Central govt misleading people on Ram Setu issue: VHP

Lucknow, July 24: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today alleged that the central government was trying to deceive scores of Hindus by challenging the Ram Setu's existence through an affidavit in the Supreme Court.

''The central government has brought disgrace to both the Hindus and their holy books through its behaviour,'' VHP secretary Purrushotam Narayan Singh said.

Infact, the government has in a way committed sin by raising finger both upon Lord Ram and His Setu, he added.

''The Government of India should learn the art of protecting its historical and religious things from other countries,'' the VHP leader advised.

More, it was sad to note that each and every countrymen was not making desired effort to protect Ram Setu from getting demolished, he added.

--- UNI

Puri Sankaracharya on Ram Sethu

BY: DEBABRATA MOHAPATRA

Jul 25, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — Puri Sankaracharya urges SC to consult religious experts on Ram Sethu issue.

Sankaracharya of Puri Nischalananda Saraswati urged the Apex Court to take the opinions of the religious scholars, including the four Sankaracharyas in the country, before delivering any judgment on the contentious issue of implementation of Sethusamudram project involving the Ram Sethu row. The Puri seer was peeved at the Center's assertion before the Supreme Court (SC) that Lord Ram himself had destroyed the Ram Sethu.

"Sentiments of hundreds of Hindus are hurt after Center told the Supreme Court that Lord Ram had destroyed Ram Sethu. The UPA government is consistently misleading the Apex court by presenting irrational and bogus information on Ram Sethu," Sankaracharya said. A few days back the Center derived some verses from Kamban Ramayan, asserting that the Tamil scripture described the destruction of the bridge by Lord Ram. The Puri seer however did not buy the story written in Kamban Ramayan, nor did he want to talk on Kamban Ramayan.

"The Supreme Court should not rely on the Center's misleading assertions. Earlier the Center had filed an affidavit with the SC denying the existence of Lord Ram. Now it claimed Ram Himself had destroyed the bridge. Considering its religious depth, the Court should approach the Sankaracharyas and other religious experts to resolve the issue," the Puri Sankaracharya said.

Asked about his future course of action if the Apex Court passes the order in favour of the government, the seer said he would choose the path of violence. "I have been posing a silent and peaceful protest till now. But I will break my calmness if the SC's decision goes against the sentiments of Hindus," Nischalananda Saraswati remarked.

"It is matter of great sorrow that our nation's politicians and ministers had vigorously indulged themselves in a tug-of-war on the Indo-US nuclear deal in the parliament. But none of them showed an iota of interest to save Ram Sethu," the Sankaracharya rued.

"Bharatiya Janta Patry (BJP), which has been blowing its own trumpet on Hindutwa, has also shown little interest to fight for the cause of the Hindus when the Ram Sethu is in danger.

www.harekrsn. ... a.com/sun/ news/07-08/ news2124. htm

Supreme Court should consider Hindu faith on Rama Setu

Sri Rameswaram Ramsetu Raksha Manch
Sankat Mochan Ashram, Ramakrishna Puram-VI
New Delhi-110 022
Telefax: 011-26103495, 26178992 kalyan97@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY UDUPI PEJAWAR MATH SWAMY SRI VISHWESHATHEERTHA, DATED APRIL 19, 2008

In the course of its arguments on Rama Setu, the Supreme Court had asked two questions:

1) Is Rama Setu a place of worship?

2) Who goes to the middle of the sea and worship a place, which is under the water?

It must be said that Ram Setu is believed as a place of worship by millions of Hindus.

There is a place called 'Sethu Karai' in Ramanathapuram district from where the Ramar Setu was constructed up to Sri Lanka cutting across Rameshwaram and Danushkodi by Lord Rama and his Vanara Sena.

Close to 'Sethu Karai,' we have the famous centuries old 'Thirupulani' Temple which depicts the entire story of Sethu Bandhanam through the deities' posture and other sculptures. Even today, we can find the remains of the bridge there after a twenty minutes drive by a boat.

All pilgrims, who go to Rameshwaram, visit Thirupullani Temple and 'Sethu Karai' and also go into the sea to worship the Sethu. During the times of low tides, one can easily stand on the bridge and do pooja and prayer rituals.

There were many who used to go from Danushkodi to the present spot of contention and pray, before the commencement of the project work. So the two questions asked by the Supreme Court is purely out of ignorance and it ought to have acquainted itself with facts before asking such questions.

The Government of India must respect the UN Convention on underwater heritage projects by ordering the Archaeological Survey of India to undertake the survey listing and protection of underwater cultural monuments.

Rama Setu is a sacred monument, which must not be damaged, but saved and protected.

The Supreme Court - rather than questioning the faith of the Hindus - would do well to question the economic viability of the project, the environmental concerns created by the project, the security threats posed by the project, the threat for the livelihood feared by thousands of fishermen due to the implementation of the project.

Signed Sri Vishweshatheertha Swamijee, Pejawar Math, Udupi.

S. Kalyanaraman

National President, 20 April 2008 Camp: New Delhi

Hindu worship, teerthasthanam, court perceptions

http://setubandha.blogspot.com/2008/04/hindu-worship-teerthasthanam-court.html

"Saguna Upasana and Nirguna Upasana. Upasana is of two kinds, viz., Pratika Upasana and Ahamgraha Upasana. 'Pratika' means a symbol. Pratika Upasana is Saguna Upasana. Ahamgraha Upasana is Nirguna Upasana or meditation on the formless and attributeless Akshara or transcendental Brahman. Meditation on idols, Saligram, pictures of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Siva, Gayatri Devi is Pratika Upasana. The blue expansive sky, all-pervading ether, all-pervading light of the sun etc., are also 'Pratikas' for abstract meditation. Saguna Upasana is concrete meditation. Nirguna Upasana is abstract meditation… An object is used in the outer Puja such as an image (Pratima), a picture or an emblem such as Saligram in the case of Vishnu worship or Linga in the case of worship of Siva… Pratima (idol) is a substitute or symbol. The image in a temple, though it is made of stone, wood or metal, is precious for a devotee as it bears the mark of his Lord, as it stands for something which he holds holy and eternal… When you worship an image, you do not say, "This image has come from Jaipur. It was brought by Prabhu Singh. Its weight is 50 lbs. It is made of white marble. It has cost me Rs, 500/-."You superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the image and pray, "O Antaryamin (Inner Ruler)!You are all-pervading; you are omnipotent, omniscient, all-merciful. You are the source for everything. You are self-existent. You are Sat-Chit-Ananda. You are eternal, unchanging. You are the Life of my life, Soul of my soul! Give me light and knowledge! Let me dwell in Thee for ever." When your devotion and meditation become intense and deep, you do not see the stone image. You behold the Lord only, who is chaitanya. Image worship is very necessary for beginners." The philosophy and significance of Idol worship by Swamy Sivananda (1960, pp. 2-3, 6).(Copy of the book is attached).

IDOL'S PROPERTIES:- The properties of an Hindu temple or an idol or debutter estate vests in idol itself, while it's possession and management vests in the shabait as manager of the debutter estate. Deoki Nandan v Muralidhar AIR 1955 SC 133.

IDOL IS JURISTIC PERSON:- When the property is given absolutely by a pious Hindu for the worship of an idol, the property vests in the idol itself as a juristic person. Kalamaka Devi v M.R.T.Nagji AIR 1970 SC 439, 441.

http://sbn-caselaw.blogspot.com/2007/05/case-laws-governing-religious-and.html

In Hindu law, a Hindu temple has legal personality in Tamil Nadu. Rama Setu is a Hindu temple. Rama Setu is part of Ramanathaswamy temple complex in Setubandha Rameshwaram.

