Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Social activism and not politics need of the hour: Govindacharya



Former general secretary of the BJP, K N Govindacharya, once a well known face in party circles has been quite a recluse for some time now. However, he continues to keenly observe political developments in the country and the world. Proud of his long association with the RSS, the soft-spoken ideologue considers the Pokhran explosion as the greatest achievement of NDA regime, and feels the Indo-US nuke deal is irrelevant. In a free-wheeling interview to Arun Chaubey, he calls Nandigram a natural reaction to the forces of marketism and touches upon topics like terrorism and impact of liberalisation on the Indian society.
Excerpts:
What is your opinion on the Indo-US civil nuke deal?
Neither is the deal required nor would it be helpful in its objective. The deal has very little to offer. It is only for power generation, and in terms of power also it would fulfill merely 10% of energy demand. As far as technology is concerned, India has evolved on its own and not at the mercy of US. In fact in the present situation, US needs India more. Therefore India should begin negotiation from a higher pedestal, as this treaty in an indirect way of forcing India towards NPT. India should have made it clear to the US that the Hyde Act cannot be a feature of the deal.
Is the US failure responsible for Islamic terrorism in India as well as other parts of the world?
The US has tackled the international situation in a wrong way. It has become isolated and got the image of ‘Dadagiri’. And this wrong approach is responsible in promoting jehadi terrorism across the world. In the post-Cold War era and with the disintegration of USSR, the US lust for attaining the sole leadership position was even further whetted. But it in return got the sting of 9/11. Since then, the foundation of international relationships has changed radically and the US has not been able to cope with the change. At this juncture, India has to play an active role instead of adopting a defensive stance. In that way, US can be a useful assistant to India. We need to shed the hangover of inferiority and assume a leadership role through aggresive political diplomacy.
On the home front, how do you view developments in Nandigram?
Nandigram is a natural reaction to forces of marketism. Singur and Nandigram are specimen events on the process of struggle but their context has not been taken cognisance of. In Singur, Mamata Banerjee despite her 45 days’ epic fast could not attain the needed result. While the role of violence in Nandigram has undervalued the limitations of peaceful methods of protest in the public discourse, which is tragic and unhealthy for democracy as well as the nation.
How would you describe your long association with the BJP?
As far as my association with BJP is concerned, I contributed my bit on an ideological level. On electoral plank, I was a witness at close quarters of power circles. I could observe that coming to power is easy, but status quoists and insensitive operatus in the party create hurdles.
Please explain the status quoists and their role in politics?
The tool of implementation for the party was state machinery, which was not tuned for the purpose of change, therefore the status quoists created hurdles. The political leadership, which was also deficient in terms of motivational and competence, failed to act against it.
But this status quoism lead to disillusionment especially among youth?
Since the political leadeship was not trained, they were satisfied with their mediocrity of performance and failed to notice that expectations were high from them. The gap between expectation and performance led to disillusionment.
Is there any hope for alternative leadership?
Indian youth is capable of going ahead on its own. Only thing it has to have is the robustness of Indian civilisation. It has to have the capacity to limit and rule the state power. Only then the establishment and the state will be able to understand India in its own way and not in the European context, and India will be able to contribute its worth globally.
You see hope for India in second generation of leadership, but youth movements have been a failure in India?
People’s movement including JP movement, anti-Boffors or Ram Janmabhoomi movements and also pre-independence movement were mainly fought against the onslaught, menace and distortion of the state. Therefore, all these movements ended up changing the state, as they neither had the stamina for systemic change nor had the ability to make the government conducive to Indian ethos. Indian society and youth are now ranged against forces of marketism, indiscriminate globalisation and degeneration of democracy into a sort of ‘corporatocracy’. The need of the hour is to galvanise a parallel political movement like the pre-1934 freedom movement. The structure needed, methodology adopted and traning needed for the leaders of the movement has to be original.
How do you see the role of so called nationalist parties?
Are they losing their edge? The political space for vibrant nationalism coupled with pro-poor is vacant in the public sphere of India. As far as nationalist parties- who offer verbal support to the nationalist issues- are concerned, they have lost their credibility because of the disjoint between their promises and their deeds. And those who have pro-poor approach are deficient if not ignorant about the traditions and moorings of the nation. You have spared a lot of time in studying the impact of liberalisation on Indian society.
What is your observation?
My study on the impact of liberalisation on Indian society has come to the conclusion that:
Rural poverty has not decreased; instead despair and anarchy are looming large in the countryside.
Urban poverty decreased a bit in terms of heavy cost of unemployment, but pollution, crime and atrocities on weaker sections have increased.
Inequalities have increased manifold and the system is attending to only 30 per cent of the society, leaving 70 per cent to their own fate.
Attitude towards women has degenerated to mere consumerism.
Consumerism and permissiveness have pervaded the social fabric resulting in erosion of Indian values and functioning levers of the society.
It has eroded the confidence of India in contributing its might globally, thererby affecting self-pride and self-confidence of Indian society.
It has created acute tension in the socio-political fabric of the nation. New structures, new tools of change will have to be identified, harnessed and integrated as a fighting unit in its own way.
Besides, globalisation has directed towards further centralisation, homogenisation and monopolisation in which democracy is captured and controlled by money bags. The organs of the state including media and channels of information are used to condition the minds of society for creating false demands to manipulate the system for immoral profits alone. This process in turn creates disconnect between state and markets and society and state, while markets collude together to deprive the society from fulfilling its aspirations.
Therefore, I feel that the battle has to be fought on multiple planks. It has to be decentralised, diversified and localised so that localised communities which defy the dominance of the state as well as market and yet are able to lead a prosperous life based on inter-dependence and cultural advancement.
Besides, it requires a three-pronged robust effort in the direction of intellectual, constructive and educational activities in a decentralised, localised mode.
For all this, an understanding has to be evolved about the concept of development- ways of development based on family being the unit- which has to be nature-friendly in the context of investment, technology, management and participation of people.
Will you return to active politics? If not, why?
I do not agree to this proposition. The role of the party and power politics in India is mostly alien and unmindful of Indian tradition as well as needs. And the whole idea has been borrowed from a society carved out by the formulae of Social Contract theory and the individualism evolved through Protestantism as an ideology. So unprotected individual participation in politics leads to dominance of politics by local and foreign money bags that disconnect the state from the understanding and organisation of the society itself.
The basic dictum about the state’s existence is supposed to protect the interest of those who cannot protect themselves. But the state has played the role of obstructor, disruptor and speed governor upon the society. Therefore, understanding the limitation and role of party and power politics, my plan is to carve out a social dynamo to speed up the progress and create social deterrant to bring back party and power politics to the rails of values and issues to salvage the society from self-destructive marshy land of crass power game.
Since there is not much difference in politics with regard to sense of purpose, discreet world view, national vision of their own manifestos, the political parties have degenerated into gangs vying for power with no-hold barred methods, visualising power as a tool of social progress. They have turned into groups competing for power, which has become an end in itself and not the means.
Internal participation merely will not suffice as the external pressure of societal level is the need of the hour. So I decided to contribute in the unity of nation and the society in constructive and educational mode, desisting from being a part of the partisan and power politics.

