The Parallel between anti-Brahminism and anti-Semitism

To be against "Brahminism" is part and parcel of the political correctness of progressive scholars in twenty-first-century India, much like being against Muslims is part of the message of their Hindutva colleagues. ...

by Jakob De Roover

Social science debate in India has been hijacked by the struggle between secularism and Hindutva for decades now. Usually the Sangh Parivar is blamed for this turn of events. However, it could well be argued that the Hindutva ideologues simply adopted the stance of the secularists. Perhaps the best illustration is the case of anti-Brahminism.

To be against "Brahminism" is part and parcel of the political correctness of progressive scholars in twenty-first-century India, much like being against Muslims is part of the message of their Hindutva colleagues. This indicates that something is very wrong with the Indian academic debate. Promotion of animosity towards a religious tradition or its followers is not acceptable today, but it becomes truly perverse when the intelligentsia endorses it.

In Europe, it took horrendous events to put an end to the propaganda of anti-Semitism, which had penetrated the media and intelligentsia. It required decades of incessant campaigning before anti-Semitism was relegated to the realm of intellectual and political bankruptcy. In India, anti-Brahminism is still the proud slogan of many political parties and the credential of the radical intellectual.

Some may find this parallel between anti-Brahminism and anti-Semitism ill-advised. Nevertheless, it has strong grounds.

First, there are striking similarities between the stereotypes about Brahmins in India and those about Jews in the West. Jews have been described as devious connivers, who would do anything for personal gain. They were said to be secretive and untrustworthy, manipulating politics and the economy. In India, Brahmins are all too often characterised in the same way.

Second, the stereotypes about the Jews were part of a larger story about a historical conspiracy in which they had supposedly exploited European societies. To this day, the stories about a Jewish conspiracy against humanity prevail. The anti-Brahminical stories sound much the same, but have the Brahmins plotting against the oppressed classes in Indian society.

In both cases, historians have claimed to produce "evidence" that cannot be considered so by any standard. Typical of the ideologues of anti-Brahminism is the addition of ad hoc ploys whenever their stories are challenged by facts. When it is pointed out that the Brahmins have not been all that powerful in most parts of the country, or that they were poor in many regions, one reverts to the image of the Brahmin manipulating kings and politicians behind the scene. We cannot find empirical evidence, it is said, because of the secretive way in which Brahminism works.

Third, both in anti-Semitic Europe and anti-Brahminical India, this goes together with the interpretation of contemporary events in terms of these stories. One does not really analyse social tragedies and injustices, but approaches them as confirmations of the ideological stories. All that goes wrong in society is blamed on the minority in question. Violence against Muslims? It must be the "Brahmins" of the Sangh Parivar. Opposition against Christian missionaries and the approval of anti-conversion laws? "Ah, the Brahmins fear that Christianity will empower the lower castes." Members of a scheduled caste are killed? "The Brahmin wants to show the Dalit his true place in the caste hierarchy." An OBC member loses his job; a lower caste girl is raped? "The upper castes must be behind it." So the story goes.

This leads to a fourth parallel: in both cases, resentment against the minority in question is systematically created and reinforced among the majority.

The Jews were accused of sucking all riches out of European societies. In the decades before the second World War, more and more people began to believe that it was time "to take back what was rightfully theirs." In India also, movements have come into being that want to set right "the historical injustices of Brahminical oppression." Some have even begun to call upon their followers to "exterminate the Brahmins."

In Europe, state policies were implemented that expressed the discrimination against Jews. For a very long time, they could not hold certain jobs and participate in many social and economic activities. In India, one seems to be going this way with policies that claim to correct "the historical exploitation by the upper castes." It is becoming increasingly difficult for Brahmins to get access to certain jobs. In both cases, these policies have been justified in terms of a flawed ideological story that passes for social science.

The fifth parallel is that both anti-Semitism and anti-Brahminism have deep roots in Christian theology. In the case of Judaism, its continuing vitality as a tradition was a threat to Christianity’s claim to be the fulfilment of the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah. The refusal of Jews to join the religion of Christ (the true Messiah, according to Christians) was seen as an unacceptable denial of the truth of Christianity. Saint Augustine even wrote that the Jews had to continue to exist, but only to show that Christians had not fabricated the prophesies about Christ and to confirm that some would not follow Christ and be damned for it.

The contemporary stereotypes about Brahmins and the story about Brahminism also originate in Christian theology. They reproduce Protestant images of the priests of false religion. When European missionaries and merchants began to travel to India in great numbers, they held two certainties that came from Christian theology: false religion would exist in India; and false religion revolved around evil priests who had fabricated all kinds of laws, doctrines and rites in order to bully the innocent believers into submission. In this way, the priests of the devil abused religion for worldly goals. The European story about Brahminism and the caste system simply reproduced this Protestant image of false religion. The colonials identified the Brahmins as the priests and Brahminism as the foundation of false religion in India. This is how the dominant image of "the Hindu religion" came into being.

The sixth parallel lies in the fact that Christian theology penetrated and shaped the "secular" discourse about Judaism and Brahminism. The theological criticism became part of common sense and was reproduced as scientific truth. In India, this continues unto this day. Social scientists still talk about "Brahminism" as the worst thing that ever happened to humanity.

Perhaps the most tragic similarity is that some members of the minority community have internalised these stories about themselves. Some Jews began to believe that they were to blame for what happened during the Holocaust; many educated Brahmins now feel that they are guilty of historical atrocities against other groups. In some cases, this has led to a kind of identity crisis in which they vilify "Brahminism" in English-language academic debate, but continue their traditions. In other cases, the desire to "defend" these same traditions has inspired Brahmins to aggressively support Hindutva.

In twentieth-century Europe, we have seen how dangerous anti-Semitism was and what consequences it could have in society. Tragically, unimaginable suffering was needed before it was relegated to the realm of unacceptable positions. In India, anti-Brahminism was adopted from Protestant missionaries by colonial scholars who then passed it on to the secularists and Dalit intellectuals.They created the climate which allowed the Sangh Parivar to continue hijacking the social sciences for petty political purposes.

The question that India has to raise in the twenty-first century is this: Do we need bloodshed, before we will realise that the reproduction of anti-Brahminism is as harmful as anti-Muslim propaganda? What is needed to realise that the Hindutva movement has simply taken its cue from the secularists? Do we need a new victory of fascism, before we will admit that pernicious ideologies should not be sold as social science?

Are the Hindus still colonized?

Anti-Hindu DMK's another agenda to wipe out Hindu dharma from the face of Tamil Nadu

TN bans new year rites, priests fume
M.R. VENKATESH

Chennai, April 12: A pope reformed the Christian calendar but priests here are furious at the DMK government’s revision of the Tamil year.

The administration has told government-run temples not to celebrate the traditional Tamil New Year tomorrow, saying the year began three months ago.

Angry priests said they had received an oral order banning the New Year rites — special pujas and readings from the Tamil almanac, Panchangam — on Sunday.

For centuries, priests have read from the almanac every New Year evening to tell large gatherings how the coming year would unfold — to reassure them about good rainfall and bountiful crops, or warn them of war and pestilence.

Many temples are preparing to defy the ban. “This is needless interference with age-old temple practices,” said a priest at Chennai’s Sundareshwarar temple.

The Tamil year has always begun with the month of Chittirai, in mid-April. But the DMK government got a law passed last February, advancing it to the first day of the month Thai in mid-January.

This was done to pander to Tamil nationalists who claim that the mid-April New Year is a “Sanskritic imposition”.

The mid-January New Year would coincide with Pongal — an “authentic” Tamil festival (though Sankranti is observed around the same time across India).

Also, Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar’s birthday, usually celebrated on January 17, would now virtually kick off the year, which would be logical as the Tamil calendar dates from him, the government said.

“We’ll go ahead with the special pujas for the sake of the devotees,” a priest said.

A priest at the Jambulingeshwarar temple near Tiruchirappalli, however, said his shrine would obey the ban.

The Ramanathaswami temple in Rameshwaram, however, has been spared a difficult choice. Sources said the special pujas would be held since devotees had already paid for them. But the temple’s long-standing custom has been to read the almanac in the month of Aadi (mid-June), so it gets a breather now.

Several Opposition leaders, led by Jayalalithaa and MDMK chief Vaiko, issued New Year’s Eve greetings to the public today, indicating they disagreed with the new calendar law.

A similar reform of the Christian calendar was decreed in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, but for astronomical reasons. He dropped 10 days from the Julian version of the calendar to correct a miscalculation about leap years.

Fascist, Fundamentalist RSS: Defying the allegations

by U. Mahesh Prabhu
3/12/2008 4:21:55 PM

I am not an integral part of the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). I am neither a Pracharak nor do I have any responsibilities within the organization. The comparatively underpaid job that I have currently as the Editor of ‘Aseemaa: Journal for National Resurgence’ has hardly anything to do with RSS, though it was founded by some of its notable affiliates. It’s not a mouthpiece of theirs unlike Organiser or Panchajanya, both published from New Delhi, in the first case. The journal is run by me completely independent of RSS on the editorial side.

Aseemaa is today considered by many of the distinguished intellectuals in this country, and abroad, to be ‘Liberal’ magazine carrying thoughts of writers hailing from almost all school of thoughts, and also from all part of the world. It has articles authored by premier journalists like M J Akbar, Aijaz Zaka Syed, Caroline Glick, and many who hardly have anything to do with Hindutva, or any other ideologies propounded by RSS. Some of them have even, at times, strongly criticized RSS. Yet when I changed my profession, from a management-man to a journalist-editor, people shouted at me saying that I am going ‘fascist’.

‘Fascist’ is the word they wanted to convey, also, to RSS and all its respective organization and its people too. I was taken completely aghast. ‘RSS and Fascism, what do they have it to do together?’ I thought for myself. The allegation was a serious one and I had to answer them all. Within no time I did answer them and completely shut them up.

But recently I happened to write an article entitled ‘We shall continue to live to the end of times, for we have done no wrong’. It was published by over 4 significant medias, both print and internet. While many hailed my efforts many more ever angered for I having taken the name of RSS. A site called Mutiny.in which featured the article found over 60 responses with a few shouting the same old allegation of ‘fascism’, directly and indirectly. Some even called RSS and Sangh Parivar – ‘fundamentalist’, one ‘whose funda is mental’. I am bound to put pen to paper owing to those 70 and odd responses and emails I have received to my previous article, mentioned above, with the aforesaid accusations. I don’t really know as to whether I can convince them that we are neither ‘fascist’ nor ‘fundamentalist’, but all that I can to is to prove that their contention is completely spurious.

‘Hindutva is not a religion but a way of life’ they say. And it is also true. Dharma as the Vedas say is not really equivalent to the word ‘religion’ in English language. We need to learn and realize the truth that English, though pleasant, is not a rich language. Its limitations would be made clear to you by any scholar with proficiency in both Sanskrit, or any other Indian languages, and English.

If you may know, there are two major school of thoughts within Hinduism, one which is known as ‘Advaita’ and second, that which is very popular in modern days, known as ‘Dvaita’. The philosophy of Advaita was professed and made popular in India more than 2,500 years ago by Sri Adi Shankaracharya, a saint who though lived for a meager 32 years of his life went along the length and breath of the country four times [on foot] trouncing various scholars and clerics and thus bringing them to Advaita’s crease. This school of thought believed that Atman (Soul) and Paramatman (God) are nothing but one and the same. Though he never completely dejected the thought of Independent God, all he said, in a nut shell, was ‘Like when the water of a river joins the ocean there no longer remains distinction between the river water and ocean water, similarly once the Atman (Soul) achieves liberation there exists no difference between Atman (Soul) and Paramatman (God).’

Around 800 years before a seer named Madhvacharya, aka Poornaprajna, who hailed from a place called Pajakakshetra, near my home town of Udupi, went across India, yet again on foot, to prove that there can be no comparison of an Atman (Soul) to Paramatman (God). His theory is what is very much revered and acknowledged, not just in Hinduism but also in all the Semitic faiths. It may be noted that Advaita (Non-duality) and Dvaita (Duality) though were not founded by the Adi Shankaracharya and Madhvacharya respectively themselves, were just professed and popularized by them. The roots of the concept of duality and non-duality have their roots in the same Vedas, the most revered scriptures in the country.

Conversely, though both the school of thought differed so much, practically speaking there has never been blood shed for enforcing one’s faith over the other. If those movements have gained popularity it is due to the scholarly attributes of their preachers. It is also a known fact today that when an Advaita follower comes to a temple of Dvaita, he ensures that he pays obeisance to the deity in the temple at least out of respect if not faith, and the same is followed by the follower of the Dvaita philosophy. The fact is true even to this day, and is the basic reason because of which all such sects were able to be brought under the fold of Hinduism. There was mutual respect.

Always we find our juvenile and also ignorant populace saying ‘Why do we divide people in the name of religion?’ But I suppose they should answer us as to who founded the concept of religion? It wasn’t our (read Hindu) invention in the first case.

Ever since the advent of Christianity and Islam there have been ruthless killing and spilling of blood of millions of innocent in the name of God and Prophets. And yet we have those bright souls talking to us ‘secularism’ unknowing the fact that we were the ones who taught the concept, along with peace, to the whole world.

In response to the previous article one of my friends was to ‘educate’ me on the pros and cons of religions. He was saying that while the Islam teaches to ‘refrain from liquor’, Christianity teaches ‘Compassion’, Hinduism also has something to offer. Something! Just Something? God Almighty!

Vedas, those sacred scriptures of Hindus, for your information my friend aren’t just full of prayers – but also science. Mind you the finest of technologies that which were developed in this country in the past have their origins to these scriptures. Ayurveda, Yoga and all those finest natural herbal remedies you talk of have their roots firmly gripped to the Vedas. The computer on which the entire generation lives would never have been possible without that magic ‘zero’. Need I recall the famous Einstein’s word of the importance of zero? Perhaps, that at least, you can do it by yourself by using those several search engines. By the way the algorithm on which the search engine works is also yet again the product of the Vedas. And you say ‘some thing’.

If you want to hear something good about Bhagavad-Gita, here is the world’s renowned scientist and innovator of the nuclear bomb Robert J Oppenhiemer, who on having his first successful test of the bomb quoted nothing but these verse of Bhagavad-Gita: “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one. Now I become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

By the way it is true that at literal level Vedas and Bhagavad-Gita contradicts each other. But that hasn’t got us to wage ‘holy wars’ and to kill millions of lives. Instead we stopped them by saying:

EKAM SAT VIPRA BAHUNA VADANTI

Meaning: ‘Truth is one, sages say it differently.’ Ideas after ideas have marched out from this part of the world, but every word has been spoken with a blessing behind it and peace before it, lest we forget. Even peace and non-drinking kind of stuff are here in our Hinduism from time immemorial. Yet we don’t rival or disgust those religions, instead acknowledge them and respect them. For that has been our culture.

Many may now ask that: if with so many differences we have come together as Hindus, what is the problem of getting the Muslims and Christians in its fold.