"In Hindu law, a family idol has legal personality

(Pramatha Nath Mullick v Pradyumna Kumar Mullick (1925) LR 52 Ind App 245; see P W Duff, 'The personality of an idol'(1927) 3 CLJ 42).In Bumper Development Corporation v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [1991] 1 WLR 1362, expert evidence was accepted that a Hindu temple has legal personality in Tamil Nadu. For a proposal that natural environmental features should be given legal personality so that they can bring proceedings to prevent, or obtain compensation for, damage, see C D Stone, 'Should trees have standing?—Toward legal rights for natural objects' introduction (1972) 45S Cal L Rev 450 and '"Should trees have standing?"revisited:how far will law and morals

reach? A pluralist perspective'(1985) 59S Cal L Rev 1."

www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199210817/mayson_ch01.pdf

Bumper Development Corporation v. Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [1991] 1 WLR 1362, [1991] 4 All ER 638 (CA), 245

The second 'contrary case' was a 1925 decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England. This particular case originated in India and involved the legal status of an endowed Hindu idol. The idol in question had been endowed by a subsequently deceased man for family worship in a particular place. A guardian or custodian had been designated and this individual had decided to move the idol to another place of worship. An objection was made to this plan. The Privy Council decided that the case had not been properly argued in the High Court of Calcutta because the special interests of the idol and its female worshippers had not been independently represented. The judges ordered that the case be reheard. In their opinion, the idol was a distinct "juristic" or legal entity which had the power to sue and to be sued. The idol was not a mere moveable chattel; in decisions with respect to the idol, the will of the idol was to be respected. In the view of the Privy Council, it was "open to the idol acting through its guardian to conduct its worship in its own way, at its own place." The judges were not referring to the idol as having a human or supernatural personality, but to a legal personality whereby the "will" of the idol "seems to be that for legal purposes is whatever the law regards as such." The judges referred to "long-established authority founded upon the religious customs of the Hindus and the recognition thereof by Law" that an idol was a juristic entity. (Note also Bumper Development Corporation v. Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, [1991] 4 All E.R. 638 in which the English Court of Appeal accepted that an "Indian Hindu temple [was] recognized as a legal person in Indian law, [and was] entitled to sue, through its representative, in an English court for the recovery of stolen property." )

http://www.lawsite.ca/WLSC/LegalPerson_w.htm

Prana Pratishtha Ceremony: its meaning

A Hindu Temple is a sacred place, endowed with divine energies and powers. At the heart of each temple lie the deities, to whom we bow and pray in worship. Why is it, though, that these statues, these "idols" are worshipped as God? How did they come to be infused with divine characteristics? The answer is the Prana Pratishtha ceremony.

People say that Hindus are idol worshippers. We are not. We are ideal worshippers. It is not the plaster and marble and stone we revere; rather it is the presence of God which has been transmitted into these otherwise lifeless statues. The rites and rituals of Prana Pratishtha are followed strictly according to the Agamic texts. Prior to installation, priests who have been well trained in vedic rituals, perform specific mantras and pujas which have been shown to endow an inanimate object with divine life and energy.

These mantras and rites begin with the simple man who sculpts the stone. He is not an ordinary artist. Rather, he is one who has been blessed with the ability to create a physical manifestation of God. He performs puja and prayer prior to and during the sculpting. He maintains, in his mind, the vision of the deity he is sculpting. He prays for this God to come to life in his statue. His work area looks more like a temple than an art studio. So, from the very first moment, the stone is treated with reverence and piety, preparing it to carry the force of God.

Then, when the murtis are finished and taken to the temple, the special Prana Pratishtha ceremony typically lasts for five days. During this time, numerous special rites and rituals are performed and mantras are chanted. It is after this complex set of sacred rituals that the murtis become infused with divine power and truly embody the God in whose manifest form they are created. At this point, they are no longer murtis. They are deities. After this, we no longer refer to the stone or other materials of which they are constructed. For, they have become sanctified and are now only a physical manifestation of aspects of the Supreme Godhead. They are no longer marble. They are now divine. "Whatever form of Me any devotee worships with faith, I come alive in that form." (Bhagavad Gita).

Some people may ask why we need deities, if God exists everywhere. It is very difficult for most people to envision the un-manifest, ever-present, all-pervading Supreme Being. It is easier for us to focus our attention and our love on an image of Him. It is easier to display love, affection and devotion to a physical deity than to a transcendent, omni-present existence. Additionally, through the Prana Pratishtha ceremony and through our own faith and piety, this image of Him truly comes alive and become Him. So, by worshipping His image with faith and love, we arrive at His holy feet.

In the Srimad Bhagavatum, Lord Krishna says, "Whenever one develops faith in Me – in My manifest form as the Deity or in any other of my manifestations – one should worship Me in that form. I exist within all created beings as well as separately in both My un-manifest and manifest forms. I am the Supreme Soul of all." (Canto ll, Chapter 27, Verse 48).

http://www.ihrf.com/publi/drops/drops-prana.htm

Rama Setu: Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha resolutions, Feb. 2008

Resolutions passed in the third Conference of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, held in Sri Adichunchanagiri( near Bangalore) on February 9-11, 2008

This third Conference of the Acharya Sabha was held in the ancient Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Matha during February 9 to 11, 2008. The Acharya members present heard the Secretary’s report and the Convener’s observations. With that background, the Acharya Sabha deliberated on a variety of topics of concern and interest to Hindus world-wide and in India in particular. The substance of the deliberations and conclusions appears in the brief Statement below. It is followed by the Resolutions passed on individual topics in the Agenda considered by the Acharya Sabha.

Statement.

1. There is an increasing awareness among the Acharya leadership, of the seriousness of Hindu concerns and causes which are not addressed or insufficiently addressed by authorities and within Indian Society; some of the Acharyas have taken the initiative to project the grievances of Hinduism and Hindus in specific cases; many have lent their hand and support to collective action to highlight Hindu sensitivities and grievances;
2. Awareness of unjust treatment of Hindus in the country under the flawed concept of secularism, has increased considerably overseas; such awareness is providing support to Hindu awareness among the masses in India;
3. The State Government of Tamil Nadu has in callous disregard of Hindu sentiments pursued the ill-considered Sethusamudram project despite repeated representations from numerous experts and members of the public and also from the Acharya Sabha; the Government of India has also not been sensitive to the sacred resonance of ‘Rama Setu’ in the hearts of millions of Hindus all over the world, in persisting with the dredging of the narrow sea between Sri Lanka and India along an alignment that will damage the ‘Rama Setu’ irretrievably. The Acharya Sabha therefore fully supports the country-wide agitation in the matter, appreciates the scholarly documentation that was put together and the legal action mounted.
4. Several Hindu organizations in the country are becoming active and proactive in the field to counter adverse propaganda against Hindu society and Dharma, to oppose conversion and violence and to highlight Hindu sensitivities;
5. More and more subtle attempts are underway outside the country to ‘appropriate’ Hindu philosophy and practices( such as Yoga, meditation, Sanskrit language and even sacred scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita), detaching them from their Hindu identity;
6. Global warming resulting in the rapid receding of glaciers that feed the great Indian rivers, is a major threat to the world and particularly to India; sustained efforts are needed by several authorities to stem this adverse tide; the Hindu religious leadership must explain to the devotee masses how Hindu heritage strongly opposes reckless consumption and supports conservation of and respect to all forms of life;
7. Many ancient Mathas and temples in the country are in need of rejuvenation; these institutions have a major role in sustaining, teaching and strengthening Hindu Dharma; Mathatipatis must nominate their successors before it becomes too late to do so; otherwise another pretext becomes available for government to interfere in these Hindu institutions;
8. The Acharya Sabha re-pledges itself, in the aforementioned context to speak in a single united voice, act in a concerted manner to implement specific action plans drawn up from time to time, to strengthen Hindu Dharma and Society, and counter the problems and threats they face. In this context, a lot more needs to be done by individual Acharyas in their tours, Pravachans and among their vast devotee populations in: raising Hindu self esteem; resisting and preventing conversion by protagonists of other religions; refusing to be cowed down by threats of violence from any quarter; taking recourse to legal action in specific cases aimed at protecting Hindu interests at large;
9. Individual Acharya members should consider and project the activities of their Mathas and Peethas as an effort to implement the Resolutions of the Acharya Sabha.

In the light of the foregoing, the Acharya Sabha passes the following Resolutions and calls for their vigorous implementation both by individual Acharya members, sannyasis, Hindu activists and the secretariat of the Acharya Sabha.

Temple governance matters.

Noting that

· in Andhra Pradesh, a High Court Stay was in force on acquisition of temple lands for any purpose till writ petitions filed in that regard are finally disposed off;

· In Andhra Pradesh, certain amendments have been made to the Endowment Act, the primary purpose of which is to reduce the work load on the government department and to release very small temples with little or no income into the hands of individual archakas for implementing daily pujas with the help of govt. subvention/devotee offerings;

· in Karnataka, a high powered committee has submitted recommendations for a new Endowment Law after the High Court struck down the earlier ones on certain grounds not necessarily recognizing Hindu concerns in matters of temple governance;

· in Kerala, in a Writ filed with the help of the Acharya Sabha Trust, the High Court conceded a peripheral point regarding oath-administration, but did not favour any basic concern of Hindu Society as a whole in temple matters;

· in Madhya Pradesh a new Law is under consideration in respect of temples but it seeks to retains all control in a series of government nominated bodies and in the hands of the government itself;

· in Himachal Pradesh and in Uttarakhand new governments have taken over;

· the alarming tendency in governments, both Central and the State, to treat temples and places of sacred importance to Hindus as tourist attraction particularly for foreign tourism which detracts from their sacred value to Hindus;

· there have been many terrorist attacks on Hindu places of worship in the country, and the perpetrators have not been brought to book; and

· the need for local Hindu communities to gather experience in governing temples of different sizes and popularity among temple-worshipping devotees; and thereby for establishing the credibility of the claim that they are capable of managing their places of worship, efficiently, transparently and in an accountable manner.