Friday, November 23, 2007

On Kamala Suraiya's conversion

Varsha Bhosle
Prophet-sharing
We feel that it is an incumbent duty of Intellectuals like us to announce to the world via the Press, our private decisions concerning our personal life. Hear ye, hear ye: We have resolved to embrace the great religion called Islam because our freedom had become frayed at the edges. We have outgrown the desire for freedom. Hinduism is too lenient for us; there is simply too much freedom... Naturally, Hindu fundamentalists are crying for our blue blood. But so are the, er... remarkably devout sections of our future co-religionists. They denounce us as a Hindu mole! We simply fail to understand! What have we said that can be construed as shedding a poor light on Islam, we ask you?!
We Intellectuals tend to come full circle: When Hagar was cast out by her husband Abram and his first wife Sarai (later christened by God as Abraham and Sarah, respectively), and was languishing in the middle of the desert, the angel of the Lord said unto her, "Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael... And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 16:1-16). And, lo, Ishmael was fruitful and begat twelve princes, who begat twenty-one tribes, which multiplied into the Arab nation, the soil for our beloved Islam.
You see, we, too, were abandoned by Lord Krishna (to whom, our grandma told us when we were a twee princess, we were married) and the other 30 million Hindu gods who are presently too busy to regulate and discipline our life and protect us. It was because of these entities that we sent shockwaves through strait-laced India with our erotic works; under their influence we became the controversial rebel who exploded hypocrisies. And so we are left with no choice but to augment the augury on Ishmael: We are a wild personage, and we shall dwell here, and we shall speak frankly and fearlessly about the religion we were accidentally born into, and our hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against us. (Figuratively! You have a filthy mind!) If Allah is merciful, we will also be fruitful and beget many tribes (which we will keenly monitor, just in case they show a propensity for Buddhism).
These fundamentalists are mad at us for revealing to an interviewer that we are converting Lord Krishna, our former intimate friend and love, to Allah, as well as making him a prophet after naming him "Mohammed." They are threatening us with death. We do not see what this fuss is all about! For, as you know, "Brahma" is just a distortion of "Abraham," and Sarah is really Saraswati, and the ten thousand cows in the Vedas actually refer to the ten thousand saintly companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As far as we're concerned, God is an abstract entity. Even so, that will not prevent us from visiting Mecca and embracing the soil of Madina asap. You see, towns and soil are also abstract entities.
In any case, we don't give a rat's ass about these fundamentalists. We have been getting calls from almost all the Muslim countries extending their support to us; many have invited us to visit their countries. Our announcement has greatly enthused the Muslim community in our state. And their enthusiasm enthused us so much that we promptly informed UNI about the welcome-to-the-fold telegram from Abdul Nasir Mahdani, founder of the Islamic Sewak Sangh, temporarily residing at Salem Central Jail, framed under various sections of the IPC, including 153 (a) spreading communal hatred, 120 (b) criminal conspiracy, 124 (a) sedition, and under the Arms Act. Now all we are waiting for are communiques from Dawood Ibrahim and Osama bin Laden. Then we can embrace the soil of Pakistan and Afghanistan, too.
If you remember, barely three years ago, we had said that we believe that God is there in every cell of our body, your body, every cell of this world. Some kind of power, that is how we thought of God. We had said that that God was good enough for us; that we didn't need "Gods trapped in mausoleums, temples, churches, mosques"; that we didn't need such "Gods who can be imprisoned." Now we know: we never did have a clue about God. God is He who's trapped in the Ka'ba. Now we are wiser: we need gods who can be imprisoned. And why just gods? A fact of life is, all feminists need to be imprisoned.