My answer to this would be: What a wonderful idea? None of my friends in the RSS have ever stopped this to happen. Mind you there aren’t just two religions on the facet of mother earth. Yet we have conflict with only two, Christianity and Islam. Actually the conflict is more because of them and less because of us. Mind you Jews had been persecuted the world over and it’s only in this land, and then too dominated by Hindus, who have never been persecuted. Parses who are completely different by customs and faith have never reported any problems from Hindus. Have they?

The problem with both these religion, Islam and Christianity, is that they, at the core, aren’t accommodating. Both says that theirs is the true prophet, and god, and that only their way will lead to the heavens – ‘where you are offered virgins to elope with.’

We had no problem with this idea whatsoever. If we have accommodated millions of gods and prophets we don’t mind adding two more. Do we? But they, Christians and Muslims, aren’t willing. For if they come in our fold their reason of being is completely dejected. That’s the reason why they differentiate between the Momens and Kafirs, or believers and non-believers.

When the subject of Ayodhya comes by, RSS is easy called a ‘fundamentalist’, which has gone ‘mad’ and that it was because of Ayodhya that the 1992 blasts had happened or else the country was peaceful. Do they say peaceful? Christ! By the way Babri Masjid was built upon, what is now proven by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), a Hindu Temple. History stands to the fact that Babur was a barbaric invader. The testimony to this is not the Hindu historians but Muslim Historians themselves. And if pulling down a structure of a Barbarian is wrong then, perhaps, our George Fernandez who had pulled almost all the Victorian statues in Mumbai (then Bombay) must be tried in the court of law and looked down upon. But no, he is hailed instead, and I do also hail him.

Recently the name of our three metros was changed, didn’t they? Madras became Chennai. Calcutta became Kolkata. Similarly, Bombay became Mumbai. No one made a bit of noise. Why? Because they strongly believed that those were the names given by the British, who were also a kind of invaders, and that our identity should be reestablished, nothing wrong with the idea.

What I don’t understand with Babri-Masjid is that why Muslims want to identify themselves with a barbaric invader? Why is that they want to hail that man who was a blemish in the name of humanity? What is the point? Some experts have also proven that there wasn’t a Mosque, but a simple structure with a Mughal identity built over a Hindu Temple, after destroying the idol.

Coming to the point that Babri instigated Hindu-Muslim riots, it may be noted that it is as old as the advent of Islam in India. And that no one can win over a debate with me that it was Muslims, then as invaders, who started this series of violence.

Then we have Communists, who blame us for each and everything that is wrong in this country, completely staying mum to their decades old culture of barbarism and ruthlessness. We have two varieties of communists in this nation: CPI (Marxist) and CPI (Mao). While Marxists have turned themselves into Capitalists, Maoists are here on their mission to ‘liberate’ us.

History alone is the testimony to the fact that Adolf Hitler killed around 2 million Jews in concentration camps, Joseph Stalin killed 7 million of Russians and Mao Zedong who killed 17 million of his own country men (Chinese), directly and indirectly, is gaining a steady following today in this country. The Naxalites, another name for CPI (Mao), are the hailers of his ideology. ‘India isn’t still free.’ they announce, ‘We are here to liberate it.’ Liberation! My foot! May I understand what liberation do they offer Indians with the ideology of that barbarian? Sad, indeed, to note that such ideologies are offered the support rather unjustly by the ‘secular’ media and the ‘humanist’ organizations, at the cost of true nationalists, who are projected as ‘fascists’, ‘fundamentalists’ and even ‘Nazis’ at times.

Let me present to you one classic ‘Case Study’ in such double standards, before concluding:

During the BJP government’s year of 1998-99, exactly four Christians were killed by as yet unidentified tribals who have been accused of being Hindutva activists: Protestant missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, and Catholic priest Arul Doss. Let me not change the subject and discuss the large though unknown number of Hindus killed by Christian separatist in Mizoram and Nagaland over the decades, nor the terror of Christian natives in Fiji against Hindus; the latter phenomenon (especially the eruption after coup d’état in June 2000) is not the target of any protest in the world media, and the first is never even mentioned, so I suppose we need not attach any undue importance to the death of Hindus at the hands of Christians. Rather, for the sake of argument, let us assume that the four Christians mentioned have indeed been killed by Hindutva activists. We then share the assumption on which Christian media have based their evaluation of Hindutva as ‘fascist’. Thus, a Dutch Catholic weekly reporting on the murder of Arul Doss describes the recent evolution of Hinduism as going ‘from traditional tolerance to Nazi ideology’.

In the same period, thousands of Christians have been killed by Muslims in Indonesia, in East Timor and in Sudan, and a smaller but still substantial number of Copts were killed by Muslims in Egypt, this even though in those countries, Christians are careful not to provoke non-Christians with the obnoxious propaganda which they routinely hurl at Hindus. In the mid-1990s, Algerian Islamists specifically targeted Catholic priests as one of the ‘favored’ categories in their terror campaign, while in Pakistan, the Blasphemy law was used to harass the Christian minority, leading to incarcerations and several deaths. Though the general media usually downplay the religious factor in these conflicts, sections of the Christian opinion press have highlighted it and described the specific plight of the Christians in Muslim countries. Yet these mass murders of Christians by Muslims have never, to my knowledge, been described in the media as ‘Fascist’ or ‘Nazi’ (unlike by Muslim-born secularists). These most extreme epithets have been reserved for the more tolerant and hospitable Hindus.

In the case of Christians, the underlying logic which explains the paradox is quite simple. In the emerging world order, Asia is the center, while Christian regions like Latin America are the periphery, and North America is being asianized in the religious sphere, with rising Asian immigration and several million Euro-Americans practicing Asian religions. So, Christianity needs to get a foothold in Asia to reap ‘a harvest of faith’, as Pope John Paul II declared during his 1995 visit to the Philippines and gain during his speech in Delhi, November 1999. In Communist and Islamic countries, reaping the harvest is not so easy, because they show no mercy to Christian proselytizers. Better to flatter than to offend them. But India is a soft target. Precisely because Hinduism is so tolerant, the cowards who are afraid of real enemies have earmarked it for destruction, and all arrows are pointed at it. By the time Hinduism is destroyed, the situation in China or Iran may be evolved and may present opportunities for a strong India-based Asian Mission.

Therefore, all weapons which can damage Hinduism are welcome, and no scruples should stand in the way of Christianization of India, a vital interest of the Christian Churches. In this war context, the ‘fascist’ smear is a welcome addition to the arsenal. Now that demonization in terms of ‘idolatry’ and ‘devil-worship’ is not very effective anymore, a new demon is called out to defame Hindus by association. Until recently, the most common smear was of a different type: the projection of Christian intolerance and of the enemy-image of ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ on to Hinduism.

The term ‘fundamentalism’ has worked wonders, conjuring up impressions of a Hindu movement similar to anti-rational Christian creationism or anti-human Islamic terrorism. But it has worn out a bit, partly also because first-hand news reports have failed to substantiate it, so Christian media strategists have decided to introduce some stronger medicine. So much for the allegations…

Now my sincere, and just, question to allegers: Would you still continue to throw us with those two distasteful words, of being ‘fascist’ or ‘fundamentalist’? If ‘No’ thank you, If ‘Yes’ then why?

U. Mahesh Prabhu

Indian students are new victims of violence in America

A 29-year-old Indian doctor studying Internal Medicine in Pennsylvania was killed in the first weekend of March. With him, four Indian students met a violent death in the U.S. only in the last three months.

Akkaldevi Srinivas’ body was found in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds in the neck. A visiting student from Korutla in Andhra Pradesh’s Karimnagar district, Srinivas came to the U.S. in 2002; since 2005, he was at the Scranton-Temple Residency Program at Mercy Hospital in northeastern Pennsylvania. Previously, he was an MBBS student at Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad.

The motive for the crime and the identity of the perpetrators are not immediately known. Scranton police’s assertion that it was a suicide and not a murder is debatable.

Indian students in U.S. have become targets of campus and street violence in recent months. In December, two Ph.D. students from Andhra Pradesh – Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma of Kurnool district and Allam Kiran Kumar of Karimnagar district – were shot dead at Louisiana State University. Abhijit Mahato, a research student from Kolkata, was recently shot dead in his student apartment in North Carolina.

Students from the Indian subcontinent make up a large percentage of international students at U.S. universities. Graduate students in the fields of engineering, computer science, molecular biology, biochemistry and other science subjects are particulary visible on American campuses. Thousands of South Asian students and doctors also make up a substantial proportion in American medical colleges and hospitals. The number of Indian students enrolled in various American schools has increased rapidly in this decade.

The Indian community and media often stereotypically attribute campus or street violence in U.S. on the black or other populations of color. Numerous South Asians — Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis or Sri Lankans — carry with them a hugely false perception and mindset against the African-Americans, and rarely want to know them, befriend them. Instead of misportraying the blacks and other underprivileged communities, one needs to look at the underlying causes of such mindless violence: the overabundance of guns and arms, the glorification of violence by the media, entertainment industry and Hollywood, and racism prevalent in both the American and Indian communties.

Extreme loneliness and forced isolation from the family also contribute enormously to the mental state of students from the Indian subcontinent. Many come to America with exaggerated and fabricated ideas about the so-called riches of this country. Often, in a few years, dreams and lives get shattered by the harshness of reality. Economic or intellectual frustrations on one hand and social alienation on the other create extreme hopelessness. Many Indian students are reserved and reclusive and can’t find a society in America that they can call their own. The Indian community has not been able to create any political clout in the U.S. either, which has contributed to its woes.

With the rampant violence prevalent in America, aspiring students and the Indian immigrant community at large keep paying a heavy price, often with their lives.

DMK revives EVR’s hate campaign against Hindus

By Malarmannan

One of the important resolutions passed by the working committee of DMK at its meeting held on February 16 under the presidentship of Shri M. Karunanidhi urged the people of Tamil Nadu to literally ‘drive out’ from the Tamil soil the three per cent of the population. The resolution reminds the people of Tamil Nadu that they are 97 per cent of the total population whereas their traditional enemies are just three per cent. The resolution did not specify as to who were these three per cent but those who are used to the Tamil Nadu socio-political scenario know pretty well that it refers to none other than Brahmins in the State.

Since 1920s, Dravidian Movement has been spearheading a hate campaign against Brahmins branding them intruders from Khyber and Bolan passes into Tamil Nadu, corrupting the chaste Tamil culture and tradition. It may look ridiculous at the very first glance, fit to be thrown into the dustbin without a second look but strangely, EVR and his Dravidar Kazagam party could sell this concept to the gullible illiterate and semi literate people of Tamil Nadu. This concept was conveniently based on Aryan-Dravidian theory, cunningly constructed about two centuries ago by the wily Caldwell, a Christian missionary and proselytiser, who wanted to divide Hindu society so that he could easily convert the non-Brahmin communities calling them Dravidians, a separate entity. Despite Brahmins of Tamil Nadu speaking Tamil only at homes as their mother tongue and several of them had done great service for the development of the language and culture, they were described as aliens to Tamil language and culture.

In fact, it was U.V. Swaminatha Iyer, a great Tamil scholar, who toiled to recover many ancient Tamil works from old palm leaves that were briskly being dined by white ants. Those deteriorating palm leaves were scattered in different parts of the State and he spent his time, energy and hard earned money in search of them and made them available in print. As he was not financially sound, he begged and borrowed so that the precious wealth of the Tamils could see the light of the day. Subramanya Bharati, another Brahmin, woke up theTamils from their slumber in the early twentieth century with his spirited poems so that they could become aware of their rich heritage. There are still many Brahmin scholars and researchers who are silently engaged in varied fields for the development of Tamil language and culture.

The most harmful disservice to the Hindu society in Tamil Nadu by E.V. Ramaswami Naicker, known as EVR and popularly addressed as ‘Thanthai Periyar’ by his followers meaning “Father Greatman”, was to divide it on the lines of Brahmins and non-Brahmins. This venom has spread all over Tamil society and has become a permanent syndrome visible at least feebly in every segment from academic circle to contemporary literary gatherings to cultural events, from social activities to political considerations.

The anti-Brahmin propaganda has lost its verve over a period of time, but it is still dormant in Tamil Nadu. M. Karunanidhi has been its sole revivalist, whipping the dead horse as and when he does not find suitable rejoinder to any valid accusation. When the AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, his arch rival, compared him with Ravana the demon king recently, Karunanidhi could find recourse in his pet theory of ‘Aryan-Dravidian,’ though disproved by expert anthropologists. For him and his party, Brahmins are Aryans and all Non-Brahmins are Dravidians, for reason best known to them only.

Quoting Nehru’s ‘discovery’ that Ramayana was nothing but the narration of Aryan-Dravidian war, Karunanidhi donned the warrior of Dravidians and Jayalalithaa the representative of Aryans, as she happens to be a Brahmin, caste wise.

As the legend goes, Ravana was the son of a Brahmin sage, should be an ‘Aryan’ according to the findings of Dravidian pundits but it did not occur to Karunanidhi in the heat of political rivalry. He could only remember Nehru’s discovery about Ramayana and grabbed the role of Ravana! However, he could not find a suitable villain role of an Aryan character for Jayalalithaa.

Interestingly, EVR was also not kind towards the depressed classes. His concern was only about the welfare of the second and third strata of the society. For him, the top and the bottom segments of the society were to be kept at bay so that the in-between communities could climb up the ladder of prosperity. When there was acute shortage of foodgrains and clothing, an aftermath of the Second World War, EVR attributed it to the “untouchables’ becoming ‘cultured.’

There was great uproar against EVR in 1948 from the depressed classes in the State for his utterance that the price of the cloth had gone up because the women of ‘untouchables’ had also started wearing blouse and all of them have learnt to dress decently. Their staple food had changed from millets to rice and that made the rice scarce. Rice was considered the choice of the upper classes and millets were fit for the poor and downtrodden only according to the social standards. Taking exception to EVR’s observation, there were demonstrations by many associations of depressed classes all over Tamil Nadu demanding apology from him. But EVR was adamant as usual and never cared to express regrets over his ‘findings!’ The issue died down in course of time.

Now that Jayalalithaa is a Brahmin, Karunanidhi has taken up the rusting anti-Brahmin slogan from his dust-gathering political weaponry, forgetting that he is not just the president of a party but occupying the seat of the Chief Minister of the State also. He can seldom allow under his nose, a resolution that would create enmity among the people, thereby encouraging serious law and order unrest to brew.

Our Constitution has categorically stated that it is a punishable offence to induce hatred against one particular community and attempting to divide the people on that score. And Karunanidhi holds the post of the Chief Minister having taken oath of sincerity and be honest to the Constitution. If the Chief Minister himself spearheads a hate campaign against one particular community in the society, it would be seen as the green signal to anti-social elements in the State to indulge in all sorts of crimes towards that community and it would also strengthen the division among Hindus in Tamil Nadu on the basis of Brahmins and Non-Brahmins.

Obviously, saner elements in the society expect unanimous condemnation from all quarters to the DMK’s hate campaign resolution. The Centre should also view this seriously and warn Karunanidhi that it did not behove of a Chief Minister to behave irresponsibly.

(The writer is a senior journalist and can be contacted at Second Floor, 67/12, Bajanai Koil Street, Pallipattu Main Road, Chennai-600 113.)

Can intellectuals ever give hope to hopeless Hindus?