It is hereby resolved that

· active recourse must be taken to concerted legal action and for this purpose legal cells may be identified and created in different States and at Delhi;

· a Legal Action Fund may be created in the Acharya Sabha Trust to which individual Acharya may contribute liberally;

· rapport may be established with the new governments in Himachal Pradesh and in Uttarakhand to explore the possibility of some salutary changes in the manner of temple governance;

· correspondence may be initiated with the Chief Ministers and the Tourism Minister of Govt. of India on the need to safeguard the sanctity of temples and other places of sacred importance to Hindus; this may be followed up with visits on behalf of the Acharya Sabha, to the ministers;

· representations may be addressed to appropriate authorities deploring increasing terrorist threats to and attacks on Hindu places of worship and demanding strong preventive and punitive action;

· temple committees comprising local temple-worshipping communities should be set up as a part and parcel of Dharma Rakshana Samitis (decided at the last Conference at Mumbai) as a measure of education in transparent and accountable management, harmonious local participation in such management and demonstrable credibility for self-management of places of Hindu worship. Individual Acharyas are exhorted to undertake this exercise within their Sampradayas and area of Matha/Peetha influence.

Temple –entry matters.

Noting that

· while long-held local traditions in regard to some restrictions on entering temples, can not be easily and abruptly brushed aside, it is necessary to take steps which contribute to reducing and eliminating divisiveness within Hindu Society and to thwart forces that stand to benefit by such divisiveness;

· it is necessary to distinguish between idle curiosity that brings some people to wander into temples and genuine visitors who want to observe and learn about temples and the time-honored customs of worship in them.

It is hereby resolved that

· it is necessary to follow all reasonable laws of the land , both in letter and spirit, in restricting entry in to temples and other places sacred to Hindus;

· it is not incorrect, however, to prevent or restrict entry of non-devotees and mere curiosity-seeking tourists, particularly improperly clad or groomed tourists and visitors including such persons from overseas;

· the basic approach in specific cases must be to harmonize local traditions gradually with the expectations of temple-worshipping Hindu devotees and to respect contemporary standards of equity and equality;

· in the event of necessity to restrain individuals from entering temples, the matter should be cordially explained to them; special care must be taken to see that sevadars and pujaris are not offensive or rude to them; and

· none except authorized religious personnel should be allowed to enter the Garbhagriha, which is a specially sanctified place in a temple.

Whom to consider as a Hindu and what distinguishes Sanaatana Dharma (Hinduism).

Noting that

· unlike in other religious persuasions it is not possible to straitjacket a Hindu and Hinduism exclusively in any set of practices, rituals or taboos;

· Hinduism should not be viewed only through the prism of what is construed as ‘religion’ by non-Hindus;

· various differing Sampradayas of ancient lineage with diverse interpretations and understandings of ancient scriptural teachings such as Vedas with all the Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita etc constitute Sanaatana Dharma( Hinduism) and are all integral to Hinduism;

· not-withstanding the foregoing it is necessary to compile a set of simple guiding principles with which modern youth, Ghar Vapasi families, and those outside Hindu Dharma, can obtain a basic understanding of Hinduism; and

· Bhagawad Gita contains a comprehensive code of Dharma, which could be followed by all human beings for a morally upright, happy and productive life.

It is hereby resolved that

· a compilation may be prepared as a practical guide to distinguish a Hindu and Hinduism, with the understanding that it should be taken only as a starting point for a deeper study by a serious seeker, of several authentic interpretations and of the chosen Sampradaya; and

· the idea that Bhagawad Gita merits acceptance as the National Book of India, is worthy of promotion.

Reconversion(Ghar Vapasi issues).

Noting that

· more and more families seem to be interested in returning to their own traditions of faith and worship, realizing the disruption and discord that religious conversion is creating in their communities;

· assistance to such ‘returnees’—Ghar Vapasi families–is resented by individuals and entities engaged in conversion activities, and therefore attempts will increase to throw doubts on and discredit re-conversion;

· after re-conversion, families face intimidation by hostile forces and will, therefore, need sustained efforts at re-absorption in their local communities.

It is hereby resolved that

· every Acharya member is hereby authorized and empowered on behalf of the Acharya Sabha , to encourage, undertake freely and bless all voluntary and genuine re-conversions to Hindu Dharma;

· Such blessing may be accompanied by a simple sanctification ceremony, chosen by the Acharya for the re-converting families/individuals; they may be given simple Hindu names by which they will be called and known to authorities henceforth; as a mark of re-conversion they may be blessed with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita or a small pendant with a god/goddess of the family’s choice or any other such religious symbol;

· Acharya members should in their tours and pravachans emphasize that such returning individuals/families must be readily accepted socially and get connected through marriage etc ( “roti-beti sambhanda”);

· Acharya members may grant privileged darsanam, singly or collectively, to such Ghar Vapasi individuals/families in their field tours and in their Mathas/Peethas; this gesture will be valued greatly by the returning individuals/families;

· The reconverting individuals/families should be free to choose their ancestral caste identity if known and preferred; if not, this may be left to themselves and the village community to be settled amicably; in doing so, any special economic benefit that may be available under law or government schemes, should be kept in mind so that the returnees benefit accordingly;

· It is essential that suitable documentation should precede and follow any Ghar Vapasi program; they are: (1) an application for voluntary re-conversion; (2) an affidavit to be sworn by the voluntary re-convert; and (3) a Report to the District Authorities of the Government (sub divisional magistrate/District Collector or any other official prescribed by the State government concerned) intimating of such voluntary re-conversion with the new name(s). The documentation should be as shown in the attachment to this Resolution; and

· Special care must be taken, with the help of devotees of the Acharya Sabha member, to see that the reconverted individual/family is not subsequently intimidated or lured/enticed by evangelists or their agents, or authorities misled, about such re-conversion with a view to bring ill-repute or harm to such Ghar Vapasis. This follow-up action may need frequent visit to, or even stationing of an activist in, the village/ community for a while.

Distortion and Denigration of Hinduism by academicians.

Noting that

· for several years now some Western academics, particularly in some American Universities have been publishing articles, PhD theses and books, purporting to interpret and analyze Hinduism, Hindu deities and worship practices;

· some of these works are extremely ill-informed or purposely distorted; they do not meet the rigorous standards of scholarship nor do they undergo competent peer-review; they denigrate things sacred to Hindus;

· these works do not remain within scholarly circles but find their way as recommended readings in schools and colleges in the US; besides giving a completely wrong picture of what is Hinduism and what their deities stand for, they impact the young minds of Hindu children and young adults in a deeply injurious manner—destroying their self esteem and pride in their own tradition and cultural roots;

· TV media in India is dominated by non-Hindu interests, pseudo-secularists and Abrahamic religious leadership/institutions; the result is that Hindu youth does not get a correct picture of what Hinduism is and what is its stand on many contemporary issues amidst virulent propaganda against Hindu Dharma; and

· under the deeply flawed notion of what secularism means, school and college curricula avoid any serious Religious studies in the country in an academic setting; this affects Hindu thought particularly.

It is hereby resolved that

· the book, Invading the Sacred, which exposes in a scholarly setting these developments should be widely distributed to encourage large-scale readership; an adapted Summary version in different languages should be put out in the country and liberally distributed;

· till such time a full blown Acharya Sabha TV Channel becomes a reality, Acharyas may buy time-slots in the existing regional and national TV Channels ( Sanskar; Astha; Vishwa Dharisanam, and several such regional language channels) for expertly designed programs; they should comprise not only pravachans on Hindu scriptural and Puranic wisdom but also lectures by Hindu scholars in various professions, debates on contemporary Hindu concerns and issues with a view to countering false propaganda by vested interests and uninformed criticism of Hindu Dharma, and to convey authentic information to youth about Hinduism’s stand on several contemporary social issues. Some important examples are the problem of global warming and how families could contribute to mitigating the adverse effects, child and women welfare, labor welfare, moderating competition in business with compassion and Seva for the underprivileged;

· efforts must be mounted to install departments and curricula of Religious Studies in educational institutions in different States; and well-educated and academically inclined brahmacharis and brahmacharinis should be identified by individual Acharyas and encouraged with financial support to undertake higher studies and PhD programs in civilization/culture/ religion-related subjects; such studies should also be encouraged to develop and clarify Hindu position on a variety of contemporary issues such as human rights, child labour, women welfare, labour welfare, good governance, legal and penal controversies, poverty eradication, sociology, Hindu history, anthropology, medicine, archaeology, architecture etc; and

· colonial constructs and colonized mind- set must be exposed in an academic setting, and in media-debates, journals and in scholarly publications, for which financial and other forms of support should be extended by Acharyas and their well-to-do devotees.

