Rama Setu -2

07-31-2008, 01:44 AM

QUOTESethu project shelved 
Pioneer.com
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The Government has decided to put on hold work on the Sethusamudram project and set up a six-member committee headed by The Energy and Resources Institute Director General RK Pachauri to examine alternate alignments. With the Sethu issue triggering a major political row, the Government seems unwilling to alienate a sizeable section of the people who revere the Ram Setu.Â Â

The committee, constituted by the Government on Tuesday, was in response to the Supreme Court's query whether the Centre was considering the feasibility of studying alternate routes for the project.

Conveying the Centre's response to the apex court on Wednesday, senior advocate and Centre's special counsel Fali S Nariman submitted a letter written to him by Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekhar informing the decision to constitute an Expert Committee that will study all possible alternate routes, including the route cutting through the portion between Dhanushkodi and Lands End on Rameshwaram Island, suggested as an alternative by the court.

"The committee has been asked to submit its report as quickly as possible," said the communication addressed to Nariman, following the letter written by him to the Prime Minister's Office.

Besides Nobel laureate and renowned environmental scientist Pachauri, the committee comprises T Chakrabarti (acting Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), SR Shetye (Director, National Institute of Oceanography), S Kathiroli (Director, National Institute of Oceanography), Rear Admiral BR Rao (Chief Hydrographer to Government of India) and PM Tajale (Director General, Geological Survey of India). Tamil Nadu Government's Principal Secretary (Environment and Forests) and Ramanathapuram District Collector have been included as special invitees.

The committee has been asked to "quickly" examine the suggestion given by the court in view of the technical aspects, cost benefit analysis, social and cultural impact, environmental impact, law and order aspect and other related matters.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices RV Raveendran and JM Panchal decided to await the report of the committee following which the matter would be posted for hearing. The Bench concluded hearing arguments of the Centre and the petitioners and reserved judgement on the petitions pending before it.

Several petitioners doubted the independence of the committee as it largely comprised Government officials. In this regard, they suggested the court should pass directions to allow petitioners to interact with the committee members and to expand the committee to include religious leaders as well.

The Bench dismissed this suggestion after Nariman pointed out a clause in the notification permitting the committee to "co-opt any other experts or institutions" to facilitate in their work. When one of the advocates representing the petitioners wanted to show a publication in support of his argument on Ram Setu, the Bench shot back, "We are not enamoured by such publications. All publications are of 2007-08."

The bench even hit out against the petitioners moving the court as late as in 2007 when the environmental clearance for the project was obtained in March 2005. "All of a sudden the petitions are filed. What were you doing for two years," the Bench asked. Advocate Krishnan Venugopal suggested that this argument cannot be held against the petitioners at the threshold stage of arguments as the case before the court is entirely on merits. He referred to one of the petitions filed in 2004 and explained that the delay was inevitable since the NEERI report on the project along with the notifications issued by the Centre were difficult to procure.

Senior advocate K Parasaran representing another petitioner argued that the assertion that Lord Ram destroyed the Setu as stated in Kambh Ramayan, was an interpolation of the original text. The same text later records the sanctity attached to Setu despite the same being broken. All the religious texts (puranas) are equivocal in recognising the sanctity of the Setu and till 1964, it was a pilgrimage centre for several devotees, he added.

Alternative route
Alternative route to be examined
Six-member committee set up
Panel asked to quickly examine court suggestions
Supreme Court to hear case again after receiving the report

07-31-2008, 01:52 AM

Fali Nariman had assured the court that PM would be giving us a statement on Wednesday. What happened?

Husky · (This post was last modified: 07-31-2008, 05:25 PM by Husky.)

QUOTEFali Nariman had assured the court that PM would be giving us a statement on Wednesday. What happened?Maybe Nariman and Madmoron stubbed their toes?
About Nairy-a-man, methinks it's a possibility that he's a crypto christian (retains his Parsee name but is otherwise of the terrorist ideology) like Ambika Soni and a gazillion others. There's many such in the Congress party.

Bodhi, thanks for your brilliant #299.

I waited to post the following, don't know if it's been pasted somewhere on here already:
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx...eID=6165&SKIN=B
An interview with Shri. D.Kuppuramu- Convenor- Ram Sethu Protection Movement
QUOTEMy ancestor were warriors and military chiefs who were attached to the Ramanathpuram Samasthanam and dedicated to the king Sethupathi Maharaja. I am a son of the Soil .Sethupathis have been tradtionally the protectors of Ram Serthu, and they take oath for that. I have no other interest other than protecting this ancient monument. Hence I represent all Hindus. Hero <!--emo& Smile

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

It continues with:
QUOTE3. Q: You were a leftist in younger days; Leftists are generally known to be anti-Hindu, how come you were attracted towards religion and to Save Ramsethu?
DK: I was born in traditional and religious family. In college days, I was inclined towards leftist thinking. In 1984-85 I came in contact with Sri Atmananda Swami. I had extended debates with him for more than one year, and got convinced in the Spiritual principles. Since 1985 I have been associated with RSS. The Swami is now no more. He was my friend, Guru and guide.

[...]

5. Q: When did you become involved in the Rama Sethu Protection movement?
DK: Since 2001. They wanted the Kodandarama Koil to be demolished in order to implement the Channel three alignments. We opposed it. By 2002 we wanted a broad gauge line extended up to Danushkodi and we made an appeal to the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. We also approached the then defence minister George Fernandez. He cleared the fourth alignment between Danushkodi and Kodandarama Koil. This was first recommended by NEERI. After 2003 fifth alignment was cleared, after Danushkodi, that would cut through Ram Sethu, which falls near the *Imaginary, non existing international border*.

6. Q: What is the 6th alignment?
DK: This is a planned conspiracy to demarcate India-Srilanka. Due to the pressure from USA the UPA govt is bent upon destroying the Rama Sethu. The alignment number 6 is now referred to as T.R.Balu's alignment after the name of the central minister who is hell bent to destroy and create a channel by breaking in the middle of the Ramsethu. This is a village man's understanding. An international conspiracy has been hatched, to transfer the Indian Territory to Overseas Controllers, who will take control of the channel perpetually.Same pressure from christo USA for India to sign nuke deal. UPA falling over itself to make it all happen for their christo bosses.

http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx...eID=5616&SKIN=B
QUOTESTOP POLITICAL ABUSE OF HISTORY
22/02/2008 12:44:08Â

An interview with Dr. S.R. Rao, the foremost marine archaeologist of India
"Ram Sethu is protecting South Tamil Nadu, it is important to save it" 

Dr S.R. Rao is the foremost marine archaeologist, who discovered the submerged city of Dwarka of Sri Krishna, off the coast of Kutch, in Gujarat, which is considered to be the greatest archaeological discovery in independent India.