V SUNDARAM
newstodaynet.com

Ever since the Islam-embracing, Christianity-coveting and Hindu-hating Sonia-Catholic directed (taking her hourly instructions from the Pope in Rome) UPA Government came to power in New Delhi, every Hindu in India has been forced into a state of turbulent unrest and sleeplessness. The UPA Government has daily functioned in a manner which has made all the Hindus of India realize that Hindu religion, Hindu society, Hindu culture, Hindu art, Hindu architecture, Hindu sculpture, Hindu music, Hindu literature and in short Hindu civilization in general are under a serious threat of Government sponsored, Government controlled and Government directed extermination and extinction from the sacred soil of India. The UPA Government is functioning as a powerful mouthpiece of the lethal global forces of evangelical Christianity and terrorist Islam on the one hand and moribund brand of anti-Hindu (anti national as well) Indian Marxism on the other. The sleepless Hindus of India are highly amused by the recent news that our Sonia-pageboy and ever Sonia-servile Prime Minister has been spending sleepless nights after watching the tearful parents of Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, involved in the terrorist plot to blow up Glasgow Airport and targets in London, on television. Is it not very touching that our human, humane and ever compassionate (towards Muslims and Christians only!) Prime Minister should be so moved by the glorious 'Sonia-secular' deeds of Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed in London? The nation in general and the Hindus of India in particular would like to confront our Prime Minister not with suicide bombs but with the following civilized (might be even 'communal and saffronized' but definitely not 'criminal'!) questions :

a) Why did not our Sacred Sachar Committee inspired and guided imbecile Prime Minister demonstrate similar sentiments after watching television footage of mutilated bodies of victims of Islamic terrorism both at home and abroad?

b) Why did our impotent Prime Minister, instead of strongly condemning the Islamic terrorists / criminals soon after they blew up the train compartments in Mumbai last year, urge with such solemn supineness and stupidity an attitude of public restraint, expressing the hope that the tolerant accommodating �spirit� of the city of Mumbai would prevail over the 'ghastly tragedy'? Why did Dr Manmohan Singh choose to ignore the emotions, feelings and sentiments of the families of 247people who got killed on that day? Why was it not viewed as blatant violation of human rights by our Prime Minister?

c) Why did our Prime Minister choose to warn our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir that his Islam-embracing Government would adopt a policy of 'zero tolerance'? If the security forces had indeed violated human rights, then the moot question is as to why did he not deem it fit, strangely enough, at the same time, to condemn the gross violation of Hindu human rights by terrorists who have attacked and continue to attack Hindu temples? Why did he not declare and elaborate his Government's policy on dealing with such violations of human rights by the Islamic terrorists of India?

d) Why did our Prime Minister declare in Havana that Pakistan was as much a victim of terrorism as India, thereby giving a clean chit to those Islamic terrorists from Pakistan responsible for the grisly deaths of thousands of Indians in India?

e) Why is it that our Prime Minister, who has shown such pointedly 'humane' consideration for the Islamic terrorists throughout the world (Afsal Guru definitely not excluded), never had a single sleepless night over the mass genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and the pitiable plight of Kashmiri Pandits living in abysmal conditions after being thrown out of their hearths and homes by Islamic terrorists in the Kashmir Valley?

f) Why was our 'compassionate' Prime Minister not so moved when terrorists struck in Delhi on the eve of Diwali and at Sankat Mochan temple on the eve of Holi? Does it not show that the imagined sorrow of some touches our fictitiously cosmetic and cold-blooded Prime Minister more than the unwarranted grief of innocent people who have grievously suffered on account of Islamic terrorism?

g) Why is our Prime Minister indulging in cynical politics, regardless of the dangerous consequences for our nation and its people?

In the context of the recent terrorist acts in Glasgow and London, when our Prime Minister was talking to the journalists, he cautioned in a tepid neutral manner against labelling any community or country as terrorist. He also repeated the cliché that a terrorist has no religion or community. But, when it comes to implementing a policy at the ground level, how can security personnel identify suspects, if no kind of profiling is permitted? In this context the exact words of B R Haran rooted in political realism become relevant: �Except for Islam, is there any other religion that has the concept of jihad, a 'holy war' against infidels? The politically incorrect question � as investigations in any terrorist attack proceeds, why most people involved are found to be Muslims� - cannot be wished away. Recently Dr Manmohan Singh stated, 'Let us not brand Indians and Pakistanis as terrorists'. Why is he batting for Pakistan, considering the fact that our western neighbour is the breeding ground of terrorism? Recently, Home Minister Shivraj Patil defended Pakistan and appealed not to blame that country always for terrorist acts. But if not Pakistan, which other country is sending terrorists to India? If not Muslims, followers of which other religion are indulging in such terrorist activities in the name of religious faith? Our Prime Minister has a short memory. On the eve of his visit to Havana, when he met with Gen. Pervez Musharraf at the sidelines of the NAM summit, he had famously stated, 'The role of 'Hindu' fundamentalists cannot be ruled out,' while responding to questions regarding the Malegaon mosque bombing. Was it right on his part to use the term 'HINDU' then? Dr. Manmohan Singh's concern both for terrorists and their victims seems to be Sonia-selective. It would augur well for the Prime Minister to face the facts as they are instead of rushing to the defence of one particular community, which is unbecoming for his post and stature�

Many of my intellectual friends from different walks of life try to crush my enthusiasm or curb my spirit for lashing out continuously against the many problems, ills and maladies plaguing our country today, by putting the following questions:

1. Do you think the politicians of India are affected by your independent radical views?

2. Do you think the pseudo-secular intellectuals of India care for your unorthodox views?

3. Do you think the common people of India are concerned about your unconventional views?

Many decent men and women in India today wish to serve our country, but they are perplexed and their power seems infinitesimal. Despair seizes them. Those who have the strongest passion suffer most from the sense of impotence, and are most liable to spiritual ruin through spiritual lack of hope. So long as we think only of the immediate future, it seems that what we can do is not much. It is probably impossible for us to find an immediate solution to all the national problems created by our politicians and more particularly the UPA brand of politicians in our country. As we are hopelessly witnessing the vulgar drama relating to the sure prospect of our having a disgraceful person as our President, it should be clear that we cannot remain unaware of the fact that though we may see the evil, we cannot quickly cure it or remove it by any of the ordinary methods of politics. We cannot destroy the excessive power of the State or of overweening political corruption in our land. We must recognise that India at the present moment is being ruled in a wrong spirit and a change of spirit will not come from one day to the next. In this context I derive my inspiration as a journalist from the inspiring words of Bertrand Russel (1872-1970): �Our expectations must not be for tomorrow, but for the time when what is thought now by a few shall have become the common thought of many. If we have courage and patience, we can think the thoughts and feel the hopes by which, sooner or later, men will be inspired and weariness and discouragement will be turned into energy and ardour. For this reason, the first thing we have to do is to be clear in our own minds as to the kind of life we think good and the kind of change that we desire in the world. The ultimate power of those whose thought is vital is far greater than it seems to men who suffer from the irrationality of contemporary politics�.

India is passing through a period of unprecedented crisis�political, economic, social, religious and cultural. Ever growing indiscipline and violence. Ever expanding vistas of bestiality and corruption in all our institutions�State, Public and Private. Total collapse of all time honoured spiritual, cultural, ethical and moral values. Never ending disorder, chaos and confusion in every walk of life. In this hopeless situation, India badly requires fearless individuals who can understand all its problems, rising up to the challenge of facing human nature at its worst in the eyes in these dark days without subterfuges.

I started this story with the pseudo-secularly selective insomnia of our never vigilant Prime Minister. To quote the brilliant words of B S Raghavan: �Our PM has a sleep problem. There is a separate course called Sleep Medicine in USA. One of the four MDs secured by my son (an American citizen practicing in USA) is on Sleep Medicine. He is coming next month to India and he may be able to throw some light on the reason why our PM doesn't lose his sleep in certain situations and loses it in other situations. For instance, at the time of stock market scam in mid-1990s, when hundreds of thousands of crores of investors were wiped out, our PM (then FM) told Parliament and the media that he couldn't be expected to lose his sleep over a petty thing like that. In other words, while investors lost their sleep over the monstrous swindle, our PM had sound sleep. When terror has the country in its vice-like grip today, he loses sleep thinking of the tragic plight of the perpetrators who have to face the embarrassment of police inquiries and their possible arrest and prosecution! Yes, I must consult my son!!�

An intellectual is fundamentally concerned about validly exact knowledge and freedom. Yet these acquire meaning not as abstractions - as in the rather banal statement - You must get a good education so that you can enjoy a good life - but as experiences actually lived through.

Edward W Said in his Representations of the Intellectual has exactly demarcated and defined the role of an intellectual: An intellectual is like a shipwrecked person who learns how to live in a certain sense with the land, not on it, not like Robinson Crusoe whose goal is to colonise his little island, but more like Marco Polo (1254-1324), whose sense of the marvelous never fails him, and who is always a traveler, a provisional guest, not a freeloader, conqueror or raider.
A true intellectual's public performances cannot be predicted or compelled to fit into some slogan, orthodox party line or fixed dogma. He appeals to as wide as possible a public, who is his or her natural constituency. He is aware of the fact that insiders, experts, coteries and professionals mould public opinion into rigid grooves, making it conformist and encouraging an arrogant attitude of all knowing omniscience of men in power. While these insiders promote sectional or special interest, a fearless intellectual should raise relevant questions about larger national issues affecting the nation as a whole. When an average citizen feels powerless in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful network of social authorities - the Media, the Government and Public Corporations etc, as an informed outsider an intellectual should go to his rescue by wielding a language that tries to speak the truth effectively to power. His spirit is a spirit in opposition, rather than in accommodation. The real challenge of intellectual life is to be found in the dissent against an inequitable system founded on discrimination, completely violative of all the known canons of equity, fair play and natural justice.

The Hindus of India today are being treated like second class citizens by government interested only in minority votebank politics. Hindu society, Hindu religion and Hindu culture require fearless and knowledgeable intellectuals to espouse the cause of the Hindus to the men in authority. In these dark days for Hindus and Hinduism in India, bold intellectuals and individuals have to speak out for and testify to the sufferings of the Hindu community as a whole.

In this context I have to cite the example of Eliezer Wiesel. Born on 30 September 1928, he led a life representative of many Jewish children. Growing up in a small village in Romania, his world revolved around family, religious study, community and God. Yet his family, community and his innocent faith were uprooted and destroyed by the Nazis upon the deportation of his village in 1944. In his first book NIGHT, we are moved by the most powerful and renowned passage in Holocaust literature in which Eliezer Wiesel recorded the inclusive experience of the Jews:

'Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.' And Wiesel has since dedicated his life to ensuring that none of us forget what happened to the Jews.

Through his writings and leadership, Eliezer Wiesel has aided in the recognition and remembrance of Jews killed in the holocaust, the establishment of Israel and has dedicated the latter part of his life to the witness of the second-generation and the vital requirement that memory and action be carried on after the survivors have all left us. Wiesel's own words are the best explanation: 'Let us remember, let us remember the heroes of Warsaw, the martyrs of Treblinka, the children of Auschwitz. They fought alone, they suffered alone, they lived alone, but they did not die alone, for something in all of us died with them'.

Discriminated and crushed Hindus of India are badly in need of the intellectual services of powerful writers like Eliezer Wiesel to highlight their problems and grievances.

Talking about great intellectuals and their place in any society, Edward Shils (1911-1995) has rightly observed: 'In every society there are some persons with an unusual sensitivity to the sacred, and uncommon reflectiveness about the nature of their universe, and the rules which govern their society. There is in every society a minority of persons who, more than the ordinary run of their fellow men, are enquiring, and desirous of being in frequent communication with symbols which are more general than the immediate concrete situations of everyday life, and remote in their reference in both time and space. In this minority, there is a need to externalise the quest in oral and written discourse, in poetic or plastic expression, in historical reminiscence or writing, in ritual performance and acts of worship. This interior need to penetrate beyond the screen of immediate concrete experience marks the existence of the intellectuals in every society'.

I fully endorse the view of Bertrand Russell that those who have the ability to think and the imagination to think in accordance with men's needs, are likely to achieve the good they aim at sooner or later, though probably not while they are still alive. To give one concrete example. The movement against the subjection of women which later became irresistible in the first half of the 20th century and is still quite far from complete triumph began in a small way with a few impracticable idealists like Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), P B Shelley (1792-1822) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) in the 18th and 19th centuries. Those intellectuals who wish to gain the world by thought must be content to lose it as a support in the present. Most men go through life without much ardent questioning, accepting the beliefs and practices which they find current and popular (also secular in the Indian context!!) , confidently feeling that the world will be their ally only if they do not put themselves in opposition to it. New and radical thought about the world is often incompatible with this cosy comfortable acquiescence. It requires a certain intellectual detachment, a certain irrepressible solitary energy, a power of inwardly dominating the world and the outlook that the world endangers. Without some enthusiastic willingness to be lonely, new thought can neither be achieved nor sustained over time.

To quote Bertrand Russell here 'It will not be achieved to any purpose if the loneliness is accompanied by aloofness, so that the wish for union with others dies, or if intellectual detachment leads to contempt'. Responsible intellectual detachment is subtle and difficult to achieve. It is difficult because it is hard to be intellectually detached and yet not aloof. Such fruitful thought on human affairs is not common and most theorists tend to be either conventional or sterile.

As an intellectual and as a journalist, I would like to walk around, asserting my right to have a space for myself in which I can stand and talk back to authority with unshakeable inner strength and dignity, since unquestioning subservience to authority in today's India is one of the greatest threats to an active, creative and moral intellectual life.

To be able to work in the service of Sanathana Dharma, Hinduism and the Hindus, to be able to commit every nerve, every muscle, and every drop of sweat towards that great, sacred and noble cause, to grow with that never-ending and exciting work, is to become greater oneself in this struggle against great odds and then to be able to say at the end: I die, but there remains something that is more important than my life and will last longer than my body: my work. That is my hope, which is worthy of tremendous efforts, that is my goal, for which it is worth living and, if need be, dying.

SSCP - Suppressed marine, maritime, nautical aspects

V SUNDARAM
newstodaynet.com

It is reliably understood that after the Writ Petition of Dr Subramanian Swamy against the destruction of Rama Setu Bridge was admitted by the Madras High Court on 15 May 2007, Dr Manmohan Singh advised Shipping Minister T R Baalu to take particular care to see that Rama Setu Bridge is not destroyed till the disposal of the case. T R Baalu is treating the Prime Minister with supreme contempt. In so far as he is concerned, he takes orders only from Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi. The whole of India knows that Sonia Gandhi is not only a non-Hindu but also a sworn anti-Hindu. Karunanidhi is a known anti-Hindu. Both Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi are conspiring to destroy the Rama Setu Bridge by hook or by crook using T R Baalu as their hatchet man for that dastardly operation. It is not therefore surprising that T R Baalu backed up by the combined might of Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi is talking like Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) both in the Lok Sabha and outside when he says

"There is no Ramar Bridge and if anyone comes up with scientific evidence I am ready to resign my post".