Dharma Index of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

Noting that

· the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies as a Consultant to some private companies including the Dow Jones of the US, had proposed and spearheaded the institution of a “Dharma Index” to ‘grade’ Industry and Business (and enterprises) as a guide to investors and businessmen/entrepreneurs;

· in doing so, the Center, on the basis of advice tendered by a group of academics overseas selected by it, has chosen ‘Ahimsa’, construed as ‘non-violence’ and ‘Loka-samgraha’, understood as ‘responsible action for universal welfare’ as guiding moral principles for such grading;

· on being requested by the Center to be a member of ‘spiritual leaders’ to ‘bless’ the Index, the Convener of the Acharya Sabha got the matter studied in consultation with the Director of the Center ; and the former came to the conclusion that the concept and operational modalities of the Index, needed more collective in-depth thinking by Business and Finance experts as well as Dharmic individuals sufficiently knowledgeable in lived Dharma; and that launching the Index without more thought might lead to consequences that may not be happy for those who choose to be guided by the Index; accordingly the Convener had written to the Center, a copy of which was circulated to the members of the Acharya Sabha;

· the Center had also, reportedly, approached directly a few Acharya members( HH Yatindra Mahadesikan of Ahobila Matha; HH Ramanuja Jeer of Vanamamalai math; HH Pejawar Swamigal; HH Pramukh Swamigal of Swaminarayana and Hh Kanchi Sankaracharya); the Convener accordingly apprised them of the stand taken by the Convener on behalf of the Acharya Sabha; and

· the Center notwithstanding the above had gone ahead and launched the so-called “Dharma Index”.

It is hereby resolved that

· individual Acharyas mentioned above and any other Acharya member who may be approached may kindly keep in mind the foregoing developments in mind; they may advise the Oxford Center that the association of members of the Acharya Sabha in a spiritual group or for ‘blessing’ the Index should be preceded by more careful examination of the concept and the consequences of the implementation of the Index.

· a Media Note may be circulated by the Convener accordingly.

Preservation of ancient Hindu heritage documents

Noting that

· a very large number of Hindu heritage manuscripts and other material are in the possession of individuals, religious institutions including Mathas and Peethas and they require proper scientific conservation, preservation for posterity, cataloguing etc by experts;

· around a million of such treasures of our heritage are reported to have been identified and a large number, digitalized with the help of the manuscript depositories all over the country;

· the National Mission for Manuscripts has identified 45 manuscripts to be included, as first instalment in a “Vigyananidhi” ;

· the University of Karnataka and an American company were to collaborate in digitalizing about a lakh of such manuscripts in diverse fields of knowledge; and the Union Ministry of Culture and the National Mission for manuscripts were also engaged in similar activities; and

· abrahamic religious institutions are more organized and tightly controlled to ensure scientific conservation of their heritage documents, their preservation by digitalization for posterity and their wide availability for research.

It is hereby Resolved that

· individual Acharyas may get this matter examined with reference to precious heritage manuscripts and other material that may be in their possession or their Mathas/Peethas or in the possession of their devotees and contribute actively to their location, identification, decipherment, evaluation, cataloguing, conservation and preservation by digitalization for posterity of all such heritage material.;

· in doing so, care must be taken that foreign agencies do not acquire ownership or management rights over our Heritage material;

· any assistance that may be required in this regard may be given by the Convener and the Secretariat.

Functioning of Regional Committees and the Emergency Committee of Acharyas

Noting that

· the regional Committees and the Emergency Committee nominated at the time of the last Acharya Sabha Conference have not been actively functional; and

· their active functioning is important considering the difficulty of convening the Acharya Sabha too often or for specific purposes as and when they arise;

It is hereby resolved that

· these committees may be activated by the convener Acharya members and kept active in respect of problems as and when they arise and the Secretariat may provide all assistance in this regard; and

· he socio-economic Seva and Ghar Vapasi work experience of Acharyas in their regions may be shared with other Acharya members for mutual benefit. The Secretariat should facilitate such mutual exchange of experience.

The Sabha concluded with the resolve that in the next Conference, each Acharya member may present to the Sabha as whole, the initiatives and work programs undertaken by his Matha/Peetha in the period after the present Conference.

February 13, 2008

PRESS RELEASE

26.01.2008


The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr.Karunanidhi should stop wailing about the SethuSamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) at every public function pleading with the Centre to implement the project expeditiously ignoring the objections of others.

The SSCP is however now “clinically dead” and is surviving only on the oxygen of the rhetoric of Mr.Karunanidhi. Only formal cremation and final rites of the project now remains. Mr.Karunanidhi should realize that like Ravana, he too has been defeated by Lord Rama.

Instead of grieving for the dead project, Mr.Karunanidhi should, for the rapid development of the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu ask the Centre should build double broad gauge railway lines and a six lane National High connecting Kanyakumari to Kolkata along the coast. The Mannar Bay should be developed as a Marine Economic Zone, and as an export container port, while an international airport should be constructed in Tuticorin.

Therefore Mr.Karunanidhi should learn from the Bhagwat Gita and think positively about the future, instead of the dead past.

(SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)

Statement of Sri S.Vedanthamji, Working President (Intl), VHP

A Great victory for Ram Bakthas

For millions of Hindus Ramasethu was the bridge built by Nala & Neela under the instructions from Lord Ram to cross over the sea and redeem Sita Matha from Sri Lanka

The so called secular Govt. in Bharath in the garb of development wanted to demolish the Ram Sethu and implement the SSCP project though alternate route is available. To establish their claim they even dared to challenge the existence of Bhagawan Rama and the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu has gone to the extent of calling Rama as a drunkard.

The VHP and parivar organizations jointly put up a fight against the pseudo secularists for hurting the Hindu sentiments.

After many agitations & programmes like fasting, public meetings and rallies, road roko, and Rath yatra with the floating stones taken from the Ram sethu which were conducted in the nook and corner of the country evoked a very great response from the public. In order to show the solidarity of Hindus on this issue it was decided to organize a mammoth rally in the capital of the country to send a strong message to the Government.

This Rama Setu Mahasammelan convened by Rameswaram Rama Sethu Raksha Manch a forum exclusively formed for this purpose by VHP, was held on 30 Dec. 2007 from 11 AM to 5 PM is a historic movement, unprecedented in the annals of Indian history.Over 10 lakh Ramabakthas had assembled on a 27 lakh sq. ft. ground of Swarna Jayanti Park, Rohini, New Delhi in spite of the Mercury touching as low as 3 degree Celsius.

The vast park which was 1 km in both length and breadth was filled to capacity and the participants had to find accommodation on the parks and pathways adjacent to the Japani Park which had become Rama Setu Vaatika.

Sri Sudarsanji-RSS , Sri Ashok Singhlaji, Sri Vedantamji, Sri Praveen Togadia, Sri Rajnath Singh, BJP leaders like Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Sri Arun Jaitley, Smt Sushma Swaraj, all the Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states and many MPs and MLAs from BJP have attended the programme.

The programme was presided over by Sankaracharya of Jyotish mutt and attended by many sadhus and Sanyasis from all over Bharath. To name a few: Sri Vishveshteertha Swamigal of Pejawar Mutt Udupi, Sadvi Ritambaradevi, Mahanth Sri Nruthya Gopal Doss, Acharya Dharmendra, Sri Ramvilas Vedanthi.

The 27 lakh sq ft ground which was full of bushes and litter was cleaned and made available for use in just 7 days by the local BJP MLA and the municipal councilors.

The participants came from every nook and corner of India by over 100 trains and using over 10,000 buses, 6000 cars, and thousands of two-wheelers and by pada yatra. Elaborate arrangements were made in New Delhi and nearby railway stations to receive people coming from remote corners of the country. VHP has booked more than 1000 temples 70 schools , 250 community centres and 50 dharansalas for accommodating more than 65000 participants. Over 10 lakh food packets were contributed by the people of Delhi and distributed to all the participants as they entered Delhi.

The message from the meeting was emphatic, loud and clear: declare Rama Setu as world heritage monument, declare Rameshwaram as divyakshetram and apologise for the comments made which have hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus world-wide.