The immediate reason for our accepting Islam seems to baffle others, we do not know why: We were travelling in a car from Malabar Hill to Kandivili. We started the journey along the highway at 6.45 am. We looked at the rising sun. Surprisingly, it had the colour of a setting sun. It travelled with us and at 7.00 am, it turned white. For years we have been looking for signs telling us when to convert. Finally, we got the message: People squat. Besides, we are against the Hindu way of cremating the dead; we do not want our body to be burnt. We would prefer to rot and be gnawed away by maggots.
Hindus have abused and hurt us. They (they!) have often tried to scandalise us (us!). We cannot repose faith in Hinduism because Hindu gods never forgive. They only punish. Our feeling is that Islam is a religion of love, the religion of forgiveness. Allah is the fountainhead of love and compassion. We will write about that. We will write poems with illustrations from the Quran and the Hadeeth, the holy books containing the religious, social, civil, commercial, military, and legal codes for Muslims:
* Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you may dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you. God knows, but you do not. (Surah 2:216)
* Let believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful -- he that does this has nothing to hope for from God -- except in self-defence. (Surah 3:28)
* He will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. They serve other deities besides God for whom He has revealed no sanction. The Fire shall be their home; dismal indeed is the dwelling of the evil-doers. (Surah 3:151)
* Those that deny our revelations, We will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise. (Surah 4:56)
* Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them [captive], and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (at-Taubah 9:5.10)
* Fight those who believe not in God nor the last day... nor acknowledge the religion of truth, and fight people of the book, until they pay Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Surah 9:29)
On second thoughts, we would not like to comment on controversial subjects. We have no interest in making a speech about the Shariat. Let others take care of it. We are concerned only about the good things Islam can offer to us and to the world at large. Like Omar Bakri Muhammad: "Using any biological weapons in self-defence is, in Islam, permissible, and I believe that we are currently operating under a defensive jihad... Obviously we regret what happens to people but there are always people who are war casualties." Or Uganda's Idi Amin, who slaughtered 300,000 of his people, mostly Christians, after he embraced Islam. Or Nawabzada Nabiullah Khan, the ideologue for Jamaat-i-Islami: "More science and technology is bad for civilisation. I had completed civil engineering, hence I am privy to scientific knowledge. I can tell you how corrupting that is. It even makes you question the glorious Quran. There are many Hadeeths which say that the earth is flat. But any science will tell you the earth is a sphere. But you can use the same science like relativity theory to prove that the earth is flat." Or even Abul Kalam Azad, who forced Tagore's Shantiniketan to delete "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" from its letter-head by threatening to stop governmental subsidies when he was education minister.
On second thoughts, we'll avoid this, as well. For, of course, we did not study much about Islam. We only thought about it a lot; we have been nurturing the idea in our mind for the last 27 years. We have been lonely all through our life. At nights, we used to sleep by embracing a pillow. We kept our desire a secret for long. We embraced it now, when we strongly felt the need for love and protection. NOT BY A YOUNG MUSIM LEAGUE LEADER! You have a filthy mind!
In any case, we do not bother about the reactions from people like you. Our secularist community has expressed happiness at our exercising our freedom. You know, secularists are good people: they fully support conversion from Hinduism. The only time they lose their cool is when fundamentalists begin reconversion drives. If you remember, in March, Congressman Sultan Ahmed, CPI-M's Robin Dey and nominated member Rosemary Gellian Hart raised the matter of the VHP's paraavartan yagna in the West Bengal assembly and condemned the extremists for their vile deed and demanded that the VHP be banned. Such is their mettle.
On the whole, the response has been very elating. At this stage of life, how else could we have collected so much goodwill and publicity? We profited from our Prophet. The only jarring note came from Bharatiya Vichara Kendram director, and thinker, P Parameswaran: "May the Lord save Islam."