[...]
Can you explain the full details of the convention that you chaired?
Yes. I have the journal of marine archaeology volume 7 and 8 pages 66 and 68 published in 1988 which state among other things definition of underwater heritage, list them and describe ways and means to preserve and protect them. The rate of erosion by violent sea is so aggressive that when we excavated in Poompuhar we found brick walls of ancient city mentioned in Tamil literature.

What caused the destruction of the city?
Right from Ennore near Chennai if you travel down south, Mahabalipuram, Tarangambadi to Poompuhar, this belt has been historically known for violent seas, cyclones and sea erosion. We have experienced one of the most violent seas. A temple can be found taken away by the sea in Ennore, and another Shiva temple can be found submerged at Tarangambadi. The rate of erosion is not what it was even 8 to 10 years ago, it is very rapid. Off the coast of Poompuhar four km wide into the sea the entire city mentioned in Silapadigaram was located and also a long brick wall of the port mentioned in the Tamil classic. I myself have been diving for over 15 years in the underwater expeditions off the coast of Gujarat, Poompuhar and Mahabalipuram.

The Kannagi statue installed on the seacoast had to be shifted 10 meters by the government to save it from sea erosion some years ago. If this being the case it is Ram Sethu that is acting as natural barrier and now saving the southern Tamil Nadu from the violent sea. If this is damaged all hell will break loose. Poompuhar was a very important port and was very extensive of Sangam period but got submerged. What about Ramayana which was even earlier and several thousands of years older? It is absolutely certain that it is historical and of mythological importance. The sea in the western coast of India is not that violent but the eastern coast has been facing one of the most violent seas as we have encountered in our underwater expeditions. Hence this region contains the richest archaeological heritages of the world.

Some researchers say there are so many such sitesâas much as 20,000 in the worldâand what is the definition of a underwater site?
Go to the links to read the rest of both articles.

dhu · (This post was last modified: 08-02-2008, 05:54 AM by dhu.)

Only transformed christian theological "arguments" are being presented by these clown seculars. In the process, they are hoping to transform Ram narratives into theology. The way forward is to show the christian iconoclastic basis of the government's setu demolition project.

Because it is Ram Setu and not Nehru bridge
Tarun Vijay
QUOTEIt is not enough. The formation of R K Pachauri committee to look into the feasibility of Setu Samudram and relocation of channel in a way that Ram Setu can be protected looks attractively reasonable and yet shows a skin deep respect and knowledge about Hindu beliefs.

It took enormous amount of protest organization for the last one-year at-least to make this government see a little light of reason. 35 lakh signatures on a protest memorandum were submitted to the then President A P J Abdul Kalam, a massive congregation on national level was held in Delhi attended by more than three lakh men, women and children from Kanya Kumari to Kargil. Stilll this government which is scornfully dismissive of any Hindu protest wouldn't have budged an inch if, yes, its a really big IF, elections were not round the corner. Its buying time.

Otherwise the Setu Samudram project, about which serious security, ecological, economical and religious concerns have been raised by objective stalwartsï¿½like Vice Admiral Contractor (DG, Coast Guards), Justice K T Thomas, Justice V R Krishna Aiyar, et al should have been scrapped and the Ram Setu declared a national monument. There is now ample data to show that the Setu Samudram project is a non-viable project and a threat to security and the environment. 

If the government wills, it takes decision in a day, if it wants to confuse and dither, committees are appointed. The Ram Setu issue too is facing the same 'slap and balm' tactics. First they refused to accept the existence of Ram, then said, ok Ram was there but he destroyed the Setu and in support of this contention misquoted scriptures, then a committee is appointed. If government was sure of any one point it submitted to the Supreme Court, why now the committee? If it wants to respect Hindu sentiments why not come clean and say, ok, we are sorry to have recognised the reality too late, now the Setu is declared national heritage. Done.

But they wont do it. For the simple reason it is Ram Setu and not a Nehru bridge, which would have needed no proofs and no committees.

There is an old haveli in Allahabad where Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was born. We learnt from our textbooks that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It is an old British idiom, meaning his family was very rich. That house has been declared a national monument and all his spoons, clothes, almirahs, achkans etc have been preserved as national heritage for public viewing. The expense for this is paid by the Indian public and not by the family of the person who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and whose descendants are not below the poverty line either.

Another house in the heart of New Delhi, a palatial one since the viceroy used to live there, which Nehru used as our first prime minister, has also been declared a national monument, and all his belongings including spectacles and churidars are well-preserved for posterity. This too is done using public money because he was a beloved leader of the people.

There are important roads in Delhi and all over the country named after Motilal Nehru, Kamla Nehru, Swarup Rani Nehru and of course Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi. Quite justifiably so, because they were all leaders of India. The other family-wallahs were just followers and hence can be forgotten like Veer Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, K B Hedgewar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, etc. The best way to protect your illegal slum colony and get into the voters list is to name it after the Nehru clan. No one would dare to touch it, ever. It becomes instantly sanctified and a national heritage. It's true of Delhi, Mumbai and other metros.

But Ram Setu? Isn't it named after a person who called himself Ram? He has become a new icon for saffron communalism and hence should be discarded. The millennium-old collective memory all over the globe about the bridge he built is unprovable by any document.

So, our learned counsel, Fali S Nariman, whose Parsi ancestors were driven out of their homeland Iran by Islamic zealots and given refuge by the ardent followers of Ram, said in the Supreme Court on July 29 that the coral structure known as Adam's bridge or Ramar bridge cannot be declared a national monument because there is no proof of it having been built by Ram.

Nariman had presented an affidavit in the Supreme Court on July 22 too on behalf of the Union government to justify Ram Setu's destruction. He indeed did a great injustice to Ram, god of the Hindus and ancestor to all Indians. He misquoted the Padma Purana and Kamba Ramayanam to stress that Ram had himself destroyed the Setu after his victory over Lanka. 