In these columns, I wrote a series of six articles in which I had given detailed historic, cartographic, epigraphic, numismatic and literary evidence to show the existence of Rama Setu Bridge for centuries and centuries. All these irrefutable facts seem to be irrelevant to T R Baalu who is functioning like Nazi Dictator, Adolf Hitler, ably assisted by his specially chosen Goebbels in the person of one Ragupathy, who is the Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust. Both of them are guilty of deliberately misleading the nation on the vital aspect and dimension of the NAUTICAL ECONOMICS of Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP). In uttering unabashed falsehood in this context, T R Baalu seems to derive his inspiration from Adolf Hitler's words: "What luck for rulers that men do not think. The great masses of the people... will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one. By the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise. " T R Baalu is guilty of gigantic falsehood and he vaingloriously thinks that he can cover it up under the barrage of his misleading propaganda.

Ever since I started exposing the Himalyan fraud relating to the SSCP, I have been in touch with several Naval Officers from the Indian Navy and also Marine Officers from the Merchant Navy in order to understand in depth the Marine and Nautical details and aspects of SSCP in all its repercussions and ramifications. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the great help I have received in studying this dimension from Captain H.Balakrishnan, a brilliant retired Officer from the India Navy. He is an alumni of the National Defence Academy, Kharakvasla. He was commissioned in the 'Executive Branch' of the Indian Navy on 1 Jan 1969.

As a specialist in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), he was the first officer of the Navy, along with two other colleagues, to have been selected by the Navy to undergo the specialisation at the then 'U.S.S.R NAVAL WAR ACADEMY'-Leningrad (now re-christened as St. Petersburg) in 1971-'72.He graduated in his specialisation course with 'Distinction'. During the 1971 Operations, his ship, INS Tir, was the first to establish a wartime patrol off Chittagong, in March 1971. In 1985, he became the 'first' officer in the Indian Navy to assume command of the guided missile frigate, INS Trishul, in the rank of a 'Commander', taking over the frigate from the command of a 'Captain' (higher in rank to a Commander). He has served as the Command Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer, at the HQ. Western Naval Command, Mumbai as also the Command Operations and Plans Officer, HQ. Southern Naval Command, Kochi. He has also commanded the 'Anti-Submarine Warfare School' at Kochi, which trains the specialist ASW officers and sailors for the Navy. Between 1991-2001, he has sailed the Bay of Bengal as a 'Master Mariner' in the Merchant Navy. His knowledge of sea and sailing conditions in the Palk Strait and Mannar Bay area is indeed formidable. I have had detailed discussions with Captain H Balakrishnan on the Marine and Nautical aspects of SSCP. I am presenting some bare facts below based upon his article "Setusamudram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) - A Mariner's Perspective".

1. The total length of the SSCP in the Palk Bay is 152.2 Kms. It is divided into three legs. The Southern leg in the Adam's Bridge area is 20 Kms. The Northern leg in the Palk Strait area is 54.2 Kms. The Central portion is 78 Kms. Dredging is to be carried out in the Southern and Northern legs to maintain a dredged depth of 12 metres. This would facilitate a navigable channel for ships with a draught of upto 10.7 meters. The canal will be 300 meters wide.

2. The basic justification advanced in favour of the project is that it will reduce the sailing distance between Kolkata and Tuiticorin by 340 nautical miles and between Chennai and Tuiticorin by 434 nautical miles. This enables savings in fuel costs and sailing time, for ships plying between these ports.

3. The viability of the SSCP can be analysed under the following heads that have a bearing on shipping:

I. Environmental Factors

II. Security Implications

III. Navigational and Allied Factors

I. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

A. TROPICAL CYCLONES

The SSCP authorities have completely ignored the impact of this factor in their appraisal of the project. The India Meteorological Department has assigned the Palk Bay area as a 'High Risk Area' for cyclonic activity. The cyclone season the Bay of Bengal is generally between Oct to Jan. It is interesting to note that the IMD's records from 1891-2001, states that of the 452 cyclones that hit the Indian coastline, 256 were on the East coast. Mariners, in a lighter vein, often refer to the Tamil Nadu coast between Rameswaram and Cuddalore as the 'cyclone coast'!! Of the 256 cyclones referred, 64 have crossed the Tamil Nadu coast in this period. Of these, 36 were 'severe cyclones' (winds in excess of 90 Kmph). More interesting, of these cyclones, SIX have crossed the Palk Bay, 14 have crossed the coast at Nagapattinam and THREE have crossed the Gulf of Mannar. All these cyclones can have a devastating consequence on the SSCP and shipping in the area.

Here are a few examples of the devastating consequences of these cyclones:

a) In Dec 1964, a cyclone washed away the Pamban Bridge.

b) In Dec 1973, FIVE metres high tidal waves hit the Palk Bay area � the very same area where the SSCP is to be dredged!!

c) In Dec 1977/78, under the influence of a severe cyclonic storm that crossed the coast near Nagapattinam, 120 Kmph winds were recorded in the Palk Bay area.

d) In Nov/Dec 1997/98, an oil-drilling ship, anchored with SIX anchors in the Cauvery Basin, broke loose from her anchors and was washed ashore by a cyclone.

It will be clear from the foregoing facts that the Bay of Bengal cyclones pose a 'clear, live and present danger' to 'Safety of Lives at Sea' (SOLAS). And, the SSCP is sought to be created in a 'cyclone danger area' in an audacious manner by T R Baalu and Co.

B. SILTATION

Allied to the cyclonic activity in the area, is the problem of siltation leading to a loss of sea depth. Scientists have concluded that the Palk Bay area is one of the FIVE areas, off the Indian coast, where the onslaught of siltation takes place regularly. Some of their calculations have indicated a loss in sea depth of about 1 cms every year. It is pertinent to state that TWO of the LEGS of the SSCP, where dredging is to be undertaken, happen to cross two such micro regions where high siltation takes place. This fact of Siltation has been deliberately kept out of feasibility analysis.

Captain H Balakrishnan rightly concludes: ".....The environmental factors of cyclonic activity and siltation rates in the Palk Bay area impinge on shipping safety. It has also to be noted that maintenance dredging may have to be undertaken on a permanent perennial basis right through the year to maintain dredged depths. This could lead to substantially increasing the costs of the SSCP."

II. SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

A. The SSCP has completely overlooked the Security Implications arising from the Global Scene on Maritime Terrorism. While terrorist attacks are predominantly land based, non-state actors have also sought to exploit vulnerabilities in shipping, ports and the container supply chains in Asia, Middle- East, Europe and North America. The list of foiled, failed and successful attempts in maritime-related terrorism over the past decade is significant. Yet, there is a tendency to overlook or downplay what has happened, and thus ignore the possibility of further trouble. It is clear that terrorists can see the potential of using the maritime trading system and its land links in the container supply chain to conceal weapons or agents for attack purposes.

Captain H Balakrishnan cites the following two recent examples of terrorist attacks on naval warships to illustrate this point:

1) Attack on the U.S.S. Cole. In Oct 2000, Al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen, packed a small boat with explosives and rammed the same onto the U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S.S. Cole, while the ship was in harbour. The blast left a gaping hole on the side of the destroyer and the cost of repairs amounted to USD 250 million. The blast killed 17 U.S. Naval sailors and, wounded another 40 seamen.

2) Missile attack on Israeli Naval Ships. On 14 July 2006, two days after hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah commenced, the latter fired TWO, C-802 radar guided cruise missiles from ashore in Lebanon, at Israeli naval vessels patrolling off the Lebanese coast. One missile seriously damaged an Israeli naval corvette. The second missile narrowly missed another corvette. Instead it hit a Cambodian registered merchant vessel, sinking it with eleven men on board.

Though I am a lover of military history, I have never worked in the armed forces. Unlike the Congress Ministers in the UPA Government who have contempt for the armed forces and their families, I have an ingrained sense of deep veneration bordering on reverence for the unknown soldiers, air men and sea men who guard the frontiers of India, ever prepared to lay down their lives for the survival of our nation and our disgraceful, ignorant, indolent and above all insolent Cabinet Ministers in New Delhi. I am presenting the following Marine, Maritime and Nautical facts after a long and exhilarating discussion with Captain H Balakrishnan who is an audacious naval strategist with rich and varied experience of service in the Indian Navy. Fiercely independent and courageous in thought, he is also brutally candid in discussion.

The LTTE Factor

He educated me about why and how LTTE would be the only direct and indirect beneficiaries of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP)! All the Dravidian Parties (excepting perhaps the AIADMK) are open supporters of LTTE. I am not therefore surprised that T.R.Balu is just not worried about the following threats to national security. To quote the exact words of Captain H Balakrishnan: �The LTTE factor has a direct bearing on the safety of shipping navigating through the SSCP. The LTTE has control over most of North Sri Lanka coastal region and the seas contiguous to it. The Sea Tigers, the naval arm of the LTTE, have displayed considerable ingenuity and daring in sea borne insurgency. They have carried out numerous daring attacks on Sri Lankan naval ships, and have not hesitated in resorting to suicide missions. It is pertinent to note that the SSCP is a 'next-door-neighbour' in the area of operations of the Sea Tigers!! Finally the most disturbing fact relates to the new addition to the LTTE's fighting capability i.e. its 'Air Arm'. They have to date carried out THREE daring aerial 'night attacks' on Sri Lankan assets. This factor adds a new dimension to the threat perception along the SSCP. Reports also indicate that the flying training for the LTTE's pilots was carried out by hired mercenaries from South Africa. All the air attacks on Sri Lankan assets to date have been at night, indicating a high degree of proficiency. The SSCP falls within the radius of operation of these aircraft!! '' To effete, cowardly and lurking non-men like T R Baalu, the poor and destitute Brahmin Priests of Tamil Nadu going about their grind of daily chores on a bicycle, bare-bodied and wearing their sacred thread, perhaps pose a greater threat to our national security than Islamic or LTTE terrorists!

According to Media Reports of 28 April 2007 in Chennai, the recent killings of the TN fishermen at sea were carried out by the LTTE Sea Tigers. The reason for the killings, attributed to LTTE sources, was that these fishermen were 'spying' on the LTTE's activities at sea!! If that be the case, the possibility of the LTTE advancing the same argument for attacking ships navigating through the SSCP cannot be ruled out. The consequences of a ship sinking in the canal could have a disastrous impact on the viability of the project itself. It would have a psychological bearing on the shipping industry which may then tend to avoid the SSCP and circumnavigate Sri Lanka in the larger interests of safety of men and material. NAVIGATIONAL AND ALLIED FACTORS The official website of the SSCP states: 'Ships originating in the West of India and destined for Chennai, Ennore, Vishakapatnam, Paradeep, Haldia and Kolkata have to travel around the Sri Lankan coast resulting in increase of travel distance and time. Apart from this ships belonging to the Indian Navy and Cost Guard need also to traverse around Sri Lanka'. A. Navy and Coast Guard The Official SSCP Website statement about the Navy and the Coast Guard gives the misleading impression Naval/Coast Guard ships sail to and from either coast on a frequent basis. In reality this is not the case. The navy has been operating on a 'Two Fleet' concept for over three decades, to safeguard our maritime interests on the Eastern and Western seaboards. New induction ships are allotted to both fleets to maintain the required Force Levels on both coasts. Thus the requirement for ships to cross over to the other coast is more the exception than the rule. At the most, they may meet annually for a combined Fleet exercise programme.

To quote the sharp and succinct words of Captain H.Balakrishnan: ''Besides, peacetime sailings of the Fleet are to hone skill levels in battle-manoeuvres, missile and gun firings, submarine exercises, aircraft operations and underway re-fuelling exercise at sea. All these and other exercises are conducted in areas far removed from the coastal and international shipping lanes for obvious reasons. Under these circumstances and considering the security implications in the area contiguous to the SSCP, it is debatable whether a Fleet would prefer to navigate through the SSCP. Also, if the Fleet happens to be a carrier battle group, availing the SSCP route can be almost ruled out, on account of various tactical factors.''

These known facts have been completely suppressed by T.R.Balu and his officers making it clear that they have had no interaction whatsoever with responsible authorities in the India Navy before finalising the SSCP. Thus anyone can see that everything about SSCP seems to be spurious, surreptitious, scurrilous and scandalous. And yet it has the solid support of the Prime Minister and his Council of impotent and irresponsible Ministers!

B. Mercantile Marine

It must be borne in mind that the SSCP is not an 'open seaway'. Thus for ships to safely traverse through the canal, it will be mandatory to embark a 'pilot'. A 'pilot' is a mariner with experience pertaining to local conditions. He would normally board a vessel at either extremity of the canal and take the vessel safely to the other extremity before disembarking. It is not clear at the present juncture, whether vessels calling at the SSCP will have a 'pilot' boarding on arrival. Delays in the boarding of the 'pilot' will entail the vessel to anchor and await the 'pilot'. Under adverse weather conditions this is not a comforting thought to a mariner. Besides, during cyclonic weather, sea conditions may preclude the embarkation of a 'pilot'. What does the vessel then do?

All the available Official Source Literature on the SSCP indicates that only vessels upto 32,000 DWT can navigate through the canal. However, in the current global shipping scenario, to reduce the operating costs and cater to the enormous growth in shipping needs, established trends are towards operating vessels of 60,000 DWT and above. This trend is likely to grow further in future, resulting in vessels of larger tonnage. All the big ships with more than 100,000 DWT now going on the passage along the international shipping lane from South of Sri Lanka to South of the Great Nicobar Island will prove this point. None of these large vessels can avail of the restricted facility of the SSCP.

Thus in overall effect the small and medium coal carrying bulk carriers on charter to the TNEB, will be the only ships that would be able to use the SSCP on a regular basis. These vessels load coal at Haldia/ Paradeep/ Vishakapatnam and discharge the same at Chennai and Tuiticorin for the Thermal Power Plants. Besides, some smaller container feeder vessels from Colombo and bound for Chennai could also use the SSCP.

After a detailed analysis- both inductive and deductive- Mr K S Ramakrishnan IAS (Retd) former Deputy Chairman of Chennai Port Trust and former Managing Director of the Poompuhar Shipping Corporation, has made it abundantly clear that the pilotage cost of navigating through the SSCP and certain other allied factors could make the SSCP totally unattractive and therefore commercially unacceptable to the shipping industry. It is his opinion that the actual use of the SSCP maybe substantially lower than the projected figure of 3417 vessels by 2010 and 7141 vessels by 2025. Finally he has summed up by saying: ''The two statements that the ships using the canal will save money and that the project will be a financially viable undertaking are therefore mutually contradictory and cannot have simultaneous validity''.

I have had a detailed discussion with George Gomez, Coordinator of the Tamilnadu Manual Workers' Union in Tuticorin. He is a marine man with several decades of experience in the shipping industry. According to him the official cost estimates of SSCP to the tune of Rupees 2400 Crores are totally wrong and unrealistic. The Project cost will definitely work out to more than Rs 3000 crores. To quote his own words: �SSCP will be a 'sick unit' right from the start as the money invested will never get recovered. I don't think any container ship will use the canal. Major container operators deploying mother-vessels, will never think of using the SSCP. The difference in time between ships using the canal and those going around Sri Lanka will only be a few hours. Ships would not be able to cruise fast in the canal because they will have to be piloted. Unavoidable pilotage means unforeseen contingencies and uncertainties involving continuous and unanticipated costs. Finally the most disastrous and deliberately suppressed fact about SSCP is that the canal will have to be dredged continuously leading to ever recurring and ever rising costs�.