Due to this unexpected and unprecedented Hindu resurgence manifested in the form of such a vast congregation in the political capital of India the government is now scared to implement the Sethu Samudram Canal project fearing the backlash of Hindus.

Statement of Dr.Subramanian Swamy, President of Janata Party,

1. I shall be filing a new interlocutory application {IA} next week in the Supreme Court seeking the complete scrapping of the Sethusamudran Ship Channel Project [SSCP] on the following grounds:

[a] The SSCP was sanctioned by the Union Cabinet without the mandatory prior clearance by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Post-sanction clearance by the TNPCB does not remove this legal defect, because retrospective environment clearance is not permitted under law.

[b] The project is in violation of the Ministry of Environment & Forest's binding advice contained in a letter dated April 8, 1999 to the Ministry of Surface Transport that the project is an environmental disaster and should be dropped altogether. There is no new fresh data that have been collected since that make it possible for the Ministry to revise its 1999 advice.

[c] The decision to select the Alignment No.6 channel route that requires cutting through the Rama Setu is illegal because NEERI has already submitted in a 1998 Report to the government that cutting through coral rocks and reefs would require blasting by using explosives and hence it will completely destroy the marine life in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Straits. On this binding recommendation, the Ministry of Shipping dropped the Alignment No.5 because it would have needed blasting coral rocks near Dhanushkodi. Now the Alignment No.6 favoured by the DMK leaders requires ten times more blasting hence even more illegal.

[d] Following the jallikattu revised decision of the Supreme Court, wherein it is observed that the Tamil Nadu government has accepted the principle that status quo has to be maintained if any change hurts the religious sentiments of the people, therefore the Rama Setu cannot be damaged in anyway. Jallikattu affects only one district of India, while Rama Setu is revered by nearly a billion Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains the world over. Hence the principle of religious sentiments applies even more.

[e] The SSCP's detailed project report[DPR] was prepared before the Tsunami hit the Tamil Nadu coast. Now world renowned experts consulted by the government have opined that Rama Setu had helped to reduce the virulence of the Tsunami. Hence the DPR is out of date and the SSCP should be scrapped unless a new DPR is prepared to show that the channel will have any funnel effect in a Tsunami.

2. The SSCP is a financial white elephant. The claim of the Shipping Minister Mr. T.R. Baalu that the project will be an economic boon the Tamil Nadu is based on bogus and cooked up data. This has been proved and presented in my forthcoming new book titled: Rama Setu--A Symbol of National Unity. Hence I shall write to the PM soon seeking sanction to prosecute Baalu under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 420 of the IPC.
(SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)

Rajnath: UPA is playing with fire

Reacting to the TIMES NOW story on the draft Cabinet note by the Shipping ministry terming Rama Sethu as a natural formation, BJP President Rajnath Singh has reacted strongly saying that the bridge was buit by Lord Rama is a matter of faith and the BJP will give the Centre a fitting reply after the former submits its affidavit to the Supreme Court.

“I believe questions of faith and belief cannot be answered with history and science. We are also waiting to see what kind of an affidavit the Government files in the Supreme Court. We will react only after that,” said Singh today (January 18).

Singh told TIMES NOW off the record however that the UPA was ‘playing with fire’ and would be engulfed by its heat if it chose to stoke the religious passions of the people. He said the Rama Sethu was a matter of faith and non negotiable, and any attempt to classify it as manmade which would entail the UPA dredging it, or cut through it, would not be allowed. The BJP will await the text of the affidavit before giving a fitting reply, added Singh.

Will SC do a jallikattu for Rama Setu?

http://kalyan98.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/will-sc-do-a-jallikattu-for-rama-setu/

Madras HC judgement of 19 June 2007 on Rama Setu referred to hurting sentiments of a community as a cognizable offence under Section 295 of IPC. Former Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Krishna Iyer have eloquently argued that sentiments of Hindus should be respected and Rama Setu should be protected. Justice Krishna Iyer went on to say that no patriotic Indian can support the Setu project

Well, there are over 8000 pages of scientific evidence submitted to the courts explaining how Setu project is a disaster and why Rama Setu should be protected.

Will the Hon'ble Supreme Court do a jallikattu for Rama Setu?

We are beholden to Dr. Subramanian Swamy for bringing the decision on Jallikattu to the notice of the 3-judge bench hearing the Rama Setu issue on 16 Jan. 2008 when the Centre sought 2 weeks' time for submitting their long over-due affidavit. It is heartening to note that the Bench responded with good humour to this impassioned but correct remark of Dr. Swamy.

Is the Centre listening? Is the Committee of Secretaries who indulge in selective leaks to the media listening?

Thanks to Shri V. Sundaram for bringing out the imperative of uniform and consistent judicial standards for judging sentiments of common people.

Dr.Kalyananraman

What makes SC play Jallikattu with Hindus

V SUNDARAM | Wed, 16 Jan, 2008 , 02:19 PM

.The Supreme Court of India has been consistently inconsistent on vital issues affecting the long cherished hopes, emotions, feelings, sentiments and sensibilities of the common people of India. Yesterday the Supreme Court reversed the ban it had imposed on Jallikattu in the Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu which it had imposed through an order on 11 January, 2008. This has been widely welcomed by the people of Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court issued the ban order on 11 January, 2008 terming it as barbaric and inhuman as bulls were tortured, administered chilli powder and local brew to make them charge in an enraged manner. Soon after this ban order was announced, there was a visible public uproar in Southern Tamil Nadu. The public consternation arose because of the public perception that the Supreme Court of India was trying to crush the age-old religious feelings and sentiments of the people. Thousands of them were determined to defy the ban order of the Supreme Court and the public slogan was "Ignore the Supreme Court order ! Come out into the open and participate in Jallikattu at any cost, without any fear. Hold fast to your Jallikattu convictions !" Many people in the rural areas of Madurai, Dindugal, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli Districts considered the Supreme Court's peremptory ban on Jallikattu as a direct religious and cultural attack on the Hindus of Tamil Nadu.

Surprisingly enough, the Government of Tamil Nadu came out with the argument that the ban on the 600 years old traditional event of Jallikattu would hurt peoples' religious feelings and sentiments. Referring to many intelligence reports, Government of Tamil Nadu stated "in most villages, the people have decided to defy the Supreme Court order and to go ahead with the celebration of Jallikattu as usual........This situation could create a major law and order problem in many places during the Pongal festival". Thus two basic issues were raised by the Government of Tamil Nadu for getting the earlier ban order revoked by the Supreme Court. They are : a) religious feelings of the people would get hurt. b) There will be a breakdown of law and order because the people are determined to defy the orders of the Supreme Court.

It is understood that the Supreme Court put two relevant and embarrassing questions to the Counsel appearing for Tamil Nadu Government : 1. Why is the Tamil Nadu Government invoking religious sentiments in this Jallikattu case ?. 2. What would be their stand in the Rama Sethu case pending before the Supreme Court ?

The Hindus of India in absolute majority expect the Supreme Court of India not to function as the fountainhead of religious and political discrimination at the apex level. When Dayananda Saraswathy, several other Madadhipathis and may others filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India in August 2006, seeking a ban on the demolition of more than 1.7 million years old Rama Sethu ( even according to NASA report ), the Supreme Court rejected it summarily. Now on a petition filed by Tamil Nadu Government for removing a ban on Jallikattu on the ground that it is an event which has been going on in Tamil Nadu for over 400 years and that a ban on it would hurt the religious feelings of the people, the Supreme Court has reversed its order of January 11, 2008 in just 5 days. If the religious feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu can get hurt by a ban on Jallikattu, the Supreme Court should not fail to take note of the fact that the deliberate attempt of UPA Government to destroy the timeless Rama Sethu bridge in Rameswaram will equally hurt ( if not more ! ) the religious feelings of nearly 900 millions of Hindus in India and also of millions of Hindus outside India in all the other parts of the world. Any court of law should be able to distinguish between Jallikattu which only has a local significance in Tamil Nadu and Rama Sethu which is of national and international significance.

If the Government of Tamil Nadu is concerned about the breakdown of law and order following the Supreme Court's ban on Jallikattu, it should not also ignore the fact that if the might of the State is deployed for the planned destruction of Rama Sethu, which has been in existence for centuries, all the Hindus of India would not hesitate to unite in order to take the matter to the streets for asserting and claiming their age old Hindu rights regarding Rama Sethu. In that event, there will be a greater breakdown of law and order not only in Tamil Nadu but throughout the nation.