The fact is, both the scriptures say that Ram did not come to the Lankan shores after installing Vibhishana as king but returned Ayodhya by the Pushpak Vimana along with his divine consort Sita. The Padma Purana has 55,000 verses which we searched and in none of them is a reference whatsoever to a breach caused by Sri Rama to the Setu.

In affidavit after affidavit (the first was that Ram did not exist), this government has ridiculed the faith of the land, and this attitude may not remain unanswered for long.

The question this approach raises is, why is the government seen to be in such enthusiasm to find a way out or to collect invalid data and offending propositions for just one purpose -- destroying the Ram Setu? Should that be the prime concern or motive of democratic governance that owns a responsibility to represent all people and their aspirations? Who are the people this government considers worth listening to, and who are the 'others' identified as expendables having discernibly worthless opinions?

First they said Ram did not exist and then they filed another affidavit saying Ram destroyed the Setu, so we can blast whatever remains. Why? Should a naked lust for money overpower our cultural, security and biodiversity concerns?

Two young scholars, Sarvesh Tiwari and Jayashree Saranathan, researched minutely both the scriptures quoted by Nariman and found he has misled the court and offended the sentiments of Hindus, once again, as far as this government is concerned. The Padma Purana comprises 55,000 slokas arranged into five books: the Shrishti Khand, Bhumi Khand, Swarga Khand, Uttam Khand and Paataal Khand. The last book, Paataal Khand, contains, among other subjects, a mysterious version of the story of the eight Vishnu incarnations up to Krishna. The story of Ram is the largest among these.

The full text of the Paataal Khand, fifth khand of the Padma Purana, which contains an account of the Ramayana, is available in full here. In the scriptures there is no reference whatsoever to any breach caused by Sri Rama to the Setu. Veteran Ram Setu-ologist Kalyan Raman says, "Simply put, Nariman is hiding the fact that until 1480 (when a cyclone caused breaches as recorded on an epigraph), the Setu served as a bridge between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar as recorded in the Royal Asiatic researches and Rameshwaram temple epigraphs."

Nariman also said that if something has already been destroyed, how could the Hindus worship it now? Dr Subramanian Swamy has pleaded in his petition that the tradition of veneration of Setu is unquestionable and continues even today, with over five lakh pilgrims going on ashadha amavasya day to Rama Setu to offer pitru-tarpanam -- a worship for ancestors exemplified by Sri Rama. The faithful argue, even if Nariman brings in some kind of an argument that Ram had damaged the Setu, so what? Does it cease to be a place of reverence and heritage? 

Both the scriptures quoted by Fali Nariman say that once having reached the Lankan shores through the Setu, Ram directly climbed the Suvela hills and went ahead with his war plans. He did not return to the Setu or the shores of Lanka or Rameshwaram. Both Kamba Ramayanam and Padma Purana mention that Ram flew back to Ayodhya from Lanka in the Pushpak Vimana. On the way he showed Sita the places he visited including the Setu, which he praised for its greatness as a 'kshetra' (holy area) for propitiation of the people of the three worlds'.

As far as the Setu Samudram Project is concerned, it's proving to be good for nothing. There were alignments for its construction that would have the kept Ram Setu unaffected, but they were not considered. Why? There were serious objections raised by Vice Admiral R F Contractor, director general of the Indian Coast Guard. That too was ignored. Why? The objections of reasonable and independent scholars and jurists like Justice V K Krishna Aiyar and Justice K T Thomas (who opposed Ram Setu's destruction in an exclusive interview with me) were simply set aside without citing any grounds.

International tsunami expert Dr Tadepalli Sathya Narayana Murty, or Tad Murty, opined that the destruction of Ram Setu might increase the volume of catastrophe on Kerala in the event of a tsunami ("Significant tsunami energy did not propagate through the waters separating India and Sri Lanka during the December 2004 event and did not impactï¿½ much the southern part of Kerala. Deepening and widening the Sethu canal, will provide a more direct route for some of the tsunami energy to travel and impact southern Kerala," he told rediff.com).

Moreover, experts cautioned that dredging Ram Setu would adversely affect the large reserves of thorium on Kerala's shores (India has one of the largest thorium reserves in the world), apart from harming the marine sanctuary and the biosphere in the water region of Ram Setu.

What is bewildering is the fact that the entire government machinery, financed principally by Hindus, is being used to collect material that would help justify the destruction of icons held in the highest esteem by Hindus themselves. Shouldn't the State be interested in doing just the opposite? Instead of invoking the memory of Ram in times like these, when terrorism has become a major problem before the nation, we tend to deride the source of our strength and valour.

Now the rethink message on Ram Setu has arrived, but not to respect Hindu sentiments, but fearing a vote-reduction and a possible use of the issue by a political adversary. If the bridge was named after Gandhi or Nehru, the secular government would have taken a different course of action.

Ram's path of winning a war

Being politically incorrect, we have become so communally compartmentalised that even on national matters we look pathetically ghettoised. No one on this planet has ever fought terrorism so valiantly and successfully as we have done. The ancestor of all Indians eliminated terror in the most practical way with human grace unparalleled in world history.

And the people remember those victories with great fondness. Though Indians born after the Constitution, a leftover of the colonialist forces, became the State's religion forgot to institutionalise their victory days like December 16 (India's victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh war in 1971) or July 26 (victory in Kargil), as a civilisational society we have been celebrating Vijayadashmi, a day of victory over terrorism without fail since millenniums.

Ram didn't go to war at the first instance in spite of the gravest provocation. He tried to talk, urge and engage the enemy in a reasonable discussion for getting justice without bloodshed.

What were Ram's strategy and points of strength?

He stood for Dharma, ie, righteousness. Ravana was a doer of immoral acts. Hence the first great point of strength for Ram was his righteousness.

Ram had the support of common people like Vanaras and he earned their unflinching commitment.

Ravana refused to listen to the sagacious advice by his own brother Vibhishana and wife Mandodari. And obviously, he didn't care to listen to the commoners.

In Valmiki's Ramayana, Vibhishana tells Ravana: 'Dear brother! That act which cannot be accomplished by three well-known strategies (viz, conciliation, gift, and sowing dissension) is only then to be accomplished by exhibiting prowess, as stated by wise men.

'How do you wish to attack that famous Rama, who is always attentive, who has a will to conquer, who is established in strength, who has subdued his anger and who is difficult to be conquered?

'If the beloved wife of Rama is not given away of your own accord, the city of Lanka will indeed perish. All our valiant demons too will perish.'