In the light of the foregoing analysis, it is debatable whether the investments made in the construction of the canal are justified from the security, environment or economic standpoints. The old adage 'Haste Makes Waste' readily comes to mind in the case of the SSCP. I cannot help concluding that T R Baalu rationally starves his conscience when he irrationally thrives in State!

If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted pseudo-secular journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of DHARMA routed in ancient Hindu Heritage, so be it. The greatest test of courage I can conceive is to speak the truth through the mass media. I have mow come to understand that no responsible citizen of India can ever offend T.R.Balu by telling him the truth. His orchestrated and pre-acted falsehoods, running counter to brutal facts and solid terrestrial reality, are constantly dictated not by his commitment to the public interest but by his undeclared passion for maximising his private interest at the cost of the nation. His fraudulent Dravidian political fiction ludicrously lags after truth; his hourly and daily political invention is unfruitful, and his fertile and corrupt imagination, shows up cold and barren. In working out the Maritime and Nautical Economics of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) his motto seems to be: ''Give me a grain of cosmetic half truth and I will mix it up with a great mass of Dravidian falsehood so that no chemist will ever be able to separate them.'' I would like to give a reply to him suitably adapting the words of Harry S Truman (1884-1972): ''I will never give you hell. I will just tell the truth and you will think it is hell''. I derive my strength from the age old English Proverb �One man plus the truth makes a majority�. I will stop telling the truth about the SSCP only when T.R.Balu stops telling lies to our nation with magisterial authority about the SSCP. The whole of India knows that he never fumbles or stumbles over his untruth or falsehood.

Having set this public stage let me now present bare facts about the following aspects of SSCP:

A. Sethusamudram time and space calculations and pilotage rates.

B. Navigating around Sri Lanka and navigating through SSCP - a distance/cost analysis.

C. Passages from Kolkata/Chennai to Tuiticorin- a distance/cost analysis.

The data and facts I am presenting below have been assiduously collected and analysed by my friend Captain H Balakrishnan, formerly a distinguished Officer of the Indian Navy. I can testify to their authenticity and accuracy in any Court of Law in India and abroad.

I. DISTANCES (in nautical miles- nm) - AROUND SRI LANKA

1. KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN = 1227 nm

2. CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN = 750 nm

(NB: Distances taken from Admiralty Distance Tables)

II. DISTANCES- KOLKATA-SSCP-TUTICORIN

3. Kolkata to Palk Straits = 969 nm

4. SSCP length (152.2 KMS) = 84 nm

5. SSCP to Tuiticorin =45nm

6. Total Distance = (3) + (4) + (5) = 1098 nm

III. DISTANCES- CHENNAI-SSCP-TUTICORIN

7. Chennai to Palk Straits = 180 nm

8. SSCP length (152.2 KMS) = 84 nm

9. SSCP to Tuiticorin = 45 nm

10. Total Distance = (7) + (8) + (9) = 309 nm

IV. SAILING TIME- KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN AROUND SRI LANKA

11. @ 12 knots speed = 1227/12 = 102.25 hours

V. SAILING TIME- KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN VIA SSCP

12. Kolkata to Palk Straits

@ 12 knots speed =969/12 = 80.75 hours

13. SSCP

@ 6 knots speed = 84/6 = 14 hours

14. SSCP to Tuiticorin

@ 12 knots speed = 45/12 = 3.75 hours

15. Total time taken

@ 12 knots and 6 knots = 80.75+14+3.75 = 98.5 hours

VI. SAILING TIME- CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN- AROUND SRI LANKA AND VIA SSCP

16. In a similar manner, the passage times from Chennai to Tuiticorin, around Sri Lanka and via the SSCP at speeds and combinations thereof, indicated above, the times taken are indicated below.

17. Around Sri Lanka @ 12 knots speed = 750/12 = 62.50 hours

18. Via the SSCP @ 12 and 6 knots combination= 15.0+14.0+3.75 = 32.5hours

(N.B. The foregoing distances at paras 3 to 19 above have been derived from actual plotting on navigational charts.)

19. Additional Time For Passage Planning For purposes of embarkation/disembarkation of 'Pilot', manoeuvring of engines in the SSCP, as also for any delays in embarkation of 'Pilot'- ADD = 2 hours (at the minimum) to all the passage times indicated above.

VII. DEDUCTIONS

20. From the foregoing calculations, the following main deductions can be arrived at:

(A) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Kolkata, circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSCP at speeds of 12 and 6 knots will be only = 1.75 hours

(B) The main fact to be noted is that the Indian Flag coal carrying bulk-carriers plying the coastal route to Chennai/ Tuiticorin transit mostly at speeds of 12 to 13 knots. Therefore, time differences between circumnavigating Sri Lanka and transiting through the Sethusamudram Canal are NOT going to be very marked or significant leading to cost advantages.

(C) While there is savings in distance navigating through the SSCP, this does not automatically translate into commensurate savings in time, on account of the 'slow speeds' required to navigate through the SSCP.

(D) It is mandatory for ships using the SSCP to embark a 'pilot'. In the calculations above, at a conservative estimate, A Time 2 Hours has been added to passage time calculations. Under actual conditions, this time may be more than the 2 hours. All the major ports of India suffer from a shortage of 'pilots'. Therefore, the SSCP is also likely to suffer from this prevailing malaise. It should therefore be appreciated that vessels arriving at the 'pilot boarding grounds' at the SSCP may have to anchor and await 'pilot boarding'. Viewed in this light, it would further tend reduce the difference in time between circumnavigating Sri Lanka and using the SSCP.

(E) The 'pilotage rates' that are going to be charged for availing of the Sethusamudram Canal are not known at present. However, this is the only recourse available to recover the 'capital costs' involved in the making of the 'Sethusamudram Canal'. It is therefore appreciated that the 'pilotage rates' for navigating through the Sethusamudram Canal might not prove to be competitive for the shipping industry.

(F) Navigating through the Sethusamudram Canal, does reduce the distances between Kolkata/Chennai and Tuiticorin. This will reduce fuel costs. However, this advantage will be offset by anticipated 'high pilotage rates' and 'time delays' in embarking 'pilot'.

21. To conclude, the foregoing shipping and nautical calculations, based upon first principles, clearly highlight the total unviability of the SSCP, from the shipping standpoint. T.R.BALU IS ANSWERABLE TO THE NATION FOR NOT HAVING TAKEN NOTE OF THIS FUNDAMENTAL POINT. I appeal to the Comptroller and auditor General of India to take note on this point and prevent the national disaster of fruitless and misdirected public expenditure.

After my detailed discussion with Captain H.Balakrishnan the following disturbing facts about the commercial non-feasibility of SSCP have emerged. The official project paper of the SSCP states that the estimated investment of Rs. 2400 crores will '' earn an operating profit from its very FIRST YEAR of operation and that the capital will be recovered with 9 per cent interest WITHIN THE FIRST 25 YEARS after which THERE WILL BE A MAMOTH PROFIT GENERATION in the next 25 years'' (REF: THE HINDU- OPEN PAGE- 21 DEC 2004- ''SETHUSAMUDRAM- WILL THE SHIPS USE IT''- MR. K.S. Ramakrishnan, former Dy Chairman, Chennai Port Trust and former MD, Poompuhar Shipping Corporation, Chennai).

The major contributor to the earnings of the SSCP will be the ships that navigate through the canal. According to the consultants for the SSCP, the number of ships that are expected to navigate through the SSC is 3055 in 2008 and 7141 in 2025. This is a deliberately inflated figure to meet the commercial and political (wholly private!!) ambitions of T.R.Balu. I hope the Comptroller and Auditor General of India would take due note of this obvious fact.

We can predict with a reasonable accuracy the number of coal carrying bulk-carriers that will navigate through the SSC. These vessels carry thermal coal from Haldia/Paradeep/Vizag to Chennai/Tuiticorin to cater to the requirements of the Thermal Power Plants located at these ports. Based upon annual requirement of Coal Ships for Tuiticorin Thermal Power Plant, not more than 215 ships will be required per annum to meet the annual coal requirements of Tuticorin Thermal Plant.

Apart from these 215 coal ships, not more than 200 other ships can be expected to go through SSCP for meeting the petrol requirements of Tuticorin and its hinterland. Even this is an optimistic estimate. Thus at the most, it may be possible that 1000 vessels may use the SSC annually and even this optimistic figure may not be realized, and is nowhere near the projected figure of 3055 vessels in 2008. This is on account of the fact that global shipping trends are towards larger vessels of 60,000 DWT and above, and the SSC being restricted to vessels of 30,000 DWT- 34,000 DWT, with a draught limitation of 10.7 Metres.

The most devastating conclusion reached by Captain H.Balakrishnan relates to the comparative ananlysis of the cost benefit that would accrue to a shipping company by circumnavigating Sri Lanka on the one hand and transiting through the SSCP on the other.Captain H.Balakrishnan's calculations, after taking into account the voyage fuel costs and pilotage rates for the SSCP, MAKE FOR "STUNNING READING":

(A) Kolkata to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka / via SSCP. It is �MORE COST EFFECTIVE� to CIRCUMNAVIGATE Sri Lanka than routing through the SSCP. The total cost of operation from Calcutta to Tuticorin by circumnavigating Sri Lanka will be Rs. 19,49,925.00 (Rupees NINETEEN LAKHS, FORTY NINE THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND TWENT FIVE ONLY). The total cost of operation from Calcutta to Tuticorin through the SSCP will be Rs. 19,51,126.00 (Rupees NINETEEN LAKHS, FIFTY ONE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX ONLY ).

(B) Chennai to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka / via SSCP. It is �MORE COST EFFECTIVE� to CIRCUMNAVIGATE Sri Lanka than routing through the SSCP. The total cost of operation from Chennai to Tuticorin by circumnavigating Sri Lanka will be Rs. 13,25,405.00 (Rupees THIRTEEN LAKHS, TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND FIVE ONLY). The total cost of operation from Chennai to Tuticorin through the SSCP will be Rs. 14,51,260.00 (Rupees FOURTEEN LAKHS, FIFTYONE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONLY).

Against this factual and mathematical background, I fully endorse the Sage-like conclusion of Captain H.Balakrishnan ''The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) just does not make sound 'nautical sense''. To ignorant and boorish Cabinet Ministers in New Delhi, the mathematical calculations of Captain H.Balakrishnan may be of no relevance. To such arrogant men dressed in brief authority, I would love to quote the following words of Bertrand Russell (1872-1970): �Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show.�

(The writer is a retired IAS officer)
e-mail the writer at vsundaram@newstodaynet.com

Rama Sethu: Historic facts vs political fiction

V SUNDARAM
newstodaynet.com

Simon Cameron said, 'An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought'. Karunanidhi is a rabidly racist and dishonest politician who even after he has been bought lock, stock, barrel, will politically bolt in the opposite direction and assert his rational Dravidian right with fervour based upon his grandiloquent and self-deluding notions of 'self-respect' founded upon anti-Aryan Dravidian racism, not to stay bought. No wonder he stabbed Atal Behari Vajpayee with delectable Dravidian delight just 2 or 3 months before Parliamentary Elections in 2004 and switched over to Sonia Gandhi - a non-Aryan Kannagi from Italy! As a politician Karunanidhi has always approached every controversial public question during the last 40 years with an open mouth, twisted tongue and a closed mind. As the senior most Dravidian politician, on the fundamental issue of the historical or literary or epigraphic evidence relating to the existence or otherwise of the Rama Sethu Bridge, he always strives to rise above established truth and principle. On this issue whenever he shakes your hand, he does so in the hope of shaking you down. On the controversial issue of his deliberate attempt in close political (commercial not excluded!!) collaboration and collusion with T R Baalu to somehow destroy by hook or by crook the Rama Sethu Bridge, a timeless symbol of Hindu faith and culture which has withstood the onslaught of centuries, Karunanidhi loves to talk in circles while standing foursquare. In his style of politics, no abominable absurdity is ever an impediment to his cosmic self-delusion. With him, a blatant untruth is not always a Himalayan lie. Romancing rationally, as he often revels in it, it only means the telling of 'secular' untruths that are not 'communal' falsehoods. Thomas Jefferson (1743 -1826), one of the founding fathers of the American state had very honorable and scrupulously truthful men like Karunanidhi in view when he declared: 'it is untruth alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself'.

I am not therefore surprised that in the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly Karunanidhi recently came down heavily on 'religious fundamentalists' opposing the Sethusamudram Project under the pretext of saving Rama's bridge, appealing to them not to obstruct a scheme that would lead to prosperity. Karunanidhi also spoke like the Imam of Jamma Masjid when he said that the opponents of the scheme were 'religious fundamentalists' who wanted to create a situation similar to the one that obtained after the demolition of the Babri mosque. Further he has even put a great comedian like Kalaivanar N S Krishnan to shame by declaring in the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly: 'Majority of those fundamentalists belong to north India and they do not want South India to prosper. By making this charge I am not raising the demand for a Dravidian country once again'.

In my view, Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu, Union Minister for Culture Ambika Soni, Tamilnadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi are all guilty of uttering unabashed falsehood when they say in unison: 'There is no credible or valid or tenable or acceptable archaeological or scientific evidence about the existence of Rama Sethu Bridge'. Their falsehood either individually or collectively or severally not only disagrees with historically established truths but also raucously (if not rationally!!) quarrel among themselves! Das Munshi, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, has squarely beaten the virulently anti-Hindu trio of T R Baalu, Ambika Soni and Karunanidhi by declaring that Sethusamundaram (Rama Sethu Bridge) would not be allowed to be destroyed during the UPA rule like the Babri Masjid that was demolished when BJP was in power in Uttar Pradesh in December 1992! More and more original fireworks can be expected from other Union Ministers like Arjun Singh, Antuley, Mani Shankar Iyer on this very exciting and excitable 'secular' theme of planned destruction of Rama Sethu Bridge as an integral part of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP).

When other politicians somersault on any public issue, Karunanidhi will always attack them as betrayers. When Karunanidhi himself indulges in the same game, he would expect the world around him to view it as a new article of his revised rational faith! I have browsed through the pages of Ramanathapuram District Gazetteer in Tamil published by Tamilnadu Government in 1972. In his forward dated 14 June 1972, Karunanidhi wrote as follows: 'To those policy-makers, scholars and public interested in ascertaining authentic and reliable information related to social, political, economic, and traditional lives, this district-wise gazetteer has been compiled as an encyclopaedic reference'. By publishing this Ramanathapuram District Gazetteer, a means will be provided for researches on this district's social history.