I can do no better than conclude in the words of Anjana Suthan :

"The 'Bull' (Rishabam in Sanskrit & Kaalai in Tamil) is worshipped as 'Nandhi' Bhagwan by the Hindus. The Nandhi Bhagwan has exposed the hypocrisy of the Tamil Nadu government and the duplicity of Dravidianism through the 'Jalli Kattu' controversy. The rationalist Tamil Nadu government headed by an Atheist Chief Minister, which questioned the truth of Ramayana, historicity of Lord Rama and existence of thousands of years old Rama Sethu in the ongoing SSCP controversy, had shamelessly taken shelter under 'Hindu Religion' while arguing its case for the conduction of Jalli Kattu. While the 'Bull fight' has only cultural tradition and not any religiousness attached to it, the state government had presented to the Apex Court that, the Bull fight organized during the Pongal festival is an ancient traditional sports more than 400 years old and that the stopping of such a sport would hurt the 'religious' sentiments of the people. The government had requested the SC to lift the stay on the above grounds and the Supreme Court had obliged only after laying certain conditions such as, the organizers must obtain permission from the district Collector, registration must be made, Animal Husbandry officials must inspect the Bulls, participants must be registered, Medical facilities & presence of Veterinary teams must be ensured, the event must come under the observation of Animal Welfare Board Members and the event must be video graphed by government media like Doordarshan. The stay was lifted only late in the afternoon yesterday, but surprisingly the event is 'on' today itself in Alanganallur. One wonders how the District Administration could ensure all the above guidelines annexed by the SC within 24 hrs!..... In the process, the Supreme Court also stands totally exposed! The Supreme Court, which delayed to the maximum possible extent to grant a stay on the destruction of Sacred Rama Sethu, when arguments were made and hell of a lot of Proofs & authentic documents were submitted on Religious grounds, had yielded to the Atheist state government in just one sitting, on the same religious grounds. What an irony!"

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

Nursery rhyme of an experts’ committee

Friday, 11 January, 2008 , 03:20 PM

.

At last, the Committee of Experts, politically nominated by T R Baalu, has submitted its report saying that the Ramar Sethu (Ramar Paalam) is not man-made. In this context, I am only reminded of the following hilarious and popular nursery rhyme which I learnt in my Ist standard. Here is the rhyme which speaks for itself. Rub-a-dub-dub Three men in a tub; And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, The candlestick maker; All scrubbing their way out to sea!

.

The origin of this rhyme seems to be from an old English side-show attraction including three maids in a tub. The rhyme depicts the scurrilous behaviour of some members of a group lacking self-control. The Members of the Committee of Experts have behaved like those ‘Rub-a-dub-dub three men in a tub’ Immediately after the Committee of Experts with Dr Ramachandran, Vice- Chancellor, University of Madras, as chairman was appointed by the government of India, in these columns in October 2007, I had observed as follows: under the headline: SSCP VS RAMA SETHU: THE GAME OF SINISTER PAWN BROKERS, there is enough documentary evidence to show that Dr Ramachandran is a biased and prejudiced person who does not seem to have even ordinary belief, much less faith, in the processes of equity and natural justice. He has already gone on record several times publicly espousing the government’s stand on the existence of the Rama Sethu and on the viability of the said project. Hence, unless he has undergone an opinion change and now has an open mind, the committee’s deliberations would be vitiated by pre-judgemental bias of the chairperson, which under settled law would negate any claim of the committee of having reached a conclusion after fairly and impartially considering all objections and suggestions. In the same article in October 2007, I had even then observed that having spoken to the press several times that the Rama Sethu is not a ‘man-made structure’ and that it is a natural formation, Dr Ramachandran can not be expected to take a different view on the subject in his new capacity as chairman of this committee. On the deplorable want of procedural probity and decorum on the part of Dr Ramachandran, I had concluded as follows: Any other self-respecting man placed in a similar situation would have rescued himself with courage and conviction declaring that justice should not only be done but seem to be done. I had also correctly foreseen in advance when I referred to that committee as ‘Sham Committee of Eminent Persons’ and clearly stated that it does not require extraordinary crystal gazing powers to appreciate the contents of the conclusions and recommendations that ‘Their Eminences Committee’ will be submitting. It’s a foregone conclusion. It will be a ‘command performance’ in pursuance of ‘THEIR MASTER’S VOICE’!! (Sonia, Ambika Soni, T R Baalu and Karunanidhi). As I had correctly anticipated and forecast in October 2007, the disgraceful and fraudulent committee of ‘Dubious Eminences’ has given a political ruling to the effect that the Rama Sethu Bridge is a natural formation only to suit the political and commercial interests of Baalu. It is understood that the government has decided not to file their counter affidavit on 16 January, 2008, in the controversial Sethu case filed by Dr Subramanian Swamy and others in the Supreme Court. I also understand that having come to the categorical conclusion that Baalu will not be in a position to handle this case in a statesman-like manner in the Supreme Court; the Prime Minister has taken upon himself the onerous responsibility of steering this controversial ship across the swirling waters of tortuous and turbid litigation. It is understood that this matter came up before the Union Cabinet meeting yesterday that was presided over by Dr Manmohan. I reliably understand that Baalu failed in his attempts to convert the Union Cabinet meeting into a ‘DMK Kitchen Cabinet Meeting’. Pranab Mukherjee led the attack on Baalu and told him in clear and unmistakable terms that what was politically expedient and reasonable for the DMK party would be totally unacceptable because it would be disastrous from the point of view of the Congress party. Union Law Minister Bhardwaj, the newly turned ‘Rama Bhakta’ and prodigal son of the Congress, told Baalu that the massive report submitted by the Committee of Eminences a few days ago has to be scrutinised carefully by the Ministers concerned and the Ministries and therefore there can be no question of hurrying and scurrying through the finalisation of any counter affidavit of the government for being presented on 16 January 2008. I also reliably understand from my sources in New Delhi that the Union Minister for Culture Ambika Soni came out with a classical cover drive in the true manner of a Sir Jack Hobbs (1882-1963) when she seems to have told Baalu at the Cabinet meeting yesterday. ‘We cannot file the counter affidavit in the Supreme Court on 16 January. We require more time for more detailed study, discussion and analysis. Both my Congress party and I have got into unnecessary trouble with millions and millions of people in northern India, though I am in no way responsible for it. You seem to be the chief architect of all this trouble and mischief.’ Thus, it has been reported to me that Baalu found himself in splendid and insular isolation at the Union Cabinet meeting, with none of the Ministers from his own DMK present at the same meeting, supporting him openly on this issue. The UPA government, ever since it came to power in 2004, has consistently shown an unprecedented contempt for constitutional proprieties and procedural safeguards, both in letter and spirit. Talking about America, Justice Felix Frankfurter said, ‘The history of liberty in USA has largely been the history of observance of procedural safeguards.’ The same view was also taken by another great American Judge Justice Francoise Brandeis: ‘And in the development of our liberty insistence upon procedural regularity has been a large factor. Respect for law will not be advanced by resort, in its enforcement, to means which shock the common man’s sense of decency and fair play.’ I am of the view that the ‘Committee of Eminences’ through their final report have only succeeded in shocking the common man’s sense of decency and fair play. V.Sundaram in News Today

Dr. Subramanian Swamy's letter to the Prime Minister

January 7, 2008
Dr.Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister
South Block
New Delhi 110011.

Dear Manmohanji:

I learn from a media report that you are being apprised of the draft counter affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court in my Writ Petition on the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project. In an earlier hearing of the Court, my prayer for injunction against the demolition or damaging of the Rama Setu, while dredging, was granted.

Your Government’s earlier counter affidavit rubbishing Bhagwan Sri Rama and the Ramayana was also withdrawn. An assurance in writing was then given by the Government’s counsel that an amicable way would be found after due consultation with the petitioners, and a fresh counter affidavit would be filed.

If indeed media reports on your interest in the matter are correct, then I urge you to take an active lead to find an amicable way out which would entail not touching the Rama Setu. If indeed Rama Setu is to be regarded as a national heritage and an inalienable site of Hindu reverence and faith, the Rama Setu cannot be then touched since it will be entitled to be fully protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites & Remains Act (1958).

Hence, it would be appropriate that, and a proper way, if the claim of all Hindus on the Rama Setu site is researched by the newly proposed National Heritage Commission that is to be set up soon according to un-contradicted media reports. Till then your Government may adhere to the status quo on the Rama Setu matter. Your Government’s counsels may then ask for an adjournment on January 16th when the case is to be listed. I am taking this cooperative approach because my petition is in the nature and form of a PIL and hence non-adversarial. Please therefore do not permit divisive actions for a project which is economically unsound, environmentally disastrous and national security-wise risky. You may have seen Prof.T.A.D.Murthy’s paper submitted to the Indian Science Congress presently in session in Vishakapatnam wherein he has warned of dire consequences from the next Tsunami if Rama Setu is breached.