So, Ram was attentive, had established his strength and won over his anger so his decisions would be taken after a cool thought. Once the foe was established, an unrepentant Ram won't pardon him till he was completely overpowered and annihilated.

We have been facing a terror war for more than two decades. Every time there is a barbaric attack, our prime minister and national security advisor issue a public statement accusing the Inter Services Intelligence, Pakistan's intelligence agency. Only recently, in the aftermath of the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, the same statement by the NSA M K Narayanan accusing the ISI was splashed all over. So, the wrongdoer is being warned, advised and engaged in table talk embroidered with track-two diplomacy since the last two decades.

We are neither attentive, nor have a will to overpower the wicked and win a war.

The result is seen in the form of Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts. Sometimes we blame the ISI, then the Harkat ul Jihad i Islami, or Bangladesh-based terrorist organisations, taking ample care that neither the Pakistan nor Bangladesh government is accused directly, so that 'normalisation of relations' is not adversely affected.

We tend to think the governments of both countries are sincere and saintly but those mischievous jihadi elements are beyond their control, hence we must continue strengthening our relations with Islamabad and Dhaka while condemning the jihadis working under their nose to bleed us. We don't have the guts to ask tell Islamabad and Dhaka point-blank that whatever they are doing to the Taliban on the northern front to please their masters in Washington DC, will they do the same against the anti-India operations of the Taliban too.

Where is the will to annihilate the wicked forces, a serious and doable threat to their existence, to ensure the safety and happiness of the loyal citizens of the State? The seat of power, a symbol of Ram, remains a chronicler of hate attacks -- today here, tomorrow there, to be added in the annual report of the home ministry.

Ram was serious about punishing the unrepentant and the enemy took it seriously too. When we issue a condemnation and warning to the enemy, do they take us seriously? They laugh at us.

The State's willpower is well exhibited in enforcing communal reservations, extending ceasefire with the NSCN, defreezing Quatrocchi's bank accounts, talking to the Hurriyat, taking back Amarnath land and saving a nuclear deal at 'any' cost.

Only Ram's path can empower us to take on terror, not by deriding Ram.

Tarun Vijay is director of the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation.

Bodhi · 08-04-2008, 01:52 PM

QUOTEAugust 04, 2008 12:37 IST
The Supreme Court on Monday threatened to issue arrest warrants against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Union Transport Minister T R Baalu and four others for failing to respond to a contempt notice on the Sethusamudram bandh row.

A bench of justice B N Aggrawal and G S Singhvi, however, granted four weeks time to Karunanidhi, Baalu and four others to file fresh replies to the show cause notice issued by it.

The bench took a serious view after noting that the chief minister and others had failed to file their reply to the contempt notice issued by it in the first week of October last year.

The bench regretted that though the Tamil Nadu government has been seeking time and adjournments frequently for filing the response on a show cause notice, it pointed out that on March 31st this year they had sought four weeks time to file their replies but failed to do so.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham chief and leader of the opposition J Jayalalithaa complained that the response to the show cause notice on contempt was filed only on July 30th.

The apex court after fresh request from the Tamil Nadu counsel then granted four more weeks' time to file replies on the contempt notices.

The apex court, in October last year, had issued contempt notices to the chief minister and others for going ahead with the October 1 state-wide bandh on the Sethusamudram issue despite the bench restraining them.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/04sethu.htm

Bharatvarsh · 08-24-2008, 09:28 PM

Bodhi can you add this reference to Rama Sethu to ur site:
QUOTE'May you erect many a pillar of triumph in the middle of Ramasetu by dealing destruction to the Turuska lord who is wedded to nothing but evil doings and who therefore is to be regarded as the thorny shrub of the three worlds'

Madhuravijayam Of Ganga Devi, Edited With A Historical Introduction By S. Thiruvenkatachari, Canto: VIII, The condition of the Tamil country after the Muslim occupation, p. 64

G.Subramaniam · 08-25-2008, 07:02 AM

QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Aug 24 2008, 09:28 PM)Bodhi can you add this reference to Rama Sethu to ur site:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE'May you erect many a pillar of triumph in the middle of Ramasetu by dealing destruction to the Turuska lord who is wedded to nothing but evil doings and who therefore is to be regarded as the thorny shrub of the three worlds'

Madhuravijayam Of Ganga Devi, Edited With A Historical Introduction By S. Thiruvenkatachari, Canto: VIII, The condition of the Tamil country after the Muslim occupation, p. 64
[right][snapback]86960[/snapback][/right]
</div>

Where can I find this book

Ganga Devi has written poetry on the state of the tamil country before it
was liberated by Vijayanagar

~~Pandyan~~ · 08-25-2008, 08:03 AM

Gsub, myself and BV are actually working on digitizing that book right now. It has to be scanned and then converted into a pdf ebook.

I will post a download link here when it is done.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 08-26-2008, 03:38 PM by Bodhi.)

QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Aug 24 2008, 09:28 PM)Bodhi can you add this reference to Rama Sethu to ur site:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE'May you erect many a pillar of triumph in the middle of Ramasetu by dealing destruction to the Turuska lord who is wedded to nothing but evil doings and who therefore is to be regarded as the thorny shrub of the three worlds'

Madhuravijayam Of Ganga Devi, Edited With A Historical Introduction By S. Thiruvenkatachari, Canto: VIII, The condition of the Tamil country after the Muslim occupation, p. 64
[right][snapback]86960[/snapback][/right]
</div>

Thanks BhV, sure will do.... It would be even better if you can send me a short write up -- a brief intro of the source, author, dating & location, background, and context of the reference to ramasetu. (If possible for you.)

I remember you had once sent me a link to a very good Hindi translation of madhuravijayam of Gangadevi, which I had partly read and much liked. Surely that era of Hindu history was the most recent golden page of Hindu history where bravery and scholarship had almost literally been wedded together. The wisdom & beauty of the women of vijayanagaram must have matched in full the bravery and might of its men -- if Gangadevi is any sample to go by.

Bharatvarsh · 08-31-2008, 08:15 AM

"Where can I find this book

Ganga Devi has written poetry on the state of the tamil country before it
was liberated by Vijayanagar"

Sorry Gsub, didn't see the question before, I am scanning right now, will link u after a few more days, its taking a bit of time because I have a bad copy and have to be careful it wont get torn more when I am scanning.