In this Gazetteer, the following details have been furnished about SETHU BRIDGE (Sethu Palam) or Adam's Bridge. Adam's Bridge is a name which evokes Islamic traditions. Adam banished from heaven, travelled walking on this bridge to reach Sri Lanka. This is also referred to as Nala Sethu and as Tiruvanai (Sacred dam) in Tamil. This is also referred to as RAMA SETHU. There is also another name called ADI SETHU. This bridge is 110 miles east-south-east of Madurai, 43 miles along the same direction from Ramanathapuram. The bridge is 15.5 miles east of Rameshwaram. This is called Ramar Palam because this bridge was built under the leadership of Hanuman and with the participation of Vaanara Sena (Kuranguppadai) and facilitated the crossing by Rama to reach Sri Lanka and to attain victory. Upto 1480 AD, this bridge had served as a land bridge to Sri Lanka. Thereafter, a severe cyclone created fissures changing the dimensions to 30 miles long and 1.25 miles wide....During the south-west monsoon season, severe ocean currents and surges impact on the Adam's Bridge.

In the same Gazetteer, it has also been stated 'Sethu is the bridge that has linked India with Sri Lanka for centuries from times immemorial. According to Karna Parambarai (Karna Tradition), in order to render continued help and assistance to the countless pilgrims visiting Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka, Lord Rama appointed Raja Rama Sethupathy of Ramanathapuram as Trustee and Guardian to guard the Rama Sethu Bridge'.

Karunanidhi is misleading Tamilnadu State and the nation by saying that great intellectuals like Sir A Ramaswamy Mudaliar had recommended the implementation of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) and that his proposals were not implemented. It is very clear that he has not cared to read the official Report of Sir A Ramaswamy Mudaliar. His main recommendation was that a canal should be aligned through Mandapam to create a land-based canal like the Panama or Suez Canal. Sir AR Mudaliar specifically warned that any idea of cutting a channel passage through the Adam's Bridge (that is, Rama Sethu or Sethubandha) SHOULD BE ABANDONED (see paragraph 16 of the official Report).

Karunanidhi is now denying the above facts both in the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly and outside. Perhaps, Rajaji had 'great' and 'consistent' men like Karunanidhi in view when he spoke in the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly in the early 1950s: 'Brutal and solid public facts do not cease to exist by our cussed refusal or voluntary ignorance to see or understand or recognise them'.

Lord Pentland was Governor of Madras from 1912 to 1919. He visited Rameshwaram in 1914 when Sir Alexander Tottenham (1873-1946) was the District Collector of Ramanathapuram. Lord Pentland was so overwhelmed by what he saw in Rameshwaram that he wrote as follows to Lord Hardinge, the then Viceroy of India: 'For me Rameshwaram, very much like India as a whole is the real world. We English men live in a mad house of abstractions. Vital life in Rameshwaram has not yet withdrawn into the capsule of the head. It is the whole body that lives. No wonder the English man feels dreamlike: the complete life of Rameshwaram is something of which he merely dreams.... I did not see an English man in India who really lived there. They are all living in England, that is, in a sort of bottle filled with English air.... History can be events or memory of events.... along the Bay of Bengal the Madras Presidency runs, with the well-governed city of Madras at its centre and the sublime and glorious temples of Tanjore, Tiruchi, Madurai and Rameshwaram adorning its Southern boundaries. And then Adam's Bridge- a reef of sunken islands' beckons us across the Palk Straits to Ceylon, where civilisation flourished more than 2000 years ago....Linga stones may be seen in many places on the highways in my Presidency. Hindus break upon them the coconuts which they are about to offer in sacrifice. Usually the phallic ritual is simple and becoming; it consists in anointing the stone with consecrated water or oil, and decorating it with leaves. At the Rameshwaram temple, the Linga stone is daily washed with Ganga water, which is afterwards sold to the pious, as holy water or mesmerized water has been sold in Europe. All these are a little part of my beloved Presidency - indeed my favourite India. Right from the dawn of history, India is extraordinarily continuous in time. In space, on the other hand, it is extraordinarily discontinuous....from early times in India, it is ethnology, philology, and archaeology that give and will give us some notions of the truth. From archaeology much can be expected. I would earnestly request you to direct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake an extensive and intensive survey of Rameshwaram and its beautiful environs, particularly with reference to the historic and primordial Adam's Bridge'. This very request of Lord Pentland has been made again by Dr Subramanian Swamy in his letter to Mrs Ambika Soni last month.

There is irrefutable and unassailable historic, literary, epigraphic and cartographic evidence about the existence of the Rama Sethu Bridge which can stand the strictest judicial scrutiny in any Court of Law. I will be presenting these facts in these columns in a serialized manner.This ought to put all the cowardly and unscrupulous politicians of Tamilnadu on the run!

I would assert my proud and unshakable constitutional right to be a Political Hindu, a Social Hindu, a Cultural Hindu, an Economic Hindu, a Religious Hindu and above all a Spiritual Hindu and declare from the house top that for more than 800 millions of Hindus in India and millions of Hindus outside India throughout the world the RAMA SETHU BRIDGE is as holy and as sacred as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem to the Jews, the Vatican in Rome to the Roman Catholics, the Bodh Gaya in Bihar to the Buddhists and Mecca in Saudi Arabia to the Muslims.

In this timeless and transcendental cultural and religious continuum of ages past, I cannot help quoting the beautiful words of the great French philosopher and historian Etienne Gilson (1884-1978): 'History is the only permanent laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of our thought in the past, present and the future.' George Santayana (1863-1952) went to the extent of declaring 'A country without a memory is a country of madmen'.

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) not only made history but also wrote great history. He said 'History like a flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes and to kindle with pale gleams the passions of former days'. These thoughts on history come in a flood to my mind when I try to survey the glorious history of the Rama Sethu Bridge. For an avid student of Indian history in general and India's cultural history in particular, the ancient and time-defying Rama Sethu of history and geography, of culture and tradition, of song and music , of legend and literature and above all the Rama Sethu of our minds and hearts can never change.

The great history of Rama Sethu through the ages presents the pleasantest features of poetry, drama and fiction�the majesty of the epic, the moving accidents of the drama, and the surprises and moral of the romance. What moves me and many others recount Rama Sethu through the Ages? I can only say with humility and reverence: 'I do so because it bridges the past with the future; it embodies the social memory of our civilization and is an inspiration to the present and future generations. After all, it is our Dharma, our responsibility to protect and safeguard the riches of this mother earth which we hold on temporary lease from our future generations.'

One of the greatest historians of all time Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) wrote his famous book 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'. Dr S.Kalyanaraman, the Edward Gibbon of India, is a great Cultural Historian and Linguistic Anthropologist who has authored several volumes on the history of Sindhu Saraswathi Civilization. I have been greatly moved and inspired by these words of Dr S Kalyanaraman: 'Rama Sethu is an ancient monument of national and international importance, a monument of pristine glory and sacredness at the confluence of the Punyabhumi with the life-giving waters of the Indian Ocean currents. It is a breath-taking geophysical reality, a metaphor of a civilization enshrining good triumphing over evil. Indeed, this millennial heritage of Bharatam is the very idiom of Sri Rama as vigrahavaan dharmah, Sri Rama as the personification of dharma venerated in many countries of the world and in particular, along the Indian Ocean Rim which constitute an Indian Ocean community (HINDUMAHAASAAGAR PARIVAAR). This Sethu is the bridge and a tirthasthana which bridges people and signifies the quintessence of the inclusive nature of Indian civilization. Archaeological, scientific, textual and cartographic evidences reinforce the imperative to declare and protect Rama Sethu as a World Heritage Site. Rama Sethu should become the inspiration to create an Indian Ocean Community, as a vibrant, developed comity of nations, inspired by the ideals of Sri Rama. The ideals venerated for generations is a legacy of an ideal human being who attained divinity; a prince, a son, a husband, a dharmaatmaa who was divine. Rama Sethu is an evocation of that sacred, indelible social memory of a civilization. The national poet, Kalidasa puts it eloquently in Raghuvamsa (sarga 13) � Rama, while returning from Sri Lanka in pushpaka vimaana, says: 'Behold, Sita !, See my Sethu of mountains dividing this frothy ocean is like the milky way dividing the sky into two parts'. This sacred monument of world heritage shall be preserved, as politics encounters history.'

Dr S Kalyanaraman has compiled a detailed monograph titled 'Rama Sethu through the Ages'. I am presenting some vital and irrefutable facts gleaned from his study to show as to why Should Rama Sethu or Sethu Bandha be deemed to be an ancient monument of national and international significance?

The most important source book for demonstrating, establishing and proving the importance and relevance of Rama Sethu is 'A HISTORICAL ATLAS OF SOUTH ASIA' edited by Joseph E Schwartzberg, published by the University of Chicago in 1978. In Schwartzberg's Atlas, on page-99, in a graphic map Holy Places of South Asia have been clearly indicated which includes all the holy places of Hinduism in India and South Asia. The legends shown on this map clearly demonstrate the importance of Rameshwaram and the link to Tirukketisvaram (in Sri Lanka) as a holy tirtha. Rameshwaram is recognized as one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Shiva. Sri Lanka gets associated with Naga. Historical sources attest to the fact that Rama Sethu was a land bridge linking Bharatam and Lanka for many millennia.

The Epics refer to the link between Kapaata and Lanka. From the time of the pre-Mauryan and Mauryan Empire (from 6th century BCEE), the holy site called Koti gained prominence. This is the short-form of Dhanushkoti, evoking the Ramayana narration of Sri Rama confronting Samudra Raja (King of Ocean) by fixing the end of his bow at this island which linked with Lanka at Tambapanni or Tamraparni (at a place called Mahatittha, meaning Maha Tirtha, or Great Tirthasthaana) through Sethu Bandha. Thus, the link between Dhanushkodi and Mahatittha has constituted the tirthasthaana for over two millennia, famed in history and tradition, song and legend.

During the Satavahana-Saka-Kusana age, c. A.D. 1-300, Rameshwaram close to Dhanushkodi gained prominence as a holy place. Puranic India (Bharata) recognized Sethuka as the bridge connecting Bharatam (Pandyan kingdom) and Lanka (then called Simhala). Koti (Dhanushkodi) and Mahatittha continued to be holy, religious places during post-Mauryan period, from circa 200 BCEE.

The region across the Rama Sethu constituted the limits of regions under the control of Rastrakuta during the age of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas, and Rastrakutas, circa 700-975.

Gulf of Mannar

Naval expedition to southeast Aia leading to conquest of Srivijaya and its dependencies proceeded from Gangaikondacholapuram and contacts were also established with Maldive islands circa 1000 going through the Gulf of Mannar. Thus we have an exquisite Ajanta fresco depicting the arrival of King Vijaya in this region. During the period of Islamic expansion and changing Western views of South Asia, between 7th-12th centuries, the Rama Sethu (bridge) between Rameshwaram and Marqaya was also called Sethu Bandha, evoking the Prakrit kavya written in the 6th century by King Pravarasena with the title Sethu Bandha or Ravana Vaho. It was during this period, ca. 12th century that Sethu gets bracketed and referred to as Adam's Bridge linked to Islamic mythology (noted in the District Gazetteer of Ramanathapuram published by Tamilnadu Government in 1972 ).

During the days of Khaljis and Tughluqs, c. 1290-1390 the island on Lanka side was referred to as Mannara (later called Talaimannar).

At the height of the Bhakti Movement from the 13th to the 15th century which coincided with the expansion of Islamic rule in India, the Sethu Bridge area and its environs got referred to as SETHUBANDHA RAMESHWARAM, as a holy tirtha. Two maps of Netherlands drawn in 16th and 17th centuries and a French map of 18th century, clearly refer to Adamsbrug (or Pont) as a functioning bridge between Rameshwaram and Talaimannar.

Coming to the 20th century, it is interesting to note that the great and pioneering film maker Phalke in an early talkie-movie immortalised the historic and religious significance of Sethu Bandha. He gave the same title to this movie ought to culturally shock all the third grade and rabidly communal politicians of Tamilnadu, with their own convoluted connections with the film world.

Even as NASA and Indian Space Research Organization images dramatically establish the land bridge between Bharatam and Sri Lanka today, these historical references to Rama Sethu come alive, aflame with fire and aglow with light, as an indestructible part of the imperishable tradition of the Bharatiya civilization. Finally what should not be lost sight of is that the Gulf of Mannar region got recognized by the United Nations Educational Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as the first Marine Biosphere of South and Southeast Asia, in 1956. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 1,050,000 hectares on the south-east coast of India across from Sri Lanka. It is one of the world's richest regions from a marine biodiversity perspective. Gulf of Mannar is the first marine area in India to be declared as World Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme. As a part of the conservation initiatives of the Government of Tamilnadu, a Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GOMBRT) has been formed with the support of Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

V SUNDARAM

It has been rightly said that the two eyes of history are geography and chronology. Both geography and chronology get vitally linked through cartography. We have irrefutable cartographical evidence about the fact of rama sethu bridge as it was known for thousands of years or adam's bridge as it came to be called during the colonial british period.

This map above was prepared in The Netherlands in 1747. In this map we can see the description of 'Raman Coil' shown near Dhanushkodi Island

Mapping the world is one of humanity's most enduring passions, something we've done with varying degrees of success for over a thousand years. Cartography has been described as the meeting place of Science and Art. On the other hand, one of the cartographer's chief concerns is to avoid producing an ugly map. The primary purpose of a map is to convey information or to 'get across' a geographical concept or relationship. The cartographic process rests on the premise that the world is measurable and that we can make reliable representations or models of that reality. Mapmaking involves advanced skills and attitudes, particularly the use of symbols to represent certain geographic phenomena, as well as the ability to visualize the world in an abstract and scaled-down form. Maps have traditionally been made for centuries using pen and paper, but the advent and spread of computers after the II World War has revolutionized cartography. Most commercial-quality maps are now made with map-making software that falls into one of three main types; CAD, GIS, and specialized map illustration software.

We can see above the map of Hindustan dated 1st January 1988 Prepared by J Rennel, a pioneer in map-making.In this map, 'Rama Temple' and 'Ramar Bridge' were shown. This map. THis map is available in Saraswathi Mahal library

In the 18th and 19th centuries in Western Europe and also British India, cartography was based on three pillars:

1. There were official surveys with the aim of topographical map series in large and medium scales and with problems in the geodetic field and in relief representation.

2. Atlas cartography, especially hand atlases and family atlases, with problems in getting and mastering the widespread source material and the appropriate design of small scale maps.

3. Education cartography, particularly school atlases and wall maps, with problems in didactically based map design and the representation of relief and altitude.

In so far as British India is concerned, innumerable maps coming under all the three categories above are available to prove the existence of Rama Sethu Bridge or Adam's Bridge in all the main libraries of the world.

Starting from 1747, some historic and rare maps are available for public scrutiny and judicial scrutiny to prove the reference to the existence of Ramar Coil/Rama Sethu Bridge. I am presenting below a map which was prepared in Netherlands in Europe in 1747. In this map we can see the inscription of the words 'RamarCoil' near Dhanushkodi. This map is available for public viewing in the Saraswati Mahal Library in Thanjavur. In a 1788 map, 'Rama temple' and 'Ramar Bridge' were shown. Here I am referring to 'A map of India entitled as a map of Hindoostan or the Moghul Empire from the latest authorities inscribed to Sir Joseph Banks Bart President of Royal Society - which was produced by Mr J Rennel, a pioneer in map making on 1January 1788. The original print of the map (112 c m x 106 cm) is available in the Saraswati Mahal Library.'

