to hive off the Muslim-majority wings into East and West Pakistan.

Tamil Nadu's steady return to the political mainstream received a rude shock with the triumphal abuse of Lord Ram by Mr M Karunanidhi. Upset at the prospect of vanishing gains from an ill-conceived shipping channel, the Chief Minister dealt a savage blow to the identity, pride, and self-respect of Tamil Hindus. Coming in the wake of a backlash against an offensive Central affidavit challenging the existence of Lord Ram, it froze the ruling UPA into petrified silence. Media reports suggest Mr Karunanidhi was sharply rebuked and asked to clam up; Shipping Minister TR Baalu claimed a supportive telephone call from Ms Sonia Gandhi; but the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson decided discretion was the better part of valour.

Former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa showed great political acumen in accusing the Chief Minister of dereliction of constitutional responsibility for hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus with his derogatory references to Lord Ram. This is a modern enunciation of the ancient Hindu concept of the ruler accepting the dharma of the people as his rajdharma (upheld powerfully by Lord Ram); a subtle snipe at the reigning orthodoxy of secularism as anti-Hindu populism.

Ms Jayalalithaa capped this by demanding the dismissal of the Karunanidhi regime and the DMK Ministers at the Centre. Despite considerable media blackout of the ADMK's State-wide protest on September 26, 2007, the massive popular response would have sent powerful signals across the political spectrum. The BJP has energetically supported its former ally, and received vocal support on the issue of violent attacks by DMK cadre on party workers in Chennai and other districts.

In what may be a brilliant overture to the Maran brothers, estranged from Mr Karunanidhi, Ms Jayalalithaa used the attack on Sangh Parivar offices in the State to recall the attack on their newspaper, Dinakaran, in Madurai some months ago. Mr Karunanidhi's son, Mr MK Azhagiri, was widely perceived as instigating the assault, in which three persons died. Ms Jayalalithaa has thus mixed a powerful political cocktail to attack the regime: Respect for Lord Ram and Hindu sentiments, maintenance of law and order and upholding constitutional propriety.

Change is in the air, and the fragile UNPA has decided to give respect and space to popular sentiment. Yet, a realignment of political forces around the ADMK seems inevitable. Popular actors Vijayakant (DMDK) and Saratkumar (AISK) have condemned Mr Karunanidhi's remarks on Lord Ram; MDMK leader Vaiko visited the BJP office after it was ransacked and expressed support. Even the PMK, being a predominantly Vanniar-dominated party, may abandon the DMK ship; the Vanniar Sangam has already protested. The Congress's bold maverick MS Bitta pitched in with a visit to Rameshwaram where he dramatically took an oath to sacrifice his life to protect Ram Setu.

Ms Jayalalithaa had the prescience to grasp the importance of Ram Setu and Lord Ram for all sections of society, indeed for the entire nation. The ADMK has also filed a spate of cases against the Chief Minister for his abusive remarks against Lord Ram, and it will be interesting to see how the local courts handle these petitions. The party also succeeded in getting the Supreme Court to void the DMK's proposed October 1 bandh, leaving the Chief Minister with the lonely device of a hunger strike to ram through the virtually defunct Sethusamudran Shipping Channel Project.

Unsurprisingly, scholars hostile to the Hindu faith have rushed to the rescue, scouring the Ramayan corpus to proclaim that there is no definitive version of the story; that Valmiki rested an older oral tradition; and, that in less-famous versions, the Lanka king was not a bad sort. No such exercise has ever been undertaken in Sri Lanka, which is anxious to save Ram Setu for protection against a future tsunami. Actually, Ramayan spans at least a whole yug; characters like Rishi Durvasa lived into the Mahabharat age. Valmiki himself credited the kernel of the tale to Rishi Narad, who answered his question about the ideal man (purushottom) of that age. 

Ms Jayalalithaa is seeking resurrection in public life, but the path of a righteous ruler must be consecrated by a living sage. The road to Chennai would be doubly triumphant via the Kanchi matham.

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-02-2007

Rama Setu and setusamudram channel conspiracy
By Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/2972tg

Rama Setu -2 - Guest - 10-02-2007

the site, link of which Ramana posted in 137 gives:

QUOTENote on the verse of Geeta on Egyptian Pyramid:
There are some scholars who say: This proves that Krishna learned his Geeta philosophy from the Egyptians!
Please note that only one verse of Geeta was found in Egypt , not the whole Geeta. Here it is:

vasanvsi jeernani yatha vihaya, navani
ghrunnati naro parani

http://ggiittiikkaa.sulekha.com/blog/post/...nce-krishna.htm


Anybody knows about this?