Bharatvarsh · 08-31-2008, 08:18 AM

QUOTEThanks BhV, sure will do.... It would be even better if you can send me a short write up -- a brief intro of the source, author, dating & location, background, and context of the reference to ramasetu. (If possible for you.) 
Sorry Bodhi didn't see this either till now, shall do tomorrow, i am scanning an english translation right now which also has the original in skt in devanagari lipi at the back after the translation.

Bharatvarsh · (This post was last modified: 10-16-2008, 06:51 PM by Bharatvarsh.)

Bodhi here is something I put together:
QUOTEThe following quote is taken from the 14th century Sanskrit chronicle called Madhuravijayam, whose author was Gangadevi, the wife of Kumara Kampana the liberator of Madurai from Muslim rule. Kumara Kampana the son of Bukka Raya, one of the founders Vijayanagara empire was the one who destroyed the Madurai Sultanate and restored Hindu rule in the region, and thus helped Islamic oppression of the Hindu populace of the holy city. The chronicleâs significance lies in the fact that it is one of the few Hindu historical sources of medieval times, which can be considered as a primary source since Gangadevi the wife of Kumara Kampana accompanied him during the campaign and provides an eyewitness account of his victories. It is also important for another reason, despite âsecularistâ attempts to whitewash Islamic atrocities on Hindus by inventing âsecularâ motives for them, denying them altogether (similar to the Neo Nazi denial of the Holocaust), or claiming that Muslim chronicles were exaggerating the atrocities in order to aggrandize their rulers. This chronicle confirms Muslim atrocities and agrees with the writings of Islamic travelers such as Ibn Batuta as can be seen by the following quote:

âIn the highways which were once charming with the sounds of anklets of beautiful women, are now heard ear-piercing noises of Brahmins being dragged, bound in iron-fettersâ

The liberation of Madurai from this atrocious Muslim rule forms an important chapter of Hindu resistance to Islamic fanaticism, and this chronicle is the main source from which we can glean an account of this resistance.
You can make any changes you deem fit.

10-14-2008, 05:09 PM

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ram-setu-not-p...sc/75806-3.html
Ram Setu not part of Hinduism: Govt tells SC 

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court the Ram Setu, which many Hindus believe was the bridge Lord Ram built to cross over to Lanka, was not an integral part of the religion.

The Centre's affidavit also said the Setu, a 48-km long chain of limestone shoals, was destroyed by Lord Ram himself and is not a place of worship as claimed by some Hindu groups.

The groups say the Sethusamudram shipping canal project, which proposes building a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka, would destroy the Setu.

The Government referred to Kamba Ramayana written by Tamil saint Kambar to support its claim. The affidavit is surprising, as the Government is examining an alternative alignment for the channel project upon a directive from the Supreme Court.

Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy and several other organisations have filed pleas before the Supreme Court claiming Ram Setu is a place of worship and sacred to Hindus. The petitioners claim Lord Rama and his army built the Setu to reach Sri Lanka to rescue his wife.

The Centre has appointed a six-member committee to examine if an alternative route for the Sethusamudram project can be taken to save the Setu. The court is awaiting the report of the six-member committee.

The Sethusamudram project

The Sethusamudram shipping canal project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal.

The project involves dredging 82.5 million cubic metres of the Adam's Bridge or the Ram Setu. When completed, the canal will be 167 km long and its estimated cost is approximately Rs 2,427 cores.

This is the country's first effort at dredging a navigation channel that is 30-40 kilometres offshore. The project promises to save travel time and cost drastically.

As of now, ships traversing from India's east coast to the west coast have to circumnavigate Sri Lanka due to this bridge located southeast of Rameswaram.

Once the canal is ready, ships can navigate through the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, and enter the Bay of Bengal directly, thereby reducing the distance for ships by 780 km and sailing time by up to 30 hours.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 10-15-2008, 04:39 PM by Bodhi.)

QUOTE(k.ram @ Oct 14 2008, 05:09 PM)Setu ... was destroyed by Lord Ram himself

The Government referred to Kamba Ramayana written by Tamil saint Kambar to support its claim.
[right][snapback]89132[/snapback][/right]


So, padma purANa is dropped from supporting the claim? That is an improvement!

10-16-2008, 02:15 AM

QUOTEBJP slams UPA stand on Ram Setu
pioneer.com
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The BJP has slammed the Centre for its stand on Ram Setu before the SC that there was no proof that the Setu was a place of worship and an integral part of Hindu religion.

âThe UPA has once again sought to abuse and hurt Hindu sentiments. First, it was an affidavit which questioned the existence of Lord Ram and following opposition to the statement the same was withdrawn,â said BJP spokesperson. Referring to the 2nd affidavit which said Ram himself destroyed the Setu on his return from Lanka, he said this too was misreading of scriptures.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 10-16-2008, 05:48 PM by Bodhi.)

rAjA bhojadeva and rAma setu

This interesting reference to rAma setu comes from one of those trifling and forgotten episodes, which although insignificant in detail, change the course of history.

One dark night a contingent of armed men, under a crimson flag decorated with golden garuDa, the royal insignia of mAlava country, was swiftly riding on the wild banks of vetrAvatI (betavA) along with a prisoner and an execution-warrant.

Despite being a mighty ruler of mAlava, with boundaries stretching between chambal in north to godAvarI in south, paramAra mu~njadeva was living with a sense of insecurity from a young prince, a nephew of his own and hardly a teenager. This prince, bhoja his name, was quickly gaining many admirers among paNDita-s and Generals alike. Despite inflicted with a terrible brain tumor, he was proving himself to be a rare talent of both shastra and shAstra, hard to say which his better forte was. All the influentials of the kingdom were foreseeing the promise of the chakravartin-crown kissing his brows. Envy and alarm having taken possession of the kingâs better judgment, he at last decided to liquidate this potential danger to his throne, and ordered his trusted guards for a secret execution, for which the prince was now stealthily being taken into the woods on the banks of betavA in thick of that night.