The SSCP is a foolish venture doomed to failure. Do not allow your reputation sink with it. I am enclosing a copy of a letter dated April 8, 1999 of the Ministry of Environment to the Ministry of Surface Transport urging the scrapping of the Project.

Warm Regards,
Yours sincerely,

(SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)

We are on a roll! The enemies are getting crushed under the wheels!!

SRI RAM! JAI RAM! JAI JAI RAM!!

January 9, 2008

It is becoming clear that Lord Rama is the biggest nightmare to the ’sick’ular Sikhandi govt and the Ravana vaarisu. (See my posting under the thread “Dr Swamy has been authorized to carry on the crusade”). There is a clear admission that “Support for saving Rama Setu has also increased within Tamilnadu.”

DMK was actually isolated by its allies when MuttaaL Kizhavan embarked on his tirade against Lord Rama because they were sure that all those who support this Rama hater would bite the dust.

If we can keep up the pressure then this MuttaaL would not be able to sew another formidable alliance like the one he did last time. He would probably left with just the communists! Birds of the same feather!

I understand Sri Rama Gopalan has already drawn up schemes to get the people on the street singing Rama Japam. Friends, please write, talk, sing and dance Rama with all the people that you can muster! THIS IS OUR DHARMA!!

RAMA RAMA RAMA ALONE!

SRI RAM! JAI RAM! JAI JAI RAM!!

BJP seeks Congress' apology on Ram Setu

BJP ask Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to apologise on Setu affidavit, hurting Hindu sentiments

Press Trust of India

Monday, January 7, 2008 (New Delhi)

Taking exception to Parliamentary Affairs Minister's demand that Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen apologise to the Muslim community, BJP on Monday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should also apologise on government's controversial affidavit on Ram Setu.

''Union Minister PR Dasmusni has been reported asking Tasleema Nasreen to apologise for the comments in her book. We in-turn would like to ask the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi why have they not apologised for Centre's stand on Lord Ram,'' party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said in a press conference in New Delhi.

The government, in its affidavit in the Supreme Court on Setusamudram project last year, had said that there was no evidence of existence of Lord Ram.

Rudy said ''Taslima is being treated as a football by the West Bengal and the Union government. The government should not hurt the honour of a women''.

''The secular credentials of the nation have been hurt by the Congress,'' he said.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080037977&ch=1/7/2008%208:17:00%20PM

http://kalyan98.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/save-ram-sethu-dr-kusum-vyas-at-bali/

Save Ram Sethu: Dr. Kusum Vyas at Bali

"As world leaders contemplate upon the ways to save the earth's environment, all responsible citizens of the global community must recognize that dredging and destroying Ram Sethu to create a ship channel in the region of the Gulf of Mannar translates into an ecological disaster" is the concern expressed by Dr. Kusum Vyas, the founder of "Save Ram Sethu Campaign" here on Saturday December 15.

She was delivering the keynote address at the seminar "Save Ram Sethu" sponsored by the Bali-India Foundation and held at its beautiful facilities in Denpasar, Bali. The Foundation's head, Dr. Somvir, an Indian professor living in Bali, provided the translation in Bahasa Indonesian. Members of the audience included delegates from the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Balinese Hindu scholars and young Balinese professionals who are active in Hindu organizations.

Through a well-researched and interesting power presentation about Ram Sethu and the Sethusamudram Shipping Project followed by a question and answer session, Dr. Vyas captivated the attention of the audience for over two hours. In her presentation, Dr. Vyas explained the sacred aspects of Ram Sethu, its presence in ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana & the Puranas and references to Ram Sethu in historical records of the European and Islamic visitors dating back to the 12th century. Dr. Vyas provided a brief overview of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, the effect of the project on the ecology and environment of the region. She outlined the negative impact of the proposed shipping channel on the economic, environmental and social composition of the Sri Lankan and Indian coastal areas. Dr. Vyas covered in great detail the ecological damage the construction of a ship channel and the dredging associated with the project would cause to the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, the first marine protected area to be declared in South and South East Asia and established by the Government of India in 1989. The Reserve harbors marine biodiversity of global significance and is renowned for its coral reef, sea grass and algal communities in its marine, intertidal and near shore habitats. Public access inside the Park is prohibited.

Many in the audience were visibly moved by the presentation and expressed grave concern about the damage such as project would do to the environment as well as to the religious sentiments of the Hindus. Dr. Shalaby, an environmentalist from an international development bank who was in Bali as a delegate to the Climate Change Conference expressed his disbelief that any responsible government could conceive such a project especially in today's climate where all concerned individuals are searching for answers to the problems which threaten the Earth's environment.

"Ram Sethu is important to all of humanity and 3.5 million Hindus of Bali will support its preservation as a sacred monument," is the hope expressed by Shri IGN Arya Wedakarna MWS, a prominent leader of the Hindu Youth in Bali. He went on to add that he would be willing to play an active role in helping to preserve Ram Sethu and would create awareness among the other Hindus of Indonesia.

Dr. Ngurah, Chairman of the Department of Religions, inaugurated the seminar with a lamp lighting ceremony. Several members of the audience, such as Dr. Nyoman a leading Hindu scholar from the Udayana University, expressed their appreciation of Dr. Vyas' efforts and promised their full support of the initiative. The event received prominent coverage in the local media such as "Bali Post" and "Tokoh" whose reporters interviewed Dr. Vyas.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Vyas and her family met the King of Ubud, Ir. Tjok. Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati at the Royal Palace in Ubud. Over a sumptuous array of Balinese tea and snacks, she briefed the King about Ram Sethu and the impending danger it faces from the Sethusamudram Shipping project. She expressed her sentiments to the King that at the time when the entire world is concerned about the dangers from the Earth's changing climate, Ram Sethu is a reminder from our Gods to all of humanity that bridging the divides and working in unity is the key solution to many of the problems that we face today.

Dr. Vyas will continue to liaise with the King and leaders from the Bali Hindu community about the future activities of the campaign. The King expressed his full support for the "Save Ram Sethu Campaign" and promised to attend the "International Ram Navmi Festival" being organized by. Dr. Vyas in collaboration with Hindu organizations from around the world. The festival will mark the first anniversary of the launching of the "Save Ram Sethu Campaign" by Esha Vasyam & others on Ram Navmi of 2007.

http://lankaguardian.blogspot.com/2008/01/dr-kusum-vyas-founder-of-save-ram-sethu.html

STATEMENT OF DR.SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY, PRESIDENT OF JANATA PARTY MADE IN CHENNAI ON JANUARY 4, 2008

1. The Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSC) will now have to be scrapped because it is illegal. According to earlier Supreme Court judgments, prior environmental clearance of State Government Pollution Boards is necessary before the project can be inaugurated. But in the SSCP case, the PM inaugurated it on January 2, 2005 when the Tamil Nadu Pollution Board had not cleared the project. This fact was revealed by the then CM Ms.Jayalalitha in her message to the Rama Setu Rakksha Manch’s mammoth rally in Delhi on December 30th.
2. The SSCP is also illegal because the Ministry of Environment & Forests in a letter dated April 9, 1999 had advised the Ministry of Surface Transport to drop the project altogether because it is an environmental disaster. The NEERI had also stated in a report of 2002 that environmental clearance cannot be given if explosives are to be used to break through the Rama Setu, and hence the NEERI had rejected Alignment No.5, since it would have required using explosives near Dhanushkodi. Rama Setu however cannot be breached by dredging, and hence the Government was planning to use RDX when I obtained a stay from the Supreme Court. The SSCP thus is doomed to fail, and must be scrapped.
3. It is better therefore to develop Tuticorin and coastal areas of Tamil Nadu by developing a Marine Economic Zone, and by laying a double broad gauge railway line *beep* National Highway, connecting Tuticorin to Kolkata via Vishakapatnam.

4. The doctors of Gangaram Hospital must reveal the truth about the condition of Ms.Sonia Gandhi. The truth is that she had over-eaten infected lobsters imported from Italy during her New Year’s celebration dinner on December 31st. This had resulted in food poisoning.

5. The abolition of the monarchy in Nepal even before holding of the General Elections, on the demand of the Maoists, is serious blow to Nepal democracy and a major set back to India’s national interest.

The Government of India should ensure that present King Gyanendra is protected from mob violence and offered sanctuary in India till better times come for democracy in Nepal.