Next I am presenting below another map from a book titled CEYLON-AN ACCOUNT OF THE ISLAND by Sir James Emmerson Tennent published in 1810.

In the book referred to above, Sir James Tennent has referred to the Adam's bridge as follows

'On the north-west side of the Island, where the currents are checked by the obstruction of Adam's Bridge and still water prevails in the Gulf of Manaar, these deposits have been profusely heaped, and the low sandy pains have been proportionally extended; whilst on the south and east, where the current sweeps unimpeded along the coast , the line of the shore is bold and occasionally rocky. The explanation of the accretion and rising of the land is somewhat opposed to the popular belief that Ceylon was torn from the main land of India by a convulsion, during which the Gulf of Manaar and the narrow channel at Paumbam were formed by the submission of the adjacent land. The two theories might be reconciled by supposing the sinking to have occurred at an early period, and to have been followed by the uprising still in progress.'( http://www.lankaweb.com/news/features/ceylon3.html)

In 1804, a map was produced by Major James Rennel (1742-1830) who was the first Surveyor General of India in which he took particular care as a colonel administrator to change the name of Ramar Bridge into Adam's Bridge. I am presenting below this map by James Rennel prepared in 1804.

James Rennel's map of 1804 - Note that 'Ramar Bridge' has been changed to 'Adam's Bridge' in the above map.

Major James Rennel was a remarkable geographer, historian and a pioneer of oceanography. Born in 1742 in Devon in England, he entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1756, and was present at the attack on Cherbourg (1758), and the disastrous action of St Cast in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). After the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, James Rennel entered the service of the East India Company, and was appointed Surveyor General of Bengal and India (1764), with the rank of Captain in the Bengal Engineers. He worked as Surveyor General of India for the next 13 years and retired in 1777.The remaining fifty-three years of his life were spent in London, and were devoted to geographical research chiefly among the materials in the East India House. His most valuable works include the Bengal Atlas (1779), the first approximately correct map of India (1783), the Geographical System of Herodotus (1800), the Comparative Geography of Western Asia (1831), and important studies on the geography of northern Africa - in introductions to the Travels of Mungo Park and Hornemann. Beside his geographical and historical works James Rennell is known today for his hydrographical works about the currents in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. During his last years he wrote his final and most important work 'Currents of the Atlantic Ocean', published postumeously by his daughter Jane in 1832, which held its scientific authority until 1936. His opening statement in this great book that 'the winds are to be regarded as the prime movers of the currents of the ocean' remains unchallenged to this day.

When James Rennel died in 1830, he was buried in Westminster Abbey Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society, in his biography of James Rennell published in 1895 paid this tribute to him: 'James Rennel was the founder of oceanography: that branch of geographical science which deals with the ocean, its winds and currents'.

Major James Rennel (1742-1830) First Surveyour General of India

In these columns yesterday I had referred to the seminal cartographical work of Joseph E Schwartzberg titled A HISTORICAL ATLAS OF SOUTH ASIA, published by the University of Chicago in 1978. In this book, there are detailed, interesting and graphic maps which enable us to see and understand how the environs of Rameshwaram and 'Rama Sethu Bridge' changed or altered from pre historic India till the attainment of our independence in 1947. I am presenting below a map from Joseph E Schwartzberg's Atlas relating to the Religious and cultural sites of the post-Mauryan period, c. 200 B.C.-A.D Religious and cultural sites of the post-Mauryan period, c. 200 B.C.-A.D. 300 (http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html- Joseph E Schwartzberg's Atlas page 22.) In the above map, Dhanushkoti has been referred to as Koti (which only means Dhanushkoti) We can also see from Joseph E Schwartzberg�s Atlas that in PURANIC INDIA Ramar Bridge was referred to as SETUKA. I am presenting below the concerned map relating to Puranic India from this Atlas (page 27 of the Atlas) An interesting map below relates to the age of the Ghaznavids, Cahmanas, Later Calukyas, and Colas, c. 975-1200 AD (http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=069 Schwartzberg Atlas, v. , p. 32.) In the above map Ramar Bridge has been referred to as SETU BANDHA Next we have a map relating to the time of the Khaljis and Tughluqs 1290- 1390 AD (Schwartzberg Atlas, v. , p. 38.)

In the above map relating to the period of the Khaljis and Tughluqs 1290- 1390 AD, we can see that the Ramar Setu Bridge has been referred to as SETUBANDHA RAMESVARAM.

The cartographic facts I have presented above can be presented in any court of law to prove that Rama Setu or Ramar Bridge has existed and has been noted by rulers, geographers, explorers, scientists and cartographers for centuries. To conclude in the timeless words of Justice Grier (1794-1870): �A number of concurrent facts, like rays of light, all converging to the same centre, may throw not only a clear light but a burning conviction; a conviction of truth more infallible than the testimony even of two witnesses directly to a fact.�

A Non-Hindu Christian Union Cabinet Minister for Culture Mrs.Ambika Soni spoke like an Occidental Christian Despot of the Middle Ages when she recently informed the Lok Sabha: ''There is no archeological or historical evidence regarding the existence or otherwise of the Rama Sethu Bridge or Adam's Bridge in Rameswaram'' The Union Minister for Shipping T.R.Balu and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi are committed to the supreme Dravidian cause of destruction of the Rama Sethu Bridge just in order to deal a death blow to the sacred feelings and susceptibilities of millions and millions of Hindus in India and the world. Karunanidhi and T.R.Balu, deathly enemies of Eternal Hinduism, have shown again and again that they are no less ignorant than Mrs.Ambika Soni in their Himalyan ignorance of historically established facts about the Rama Sethu Bridge or Adam's Bridge.

I can do poetic justice to the self-opinionated, self-proclaiming arrogance of the anti-Hindu trio of Mrs.Ambika Soni, T.R.Balu and Karunanidhi only in the words of one of the greatest of Chinese poets of classical antiquity Lao-tzü (6th century BC) who described the impotent and ignorant Cabinet Ministers of his time in these words:

''Those who speak know nothing

Those who know are silent

Those who know and speak are impotent''!

The trouble with Mrs Ambika Soni, T R Balu and Karunanidhi is that even though they know nothing on Rama Sethu and do not want to know anything about it, yet they can never be silent on it. Theirs is a kind of vocal, loud and raucous Imperial ignorance on stilts! For them shame - both inner and outer- is communal and non-secular; brash shamelessness is secular, non-communal, refined, cosmopolitan and global!

Another Chinese poet Su Tung-p'o (1036-1101 CE), in a great poem which he composed after the birth of his son and which lives in common speech even today, prayed to the Almighty that his new-born son should never become an ignorant Cabinet Minister. Here is the poem:

''Families, when a child is born

Want it to be intelligent.

I, through intelligence,

Having wrecked my whole life,

Only hope the baby will prove

Ignorant and stupid.

Then he will crown a tranquil life

By becoming a Cabinet Minister.''

To silence if not to outwit the arrogant, irresponsible Cabinet Ministers in high office in New Delhi and Madras today, I would like to cite a few references from printed books and documents where there are textual references to Rama's Bridge or Adam's Bridge or Sethu Bandhana.

1. Marco Polo (1254 -1324) was a Venetian trader and explorer who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in his book IL MILIONE (''The Million'' or The Travels of Marco Polo). He visited several ports in India. A book ''On The travels of Marco Polo'' translated by Marsden into English was published in England in 1854. In this book Rama's Bridge has been described as SETABUND-RAMESWARA which only means Setu-Bandha (page-380).

2. A Catalogue of the Mammals in the Museum of the Hon. East-India Company, East India Company Museum written by Thomas Horsfield (1773-1859), was published in England in 1851. In this Catalogue, Rama's Bridge was used as a reference point to define the expanse of Bharatam. We can see from this Catalogue, adequate pointers to the rich biodiversity of the flora and fauna of Rameshwaram and its environs.

3. Sir William Jones (1746-1794) in his ''Discourses delivered before the Asiatic society'' published in 1801 (p. 29) has observed as follows:

''''

4. Arnold Hermann (1835) in his ''Historical researches into the politics, intercourse, and trade of the principal nations of antiquity'' translated from the German into English, Oxford University Press (p.89) wrote:

''''

5. William Yates, 1846, A dictionary of Sanscrit and English, designed for the use of private students and of Indian colleges and schools, Baptist Mission Press, (p.821)

The entry, samudraaru or samudraarah is given the meaning: Rama's bridge.

6. William Fordyce Mavor, 1807, Universal history, ancient and modern, Oxford University Press (p.216)

''

7. A.J. Valpay, 1825, THE CLASSIC JOURNAL, Vol. XXXI, Cl.Jl., No. LXII, Oxford University Press (p.26) wrote:

''''

8. Clements Robert Markham, 1862, 'Travels in Peru and India' published by Murray, (p.423). Markham was Surveyor General of India in the 19th century. Markham wrote:

''''

9. Charlotte Speir Manning, George Scharf, 1856, ''Life in Ancient India'', Oxford University Press (p. 117).

''''

10. Lodovico de Varthema, George Percy Badger, John Winter Jones, 1863, The travels of Ludovico di Varthema in Egypt, Syria, Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix, in Persia, India..., Published for the Hakluyt Society, London (Translated into English from the original Italian edition), (p.185)

''...The expedition of Ram to Ceylon, and his victory over Rhavan or Rhaban, King of that island, is one of the fables of Hindu mythology, but he passed into the island at the strait, since called, by the Mohamedans, Adam's Bridge. The whole country round, in consequence of this, preserves the memorial of his conquest. There is a Ramanad-buram on the continent close to the Bridge; a Rami-Ceram, or country of Ram, the island close to the continent; [Rameswaram, called Rammanana Kojel by Baldaeus, and Ramonan Coil by D'Anville;] and a Point Rama on the continent.

Prambanan (BrahmaVana)Temple Complex In Indonesia (9th century AD).

The Bridge itself, formed by the shoals between Rami-ceram and Mannar, is Rama's Bridge; and in Rami-ceram is Ramar-Koil, the temple of Ram. This Koil or temple (Koil means temple in Malayalim) is undoubtedly the origin of Koru; and the repetition of it three times in Ptolemy is in perfect correspondence with the allusion to Ram at the present''. Mrs.Ambika Soni, the disgraceful Union Minister for Culture, soaked and steeped in her self-chosen, imperious, insolent, comfortable, cozy, and self-confident ignorance, may not be aware of the fact that there are exquisite sculptures of Rama Setu carved in the 9th and 10th centuries AD at Prambanan Temple, Java, Indonesia. Also known as Loro Jongrang Temple (Temple of the Slender Maiden), Prambanan Temple was built in the 9th century and is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia.

Vanara Sena Rama Setu Sculpture at Prambanan Temple in Indonesia.

This is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. The UNESCO (a non-saffronized International Organization!!) has declared this temple complex as a World Heritage Site. Rising above the centre of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.

One of the most beautiful sculptures at Prambanan Temple is the one depicting the Vaanara Sena carrying stones, in their arms and on their heads, to build Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu or Nala Setu to Sri Lanka, followed by SRI RAMA, carrying a sword.

The details and the authentic facts about the continued existence of the Rama Setu Bridge I have presented above will serve to show that ancient books and documents serve as mile stones in the development of the human spirit. All of them have shaped or left their mark on our thinking as Hindus today. The Pioneer 10 Plaque, sent into space on 2 March 1972, was the first man made object to escape from the Solar System into inter-stellar space. To some persons, Pioneer 10 Plaque may seem foolish and even superfluous. One may ask: Is there any point in proclaiming our existance into a void- into a dark, boundless, unknown and unknowable future? The great sages and saints who wrote the Vedas and the Upanishads in ancient India, authors and transmitters of the great human statements we have inherited as an integral part of our ancient Hindu heritage-did any of them know whether their good tidings would ever survive in the uncharted future, when and where their words might take effect, when or how later generations might change or even deform them? These ancient men's uncertainity, the risk they ran, was no less great than that of the Pioneer 10 Plaque let loose in space in 1972. All these defiant gestures prove for all time that man is an intrinsically transcendental creature who realises himself to the extent that, step by step, flight by flight, he crosses the obstacles that nature and the elements have put in his way. At the same time he must also conquer the difficult obstacles that confront him and besiege him from within, inorder to become more human than he is today.

''The Rules of Evidence are founded in the charities of religion-in the philosophy of nature-in the truths of history, and in the experience of common life''-Lord Chancellor of England, Hon'ble Justice Thomas Erskine (1794).

Coins constitute a major source of information for the history of Rama Setu or Ramar Bridge or Setu Bandhana or Adam's Bridge. The discipline or science relating to the study of coins is known as Numismatics. Coin collecting has existed since ancient times. It is a well known fact that Roman Emperors were among some of the earliest coin collectors. Coin collecting has been called the 'Hobby of Kings'. Numismatics reached its apex due to the great demand for ancient coins during the late middle Ages and the early Renaissance.

Coming to our own country, we have remarkable epigraphical and numismatic evidence, starting from 10th century AD, authenticating the tradition of referring to Rameswaram as Setu Bandha Rameswaram, that is, as the place from where the Rama Setu Bridge was built to link Bharatam and Sri Lanka in the days of Sri Rama.

We have many early coins in South India bearing the inscription of 'Setu' in Tamil. We also have copper plates of Pallava Aparajitavarman (900 AD) which indicate that Aparajitavarman went to SETUTIRTHA (Rameshwaram and Dhanushkoti). Likewise Udayendiram copper plates of Chola King Parantaka I (AD 907-955) refer to his adoption of the title Samgramaraghava like RAMA. The details relating to these copper plates have been given in the monograph titled Thiruttani and Velanjeri Copper Plates written by Dr. R.Nagaswamy (Director of Archaeology) and published by the State Department of Archaeology Government of Tamilnadu in 1979.

I am presenting below these two copper plates of Pallava King Aparajitavarman (900 AD) and Chola King Parantaka I (AD 907-955) for visual scrutiny and understanding.

Codrington in his book ''Ceylon Coins and Currency'' published in 1924 and Mitchiner in his book ''Oriental Coins'' published in 1978 have clearly pointed out that the traditional design of Sri Lanka standing King Type Copper Massa (coins) of the Jaffna Arya Chkravartis from 1284 AD to 1410 AD always bore the Tamil legend SETU. Setu coins were previously attributed to the Setupati Princes of Ramnad. Codrington and Mitchner attribute them strongly to the Jaffna Arya Chkravartis. I am presenting below the obverse and reverse side of one of the coins issued by Jaffna Arya Chkravartis from 1284 to 1410 AD.

In the book, 'Yaalpana Iraachchiyam' (1992), Prof. S. Pathamanathan in his article on 'Coins' notes:

Early kings of Jaffna, sometimes referred to as Ariyacakravarti, used names such as Segarajasekaran and Pararajasekaran, and used the epithets Singaiyariyan (Lord of Singaingar, the earlier capital of the Kingdom of Jaffna), SETUKAVALAN (Guardian of Setu or Rameshwaram) and Gangainadan (belonging to the country of the Ganga). Their emblems were a recumbent bull -nanthi-, a Saiva symbol, and the expression SETU, indicating the place of their origin, Rameshwaram. The term Setu was also used as an expression of benediction.