The young victim of royal envy was composed to bravely meet his end, and after his prayers to vAgdevI and mahAkAla of ujjayinI, the youth had only one last wish. Once the executioners return back to the capital, they should pass on a message to his king-uncle, which he scribbled upon a cloth in form of a chhanda, his last, and apocryphally, in his own blood:

mAndhAtA sa mahIpatiH kR^ita-yugAla~NkAra-bhUto gataH
seturyena mahodadhau virachitaH kvAsau dashAsyaAntakaH
anyechApi yudhiShThira prabhR^itayo yAtA divaM bhUpate
naikenApi samaM gatA vasumatI manye tvayA yAsyati

{An emperor like mAndhAtA passed who came to grace satya-yuga. Next yuga saw another great who constructed even a setu over ocean to destroy the ten-headed devil, and he too passed. Yet in the next age came yudhiShThira of mighty fame. While all those great monarchs departed in their respective eras, the earth did not accompany any of them. It seems likely O Emperor that she might finally go with you when your own time comes.}

Having scribbled these last lines of his life, bhoja was now ready to meet his death.

But little did he know that destiny had other plans for him.

Seeing an unnecessary and wasteful end to such a talented prince, a ray of mercy arose in the heart of the commanding officer. At his risk, and in his hope against hope, he decided to put off the execution by a day and leaving bhoja in custody of his men, he rushed to the capital and delivered the message to the King. The King, reading the lines, was so moved that all his envy was washed away now by guilt. When the commander informed him that prince was still safe, he was overjoyed and not only did he himself bring bhoja back, but also declared him the heir in preference over his own sons.

And indeed it would seem destiny had other utility of bhoja when it inspired him to scribble that chhanda on the banks of betavA that night and saved his life. For, it was then that hundreds of miles away on the shores of the Oxus and Syr-Dariya, barbaric hordes of turuShka-s and Usbecs, having recently equipped themselves with the zeal of Islam, were gathering storm to pour down upon the Hindus, for the first time inside India-proper to the east of Indus.

It was bhoja, who had now become the mighty ruler of mAlava when the savage marauders from west and now followers of Quran, marching under the banner of mahamuda of gazna, invaded gujarAta which was on bhojaâs south-western neighborhood and ruled by an enemy prince. When bhoja heard of the sack and desecration of somanAtha, even in the domain of his enemy, he immediately marched with his army and that of his neighbours to punish Mahmud. And chroniclers, both Hindu and Muslim, record that bhoja meted out such harsh retaliation on the returning army of turuShka-s and Usbecs, marching in pursuit of Mahmud all the way upto Indus, destroying entire Muslim enemy that was met on the way and crushing invaders so completely, that never again in his life Mahmud dared to set his eyes to the east of Indus. The complete annihilation befell the branch of forces of Quran that had wandered northwards beyond the banks of Ganga, and this ensured that India was safe from Islamic invasions for almost 150 years to come. No wonder bhaviShya purANa remembers bhoja as the slayer of muhammad, and alludes to prophet appearing to bhoja in dream and giving him his confessions of creating a corrupt dharma.

And that chhanda which bhoja wrote that night mentioning rAma setu, was not to be his last after all. During the long fifty-five years of his reign, despite being always on the battlefield he did compose numerous works varying greatly in nature, spanning across the subjects of philosophy to politics, poetry to civil architecture, and much more.

The basic story as well as the said chhanda is recored by biographer merutu~Nga in his prabandha-chintAmaNi.

BhV: the madhura-vijayam reference follows. A Huge 'Thanks' for pointing it out.

Bodhi · (This post was last modified: 11-03-2008, 09:59 AM by Bodhi.)

A portion from madhurAvijaya

duritaikaparam tuluShkanAtham
drutamutkhAya jagat-trayaika-shalyam|
pratiropaya rAmasetu madhye
vijaya-stambha-shatAni bAhushAlin||

O mighty and brave king! Go forth then, and without further delay uproot from my lands this Kingdom of turuShka-s, pain to the three worlds. Go forth my dear Lord, and securing your victory, establish One Hundred Victory Pillars in middle of the famed rAma-setu!

In February 1918, Professor D R Bhandarkar thus remarked in a lecture to the students of Calcutta University: âSouth India has recently become a land of discoveries. Not many years ago the students of ancient Indian poetics were taken by surprise by the discovery of Bhamaha's work on Alamkara in Trivandrum. The dramas of Bhasaâ¦for a long time remained hidden from modern eyes untilâ¦discovered seven years ago at the same place, viz. Trivandrum. Such was also the case with the Arthasastra of Kautilya, the work looked upon as entirely lost...â [1]

The first decade of the last century was indeed remarkable for re-discoveries of the lost manuscripts of several invaluable saMskR^ita works from the hidden chests of Keralaâs monasteries and private libraries. Among those delightful finds was this poetic yet historic chronicle of early vijayanagara period called madhurA-vijaya or kampArAya-charitam penned none other than by ga~NgAdevI the spouse of prince kampanarAya the son of bukkarAya, the co-founder of that empire. Discovery of this work in first decade of 1900s by Pandit N Ramasvami Sastriar from a traditional library of Trivandrum on a moth-eaten palm-leaf manuscript, sandwiched in a single binding between two unrelated works, remained an overlooked affair - thanks mainly to the luster of the other brilliant simultaneous finds of the category noted by Prof. Bhandarkar.

In later years however, and especially even after the publication of its contents by G Harihara Sastri and V Srinivasa Sastri, madhurA-vijaya remained and till date remains, contemptuously ignored by most of the secularist and marxist historians. And, for a good reason. This work not only falls outside their historiographic template that projects medieval Indian History as a perpetual victory march of Islam over defeatist Hindus, but also comes as a jarring note in their negationist orchestra of whitewashing the record of Islam in India.

We came to look into this source a very important reference it makes to rAma setu, thanks for pointing which go to. However, we feel compelled to provide in this note, a literal translation of one portion from this chronicle, where the queen-poetess records an event that triggers the campaign of her husband prince kampana against the Sultan of Madurai, finally resulting in the sealed fate of spread of Islam in south India.

Historical Background

The context of madhurA-vijaya is this. First wave of Jihad into South led by Malik Kafur the eunuch general of Ala-ad-deen Khilji, left dakShiNApatha stunned and in a state of shock by the unforeseen and unprecedented destruction and barbarity. While south was yet to recover from the resulting disarray, within a few years turuShka-s mounted a second wave of Jihad now under Khusaroo Khan, and yet once more after a brief period under Ulugh Khan aka Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The invading marauders left behind a local turuShka government in Madurai which later became a sultanate beginning with Jalal-ud-din Ehsan Shah and passed on to a series of hands, each proving oneself of a greater zeal than his predecessors in uprooting Hindus from the most sacred lands of their culture. It was then that important deities such as that of shrIra~Ngam were removed to the relative safety of tirupati hill shrines - a story well recorded in telugu chronicles. The year was around 1333.