6. The Government of Tamil Nadu should make arrangement for Veeramani, Nedumaran and Vaiko to migrate to Mullaitheevu in Jaffna area because their patron, V.Prabhakaran is in dire straits. These three persons should show some loyalty to their benefactor whose ill-gotten narcotics trade cash has funded their activities in India so far. India can do without them.

(SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)

Sethu project is a white elephant

By Subramanian Swamy (Deccan Chronicle, Nov. 19, 2007)

Mr Kancha Ilaiah, in his article Science goes missing from Ram Sethu debate (The Op-Ed Page, November 16), is aggrieved that despite my PhD degree in economics, I have shamed the discipline by choosing to defend the Ram Sethu in religious terms. I may add that Mr Ilaiah, despite being an activist against the "Brahminical hegemony" in Hindu society has chosen to rubbish Maharishi Valmiki's Ramayana and its historicity, despite Valmiki being of Dalit parentage.

I oppose the rupture of Ram Sethu to dredge out a seabed furrow called the Sethusamudram channel on religious, economic, environmental and national security grounds. However, even if the project is economically viable, which it is not, environmentally acceptable, and safe from the perspective of national security, I will still oppose it, because breaking a 300-metre wide passage through the Ram Sethu is sacrilegious.

To the question, "Ram Sethu hai (Is there a Ram Sethu)?" I reply, "Ram se tu hai (You are from Ram)."

The central premise of the project that it is economically viable is based on the assumption that it will reduce travel time for ships from the west of India to the east, without having to go in a circular arc around Sri Lanka, as at present.

The DPR (detailed project report) prepared by L&T-Ramboll for the project calculates the distance and time thus saved for ships using Tuticorin and Kanyakumari as starting points and reaching Chennai at an average of 335 nautical miles and 30 hours respectively. But the error in the calculation is in assuming that all ships will save 30 hours or save 335 nautical miles.

For example, ships from Europe, West Asia and Africa will save much less time than ships moving from the east to the west coast of India. This is because ships sailing on open seas will travel at double the speed than permitted inside the channel, and the arc around Sri Lanka is of less curvature when coming from Mauritius or Europe and going to Kolkata.

At the current tariff levels proposed in the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (details in my forthcoming book: Defending the Ram Sethu), ships will in fact find it cheaper to travel around Sri Lanka rather than use the channel.

The project also calculates Indian and foreign interest rates for loans of nearly Rs 1,800 crores at half the current market rates, thus significantly understating the amortisation of the loans, and therefore grossly underestimates the cost of the channel. This naturally lowers the internal rate of return (IRR) on the project in a present value calculation, at less than 2.5%. No public sector project is permitted at such low IRR.

The usual way to calculate the economic viability of a project is to estimate the revenues over time, as well as the fixed and variable costs of the project. The net benefit to ships is calculated on the assumption of the tariff to be paid by ship traffic through the proposed channel, and set against the costs saved by taking a shorter route via the channel. Moreover, the now proposed 167 km long Sethusamudram shipping channel, created by dredging the ocean floor to a depth of 12 metres and a width of 300 metres, can structurally allow the passage of ships of only 30,000 DWT or lower tonnage.

However, most ocean-going ships today are above 30,000 DWT in weight and thus cannot use the channel. And yet, the DPR is premised on 3,000 or more ships passing through the channel, when the number can never be above 500 in the most optimistic projection.

Other substantive objections are that the project is a financial disaster that will guzzle resources on maintenance since it will require continuous dredging of sand; is environmentally non-sustainable, in fact hazardous; and will facilitate terrorists such as the LTTE to go from north of the Ram Sethu in Jaffna area to Tuticorin, which they cannot do at present.

The legendary bridge of coral reefs and rocks was built, according to the Ramayana, on the direction of Lord Ram. That such a causeway of coral rocks and reefs exists has been established by modern satellite photographs. That it was constructed, and is not a natural formation was established by Dr S. Badrinarayanan, formerly director of the Geological Survey of India. His report has been so far hidden from the Supreme Court by Ms Ambika Soni, the Union minister for culture.

The channel route chosen, of the total six that had been suggested from 1860 till 2005, involves cutting through the Ram Sethu. Interestingly, all the other five alignments suggested earlier, before or after Independence, called for skirting the Ram Sethu and cutting through land, either on the mainland at Mandappam, or through Pambam Island. The government's insistence on hurting the feelings of nearly a billion Hindus by preferring this non-viable channel is perhaps explained by the mindsets of Sonia Gandhi, M. Karunanidhi and Kancha Ilaiah.

To navigate the channel, a ship will first have to start slowing down two hours before reaching the mouth of the channel. Then it will have to follow several procedures leading to dropping of anchor and waiting for a pilot to board the ship to steer it through the fragile channel at half the speed of its open sea route. All this will consume 15 hours. Between October and December, cyclonic storms and winter monsoon will make the channel unusable.

The DPR underestimates the total fuel cost as it does not mandate the use of low sulphur diesel in the ecologically sensitive Palk Bay biosphere reserve area. In fact, there is no mention at all of low sulphur diesel that should be used in these areas. Our estimates for fuel savings are extracted from the L&T-Ramboll DPR, which simply states that the "ships will use IFO in the open seas and MDO in the channel where there is a restriction, and a need for a better vehicle response."

Thus, it is false to state that there will be a substantial saving on fuel costs by using the Sethusamudram channel. On the contrary, there will be a substantial loss of $500 to $950 depending on the tonnage of the ship. The viability of the project thus rests on a set of assumptions that are fundamentally flawed. It assumes savings for all ships are the same, when they are actually very different. Revenue and time saved have been vastly over-estimated, while costs of dredging and maintenance grossly under-estimated.

The project will also deprive thousands of fishermen living in Tamil Nadu's coastal districts of Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram and Pudukkottai of their livelihood. Its impact on the fragile Gulf of Mannar will be disastrous. According to a report in Business Line on October 16, the project and fishing activities are mutually exclusive. The nation has to choose one or the other: Fishing or ship channel. Tamil Nadu's fishermen have not been told this secret yet.

The Sethu project has been justified on the basis of the cost savings estimates for ships using the channel. These cost savings have not been adequately detailed out and in fact the actual savings for ships using the channel have been grossly exaggerated. This is especially true for ships coming from Europe, Africa or other locations. The fuel savings for many of these ships is in fact negative, while the total savings (including reduction in time charter) actually works out to just 30% of what is claimed by the L&T-Ramboll DPR for most non-coastal ships.

The significantly lower level of savings implies that the tariff that can be charged by the channel will be much lower than that claimed by the DPR. This has significant revenue implications as over 60% ships which "benefit" will not want to pay the amount as claimed in the DPR. This project will be a financial white elephant. In particular, the DPR over-estimates revenue, under-estimates the cost, and chooses an absurdly low rate of interest to discount the net benefits to obtain a high per cent value to justify the project. We cannot allow the government to fool around with the public in this manner.

"I don't think this project will ever see the light of day because there is no money," said Ashish Kumar Singh, vice-president of capital markets at Axis Bank Ltd., to The Mint on September 24, 2007. Axis, formerly known as UTI Bank, was appointed as the "loan arranger" for the project in 2005.

Since the project's inception in 2004, costs have skyrocketed to at least Rs 4,000 crores, interest rates have crawled higher and old loan terms have lapsed. Mr Singh said that the project was languishing because "no company will dredge the channel for cheap and Indian dredging companies don't have the required equipment." Even before the first dredger began its work in 2005, costs had already spiralled to more than Rs 3,500 crores, Mr Singh said.

The loan sanctions, valid only up to Rs 2,400 crores, lapsed. To secure more money, he said, Sethusamudram Corporation Limited would have to return to the drawing board, draw up new reports, sit with parliamentary committees and receive fresh approval.

As of now, the expected shipping will not amortise the cost (including maintenance, regular dredging, costs of pilots, tugs, support vessels, communication and radar infrastructure), leave alone earn profits. Who then will use the channel, even if we overlook the LTTE Sea Tiger threat, the ever-present problem of cyclones, piracy, smuggling, marine pollution, fights over fishing rights, gun and drug running mafia operations, tsunami etc.?

There is also the security angle to be considered. Once the channel becomes operational, policing it would require a major increase in the assets of the Indian Coast Guard, customs and marine police in Rameshwaram and Tuticorin.

Keeping in mind the proximity of Tuticorin to the Palk Bay because of the channel, the Indian Navy too may have to consider permanently basing some assets in Tuticorin for more intensive surveillance, for the protection of future oil exploration rigs, and to ensure a quick response to threats from the LTTE.

Subramanian Swamy is a former Union Cabinet Minister for Commerce, Law and Justice

http://deccan.com/Columnists/Columnists.asp?#Sethu project is a white elephant