Several types of coins categorized as SETU BULL coins are found in large quantities in the northern part of Sri Lanka. I am illustrating one of the types of these Setu Bull Coins below. The obverse of this coin has a human figure flanked by lamps and the reverse has the Nandi (bull) symbol with the legend Sethu in Tamil with a crescent moon above.

P Pushparatnam in his brilliant paper ''Murukan Worship Sri Lanka: New Archeological Evidence'' has observed:'' The Europeans first employed the utilization of numismatics as a source for historical research in the 18th century AD. The European officers who were in charge of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Civil Service and other officers employed in India in the 19th century took interest in the collection and study of coins. In Sri Lanka, numismatics received wider attention in the 20th century. As important as epigraphical data is, numismatics is restricted in its content as few names or words and certain symbols in figurative form or forms appear in them. They are very valuable to reconstruct the history of a particular dynasty and its chronology. Evidence of the coins issued by the Sri Lankan Tamils is now available. This period ranges from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD. These throw a flood of light on various aspects such as the ancient language, script, genesis of Kingdoms, settlements of people, commerce, foreign relations and so on''

P Pushparatnam has analysed the following two coins issued by the Tamil rulers of Nallur in Jaffna who ruled during 13th - 17th century AD. We can see the inscription of the word SETU in Tamil, apart from the figures of Nandi and Peacock.

Leonard Wolf, husband of the great English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) worked as a British Civil Servant in Ceylon in the first decade of the 20th century. In one of his early News Paper articles, he has referred to the widespread use of old Setu Coins (with letters in Tamil) in circulation in Jaffna.

RAMA SETU BRIDGE IN EPIGRAPHS

India is rich in ancient inscriptions. They form a priceless resource base for the study of India's cultural, religious, social and linguistic heritage. Through the centuries, in all parts of the country, inscriptions were etched, engraved, pecked, or even sometimes carved in bas-relief on stones or on the rock-faces of cliffs and hills. They were also inscribed on temple walls. Epigraphy is the study of such texts, the science of deciphering and interpreting them.

Rashtrakuta literature is the body of work created in Sanskrit and Kannada languages during the rule of the Rastrakutas of Manyakheta, a dynasty that ruled the southern and central parts of the Deccan, India between the 8th and 10th centuries. The period of their rule was an important time in the history of South Indian literature. During that period famous scholars wrote on secular subjects such as mathematics, history, political science etc.

We find the most common reference to RAMA in early Rashtrakuta inscriptions in a verse that began appearing commonly at the end of the citation on land-grants from the early 9th century onwards in the Rashtrakuta regions.

Apart from Rashtrakuta Inscriptions, I am citing below a few other examples:

1. ''Common to all kings is the SETHU OF DHARMA: you should abide by it moment by moment. Again and again Ramabhadra implores all future kings to do the same'' (Epigraphica Indica 23.212 - a record of AD 807)...

2. Tiruvalangadu plates of RAJARAJA COLA I (CE 985-1014) describe the king as surpassing RAMA in military prowess and crossing the ocean with his powerful army and subduing the king of Lanka...

3. In the temples of Orissa dated from 7th to 10th centuries, RAMA is represented and described both as an avatara of Vishnu as also the hero of the Ramayana narrative which includes a pointed reference to the construction of Rama Setu Bridge with graphic details.

4. Hampi inscription of Krishnadevaraya Saka 1430 (1508 AD) in Epigraphica Indica refers to the glory of RAMA SETHU.

5. In a Copper Plate of the 11th century, issued by the CHALUKYA dynasty of Kalyana, we find the expression 'from the Himalaya to the Setu Bridge' (Ind. Antiq. i. 81), i.e. the Bridge of Rama, or 'Adam's Bridge,' as our maps have it today.

T Satyamurthy, formerly Director of Archaeology, Government of Kerala, in a seminal essay titled ''Palk Strait to Gulf of Mannar-an Archaeological Exploration'' has observed ''Separating the Gulf of Mannar on the South from the Palk Strait on the North is a chain of islands, reefs, shoals and shallows, consisting of island of Mannar, Ramar Bridge also known as Adam's Bridge, the island of Pamban. Significantly the Strait is flanked by two ancient temples Ramanatha Temple and Tiruketesvara Temple on Indian and Sri Lanka Sides respectively. In Indian Side, it attains importance because of its association with Ramayana Epic and equally on the other Side also the MANTAI is significant as the place is associated with Mandothari, the daughter of Mayon and wife of Ravana.... Thus it is clear that both the ends at Palk Straits in India and the Gulf of Mannar were culturally united for centuries...Had they used the Ramar Palam known as Adam's Bridge or Naval Boat to reach the other end? Was it possible to navigate safely in between these ends? These are some of the problems that require further proof....there can be no doubt that the Romans during their long period of friendly trade with Ceylon from the 1st century to 3rd centuries made regular use of Mannar Passage on both outward and return voyages. Evidences of using the Palk Strait for navigation in the ancient period could not be established. It is now obligatory to marine Archaeological Investigators to thoroughly scan the area to find out the nature of path way between the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar''.

Dangerous enemies of Hinduism and Eternal India today like Mrs Ambika Soni, T R Balu and Karunanidhi, are using the shifty language of dirty party politics to deny the existence of Rama Setu Bridge. Their strange language is full of Maya and falsities of self-illusion and deliberate delusion of others, which almost immediately turns all true and vivid phrases into a 'Pseudo-Secular Jargon', so that the masses of people whom they mislead may fight in a cloud of words without any clear sense of the thing they are battling for.

We are used to being told that India has no historiography, no historiographical literature. And therefore no history and that Indians think in terms of millions of years, cyclical and recurrent. This is a colonial perspective that is clearly absurd. This is the view of Marxist historians produced like house flies by the Jawaharlal Nehru University during the last 30 years. This is also the view of Islamic historians from Aligarh Muslim University who still continue to believe in the two-nation theory of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Our tragedy today is that Islam-Embracing, Christianity-Coveting and Hindu-Hating treacherous trio of Mrs Ambika Soni, T R Balu and Karunanidhi are sharing the same colonial perspective of British India in so far as the Hindus of India and their great heritage are concerned.

There are extensive and detailed references to Rama Setu or Ramar Bridge or Setu Bandhana or Adam's Bridge in Sanskrit Literature. Ramayana, attributed to the poet Valmiki, is one of the most important literary works on ancient India. The Ramayana has had a profound impact on art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Valmiki in his Ramayana describes construction of this bridge between Slokas 2-22-50 and 2-22-72:

''I am a son born of Visvakarma's own loins. I am equal to Viswakarma. This god of Ocean has reminded me. The great ocean spoke the truth. Being unasked, I have not told you my details earlier. I am capable of constructing a bridge across the ocean. Hence, let the foremost of monkeys build the bridge now itself. Then, being sent by Rama, hundreds and thousands of monkey heroes jumped in joy on all sides towards the great forest. Those army-chiefs of monkeys, who resembled mountains, broke the rocks and trees there and dragged them away towards the sea. Those monkeys filled the ocean with all types of trees like Sala and Asvakarna, Dhava and bamboo, Kutaja, Arjuna, Palmyra, Tilaka, Tinisa, Bilva, Saptaparna, Karnika, in blossom as also mango and Asoka. Some others drew up strings a hundred Yojanas long (in order to keep the rocks in a straight line.) Nala on his part initiated a monumental bridge in the middle of the ocean. The bridge was built at that time with the cooperation of other monkeys, of terrible doings. Some monkeys were holding poles for measuring the bridge and some others collected the material. Reeds and logs resembling clouds and mountains, brought by hundreds of monkeys, lead by the command of Rama, fastened some parts of the bridge. Monkeys constructed the bridge with trees having blossom at the end of their boughs...That Nala, the strong and illustrious son of Visvakarma and an excellent monkey built the bridge across the sea as truly as his father would have built it. That beautiful and lovely bridge constructed by Nala across the ocean, the abode of alligators, shone brightly like a milky way of stars in the sky.''

From Valmiki Ramayana we can see that when Rama and Sita are flying in Pushpa Vimana, Rama tells Sita '' You can see the grand ocean of SETU BANDHANAM down below, worshipped by one and all in all the three worlds, over which we are flying now. This is a very sacred spot which can help all destroy their sins. In this very sacred spot Lord Shiva came to reside aeons ago just in order to help me''. Here is the relevant Sanskrit verse from Valmiki in Tamil transliteration:

Apart from the Valmiki Ramayana which has emphatic and graphic references to the construction of Setu Bandhana in 85 slokas in a separate sarga in Yuddha Kanda, Mahabharata also refers to the continued protection of Nala Setu following the command of Sri Rama. KALIDASA too in his Raghuvamsa extols the glory and grandeur of Sri Rama.

SKANDA PURANA (VI.101.1-44) describes the installation of three Shiva lingas at the end, middle and beginning of Rama Setu and making the same bridge submerged under waters of the ocean and thereby creating Setu-Teerth.

The construction of Rama Setu is also described in Kurma Purana (21.10-61), Vishnu Purana (IV.4.40-49), Agni Purana (V-XI) and Brahma Purana (138.1-40). Garuda Purana (1.81.1-22) lists the sacred places including Setubandh and Rameswar. Narada Purana (Uttara Bhag 76.1-20) goes into raptures on the immortal greatness of Rama Setu.

There is a kavya in Prakrit by King Pravarasena II (550-600 CE) called ''Setu bandha or Ravanavaho''.''Dasamuha Vadha'' (Setubandha Kavya) was written by the King Damodara Sen (5th Century).

Shantikumar Nanooram Vyas in his book 'INDIA IN THE RAMAYANA AGE' (1967) gives the following description of the Rama Setu Bridge in the light of the literary evidence he has gleaned from Valmiki's Ramayana (pages 252-264): ''A still more eloquent proof of the high level of efficiency of civil engineering of the day is afforded by the construction of the Bridge across the ocean in Lanka. In building the bridges across this infinite depth and breadth in time, remarkable speed and dexterity must have been displayed by the Vanara forces. Engines or cranes were used for uprooting trees and crags and transporting them to the edge of the water. Sutras (measuring lines) were used by the builders to be sure that the rocks were laid out in a straight line. Dandas or measuring rods were also used. Small stones, grass, creepers and sticks (kaashtha) were used as building material. The Vanaras threw the huge tree first, then weighted them with rocks and used small stones, sticks, grass and creepers as materials for filling the crevices. The co-operation and co-ordination between the different workers was so perfect that within five days the marvelous structure stood complete and finished (VI.22.56-76). The vehicles used for carrying, and conveying, men and goods from one place to another were known as yaanas (II.92.35)''

An exquisite sculpture of the Gupta period dating back to the 5th - 6th century AD depicting Vanaras building the Rama Setu Bridge to Sri Lanka has been shown below:

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia, located in central Java. It was built around 850 AD by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty or Balitung Maha Sambu, of the Sanjaya dynasty. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. There are beautiful sculptures depicting the construction of the Rama Setu Bridge by the Vanaras. We can see one of those beautiful sculptures from Prambanan Shiva Temple below:

Apart from Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata, there are innumerable references to the Rama Setu Bridge in Tamil literature. Sangam Literature is one of the main sources used for documenting the early history of the ancient Tamil country. The facts I am presenting below are based on an article in Tamil titled ''The Truth of Rama Sethu in literature'' by Veera Rangarajan of Ithihasa Sanglana Samithi, Tamil Nadu.

In Agananooru, there is a direct reference to Rama directing the construction of the Rama Setu Bridge which has been presented below:

Thiruganasambandar in his Thevaram refers to Rama controlling and containing the ferocious waves of the ocean in order to complete the construction of the Rama Setu Bridge. Likewise Thirunavukarasar in his Thevaram describes how Rama filled the ocean with mountains in order to create the Rama Setu Bridge. SETU in Tamil means a DAM or what is called in Tamil as ''SEIKARAI''. 'Seikarai' means to create or build a shore.

There is a 16th century work in Tamil titled Setu Mahatmiyam which is also referred to as Setu Puranam in local tradition and legend Nirambaazagiyasingar was the author of this poetical work. This work was edited by the great Tamil savant and scholar Yalpanam Nallur Arumuganavalar in the 19th century and published by the Trustees of Saivapprakasha Vidya Salai of Chidambaram in Madras Presidency. Sri Ponnuswamy Thevar of Ramanathapuram Samasthanam, a great Saiva Siddthantha scholar, played a catalytic role in the matter of printing and publication of this 16th century classic Setu Mahatmiyam. Sodavadanam Subburaya Chettiyar, a prominent disciple of Thirisirapuram Mahavidvan Meenakshisundaram Pillai, wrote an invocatory poem to this edition of this great work. Consisting of 45 Sargas and 3438 songs/poems and marked by majesty of thought and loftiness of expression, this work makes a beautiful presentation of the construction of the Rama Setu Bridge. In a chapter entitled Setu Churukkam, the glorious significance of Setu is brought out in 64 verses.

Starting from 1850 to 1930, there existed a popular cultural tradition in Ramanathapuram District and Southern Districts relating to the widespread public performances of Kathakalakshebam (public musical/religious/spiritual discourses with musical and percussion accompaniments like Violin, Mirdangam etc) about the glory of Rameshwaram and Rama Setu Bridge. Many outstanding itinerant exponents of Kathakalakshebam used go from village to village ant town to town and give public performances and discourses under the general title of ''SETU BANDHANA MAHATTUVAM''. Thousands of Hindu devotees used to congregate at these performances with great enthusiasm. A great scholar called Arumuga Upadhiyayar in Ramanathapuram District collected the traditional texts of these Kathakalakshebam performers and recorded and preserved them on Palm Leaves in his own hand writing towards the end of the 19th century. Half a century later, in 1957 an enterprising publisher called M.R.M.S. Ramalinga Pillai in Ramanathapuram Town brought out a book under the title 'SETU MAHATTUVAM'. Here is a sample verse from ''SETU BANDHANA MAHATTUVAM'':

From all these accounts it should be clear that there is irrefutable literary evidence, scriptural evidence, numismatic evidence, epigraphic evidence, architectural and sculptural evidence and above all time-defying historic evidence regarding the continued existence of the Rama Setu Bridge (Setu Bandhana) or Adam's Bridge for centuries which can stand the strictest judicial scrutiny in any court of law in India and abroad. Against this background, the recent irresponsible and reprehensible statement of Mrs. Ambika Soni in the Lok Sabha to the effect that there is no scientific evidence regarding the existence of the Rama Setu Bridge can be dismissed as absurd and childish. To Islam-Embracing, Christianity-Coveting and Hindu-Hating pseudo-secular Indian Talibans (!!!) like Mrs. Ambika Soni, T R Balu and Karunanidhi, I would only say with unshakable humility on behalf of more than 800 millions of Hindus in India and several Millions of Hindus outside India in all parts of the world: ''We know how to vaccinate ourselves against Small Pox. We are at a loss to understand as to how we should vaccinate ourselves against your pseudo-secular small minds''.

(The writer is a retired IAS officer)

e-mail the writer at vsundaram@newstodaynet.com