While the banks of sacred tAmraparNI were scenes of such events, a few hundred miles towards its north, the shores of tu~NgabhadrA were to simultaneously witness another phenomenon. By the blessings of bhuvaneshwarI residing on her banks, an independent kingdom is conceived just then, to again raise the standards of Aryakula in face of Jihad and soon become a bulwark against Muhammedan progress in dakShiNApatha. After its first ruler Hariharadeva had stabilized it, the reign of vijayanagara came into the hands of bukkArAya, waters from whose hands were again supplying plenty of nourishment to the tree of dharma. Like a great monarch however, he looked beyond the immediate boundaries of his state, and he decided to go forward and eradicate the remnant of Jihadist imperialism anywhere in the entire region south of kR^iShNA to strategically secure the whole of dakShiNApatha, a policy which indeed eventually resulted in bringing Islamic progress in South India to a complete halt for over two and a half centuries, and protected Hindu culture here from suffering a similar ravishment as it did in the North.

The Southbound March

This is the point from where the poetess-princess begins her narrative in madhurA-vijaya. After providing the prevailing scenario and background, she limits the scope of her chronicle to describing, in a very poetic and sonorous narration of one campaign that was trusted by the Emperor, her father-in-law, into the command of her husband kumAra kampana. The mission of the campaign was to liberate the tamil country of madurai once ruled by mighty pANDya-s and now usurped by Mohammedans, then being ruled by turuShka-s mercenary Kurbat Hasan Kangoo.

Being empowered by the Emperor, kampana amasses his forces and amid the chants of brAhmaNa-s performing dIkShA-s with atharvan mantra-s, public cries of âjaya, jayaâ, and ladies of city showering akShata, he marches swiftly southwards at the head of a large cavalry. Some draviDa kings would submit to him as vessels, while some others will require some military attention. Finally, having conquered large regions in northern parts of Tamil country, he sets up his headquarter in kA~nchIpuram. Here he would stay for some time slowly encircling the region controlled by Mohammedans, monitoring their movements, and waiting for the right moment to pounce upon Madurai and deliver the final sucker punch. The period is around early 1370s.

Staying in kA~nchIpuram, while prince is discharging his duties of expanding boundaries of vijayanagara and consolidating its control over territories recently won, this period is remembered by the poetess as a romantic honeymoon. The seventh sarga is devoted by her to record the amorous memories of the time spent in the gardens of kA~nchI, swinging in her husbandâs arms and tasting the fruits prescribed by the shAstra of third kind. There are several palm-leaves lost in manuscript leaving a lacuna at this point, although going by the theme it is probably not such a disastrous loss of historic information.

Petitioner from madurA

This honeymoon, indeed a distraction from the original mission as it seems to the reader, comes to an abrupt end through the visit of a remarkable visitor. A weird yet impressive lady, apparently a citizen of Madurai, comes to appeal the vijanagara General to quickly march and save the tamil country from the tyranny of the Mohammedans, and not delay the operation anymore lest nothing worth saving would be left. The event forms the transition from seventh sarga to eighth, and we shall now turn to a literal translation of this heart-rendering appeal:

O King! That city, which was called "madhurapurI" for its sweet beauty, has now become the city of wild animals, making true its older name "vyAghrapurI", the city of tigers, for humans dwell there no longer. (1) The famed temple of shrI-ra~Ngapattana has fallen to decay, and its structure being reduced to rubble. So much that viShNu who famously slept there in his deep yoga-nidrA, has now literal protection only of the hood of sheSha-nAga who has to be ever cautious from the falling bricks of the debris. (2) How do I describe the condition of the abode of the slayer of gajAsura! In the bygone days after slaying gajAsura, lord shiva had taken its skin for his garment. And now being stripped, he has gone back to being digambara. Wild elephants have now made the shivali~Nga their plaything, and all but spider-webs are the decorations of his abode. (3) (when such is the state of those famous temples - ) how would other deva-sthAna be any better! Moth have eaten away the once-beautiful wooden structures, the maNDapa-s have developed cracks in which now grass grows, and garbha-gR^iha-s of many others are dilapidated and crumbling. My Lord, my heart is crying as I describe to you the situation of our beloved devatA-kula. (4) Those deva-mandira-s which used to resound with the joyous and pious beats of mR^ida~Nga, today only the echo of fearful howls of jackals. (5) That ga~NgA of South, mighty kAverI, which used to earlier flow in proper channels curbed with dams created by our noble rulers of past â she now flows like a vagabond without discipline like her new lords these turuShka-s, her dams being breached beyond repair. (6)

In our agrahAra-s mighty columns of sacred yaj~na smoke used to curl up and reach the skies in mid of sonorous chants of vedic mantra-s. Alas! On this day from those same agrahAra-s emit only the despicable odours of animal meat being roasted by musalmaans, and the vedic chants have been replaced by harsh noises of drunk goons. (7) The gardens of madurA were once famous for its nAlikera-trees. The turuShka-s have chopped down the nAlikera-s and replaced these with terrible iron-shUla-s upon which are adorned the garlands of human skulls to terrify the people. (8) Those our streets which used to once echo with the pleasing sounds from the anklets of our young ladies playfully walking, those are now filled with the noises from iron shackle in which our brAhmaNa-s are these days bound, sounds that pierce into our hearts like iron-thorns. (9) Spiders have taken over all our gopura-s, and the beautiful sculptures of roof decorations now only support their cobwebs. (10)

My Lord, The yards of the houses of nobles earlier used to be awash with the waters perfumed by sandal and camphor. My heart is filled with sorrow, seeing those very verandahs now being cursed by the streams of tears of shackle-bound dvija-s. (11) It is hard to say my King, whether we get more troubled by hearing the ill-ominous noises emitted by owls that now live in our abandoned gardens, or get more perturbed by the Persian language uttered by the pet-parrots from the houses of those musalmans. (12) Earlier during the times of pANDya-s, our ladies used to bathe in tAmraparNI, and her waters used to become white from the sandal-paste of their breasts. But now, my lord, she only wears the colour of red, from the streams of blood flowing into her, from the cows slaughtered all over the country by the sinful occupiers! (13) There is no agriculture left, as Lord Indra being angered has stopped sending rains. Those then, who escape the misery from turuShka hands, prematurely meet yamarAja through starvation. (14)

My King! I am unable to bear the looks of those draviDa ladies who used to be once richly gifted in beauty. Raped by the ravaging turuShka-s, those tender women now have dry lips and warm breaths, and their long undone hair is terrible to look at. I can not describe the dishonour and suffering always painted on their faces, knowing no hope of protection. (15) With Shrotriya-s gone, the veda-s have disappeared. With dharma-kathA gone, character has also departed. With Dharma and puNya-s gone, all nobleness has disappeared. Only in gain seems to be the person of kali, the promoter of vice. (16)

Relating this way all the condition of madhurApurI to kampana, the lady then made to appear a divine sword, and approached the king. This lady petitioner now reveals that she is no other than the presiding devI of madurA. (17)

From 18th to 25th, she would now relate a mythology of the sword of how it originally belonged to shiva, who gave it to the pANDya-s, and by the virtue of which lakshamI always playfully resided in the houses of chola-s and pANDya-s. Now, seeing pANDya-s become unable to wield the mighty sword of shiva any longer, sage agastya has decided to take it away from them and instead invest it into the kShatriya grips of vijayanagara. From 26th to 29th she describes the qualities of this divine sword, and blesses kampana for victory.

My king, this sword being unable to be wielded by other kings even in imagination, is now being invested into your lotus-hands by the providence. (30) Take this and go forth, chop down the heads of turuShka-s of lengthy hair, red eyes and terrible voice. Go, quickly cover the earth with their skulls. (31) Let the rising sun of your bravery diminish the moon-smiles of the drunken women of turuShka-s. (32) This earth is tired of continuously oozing with the sweats of adharma burning from the fires of the ill-deeds of turuShka. Now quickly cool her down by showering over her the blood of these miscreants! (33) My dear King, Go forth then and let this sword of yours help the pishAcha-s and DAkinI-s satisfy their thirsts to fullest from the wine that flows in the veins of those vidharmI tyrants. (34)

duritaikaparam tuluShka-nAtham drutamutkhAya jagat-trayaika-shalyam|
pratiropaya rAmasetu madhye vijaya-stambha-shatAni bAhushAlin||

O mighty and brave king! Go forth then, and without further delay uproot from my lands this Kingdom of turuShka-s, pain to the three worlds. Go forth my dear Lord, and securing your victory, establish One Hundred Victory Pillars in middle of the famed rAma-setu! (35)

Ten palm-leaves after this are lost, and the next sarga, ninth and the last, describes the rage of the armies of vijayanagara pouring into madurA, resulting in complete rout of mohammedans and effectively liberation of the whole lands of dakShiNApatha.

There has been a single manuscript found so far of madhurA-vijaya, spread over sixty-one palm leaves. Several leaves are missing in middle and some towards the end. Besides its value for historical insights, the work is a fine sample of poetry of vaidarbha-school and on footsteps of kAlidAsaâs style as confessed by poetess in its preface. It is divided in nine sarga-s and composed in a variety of meters: anuShtup, upajAti, mAlinI, druta-vilambita, and shikhariNI. The work is also significant that it is one of the earliest medieval poetry found so far from the pen of a woman. Poetess also pays gratitude to the telugu poets of Andhra-desha, indicating probably that the poetess herself belonged to telugu mother-tongue, and also signifying the parallel progress in, and equal respect for, literature in both the languages. What is most significant however is that poetess never lets her poetic mind get the better of the responsibilties of a chronicler, and despite the poetic embellishments she keeps the account historically accurate.

Notes:
[1] Lectures on the Ancient History of India (D. R. Bhandarkar, Univ. of Calcutta Publication, 1919)

References:
1. madhurAvijayam ga~NgAdevyAvirachitam (Ed. By G. Harihara Sastri & V. Srinivasa Sastri, The Sridhara Power Press Trivandrum, 1924) http://tinyurl.com/5o25xp
2. madurAvijaya mahAkAvyam (Ed. with Hindi Translation by Dr. Sharada Mishra, Shri Sharada Publications, Patrakaranagara Patna, 2001) http://tinyurl.com/5hlk4q

**shamu** · (This post was last modified: 10-31-2008, 05:49 AM by shamu.)

From the website of christianized Royal Family of Jaffna website:

The Coat of Arms for the Royal family is:

<img src='http://www.jaffnaroyalfamily.org/images/personalflag.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

What is written in Tamil, below Nandi is "Sethu".
What "sethu" other than "Ram Sethu" can that be?

Husky · (This post was last modified: 11-19-2008, 05:24 PM by Husky.)

http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2008/11/wor...e-shri-ram.html
QUOTEWorld Meet in London to Save Shri Ram Sethu
nov 18th, 2008

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Seema

Hello All,
It is great to know that there will be a World Meet to spread mass awareness and create pressure to save our world heritage Shri Ram Sethu. But I am amazed at the contempt that Anti-Hindu TR Baalu and Congress are showing to the Apex Court. According to a report on website http://www.livemint.com/2008/07/09215533/I...starts.html?d=1, dredging is still continuing at the Sethu site and unofficial reports state that they may well be 50-75% complete. According to the report,

However, even though the fate of the project is unclear, six dredgersâDredger XVI owned by Dredging Corp. of India Ltd; Pacifique owned by Belgium-based Dredging International; Banwari Prem and Triloki Prem owned by Mumbai-based Vector Shipping Services Pvt. Ltd; Darya Manthan owned by Hong Kong-based Chellaram Shipping Ltd; and Prof Gurjanov owned by the Russia-based Baltdraga Ltdâare still dredging the ocean at the mouth of the channel in Palk Straits.

It is not clear exactly how much work has been completed in the Straits so far.

The project website that used to track dredging status on almost daily basis has not been updated since October. Meanwhile, unofficial figures on work status from shipping minister T.R. Baalu have varied between 50-75%.

This despite the stay ordered by the court during the hearing of case by Dr. Subramanian Swamy. I hope the Hon'ble Court takes a note of this contempt and this project is scrapped soon.

Regards,
Seema

Dallas, TXThey are trying to keep their progress hidden so that Hindus don't know what they're doing and how far they've reached. Christianism is working to destroy our Dharma and yet Hindus talk of its symptoms only as "psecular" actions.
Absolutely need to give it its true name: christianism.

12-09-2008, 07:18 PM

Ram Sethu case-- Varying sets of misleading affidavits by Union of India

http://setubandha.blogspot.com/2008/12/ram...ng-sets-of.html

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