Monday, November 19, 2007

AG Noorani's articles

AG Noorani, Hindustan Times
November 07, 2007
Deve Gowda's MoU.
The JD(S) President, HD Deve Gowda's memorandum of understanding (MoU) of November 1 with its 12 conditions has no precedent in the annals of parliamentary government. We must be careful about setting bad precedents in the states. As BR Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly on December 30, 1948, apropos conventions on the appointment of a government, "The position of the Governor is exactly the same as the position of the President".
The MoU acquires a more sinister hue when read in this context. A Congress-JD(S) coalition led by Dharam Singh assumed office in Karnataka on May 28, 2004, after the general elections to the state assembly. The JD(S) withdrew from the coalition on January 18, 2006, and took the BJP as its partner instead. JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy said they would discuss more than sharing of ministerial berths. "Other details such as the sharing of Boards and Corporations (PSUs) will also be finalised." Of the 70 such bodies, the BJP got 40, the JD(S) 30. This is what we have come to. The coalition would be led by Kumaraswamy in the first 20 months and by the BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa in the remaining 20 months of the assembly's tenure. Moreover, in the first phase, the Speaker would be nominated by the BJP, in the second by the JD(S).
The coalition took office on February 3, 2006. On October 3, 2007, he reneged on his promise and refused to yield the CM's chair to the BJP. Stung, the BJP withdrew from the coalition on October 7. The next day Kumaraswamy resigned as CM. On October 9, President's rule was imposed in Karnataka but the assembly was suspended, not dissolved.
Come October 24, HD Deve Gowda wrote to Governor Rameshwar Thakur, and to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, very properly urging dissolution of the assembly.
The JD(S) embraced the BJP once again to form a government.
On November 1, HD Deve Gowda sent his historic MoU to the BJP President, Rajnath Singh, stipulating 12 conditions which no political party with any self-respect would accept. It renders governance impossible and unconstitutional. It goes beyond the usual minimum common programme on matters of policy. "Important administrative postings and promotions in respect of high administrative offices which have an influence on the quality of administration shall be made by the chief minister in consultation with the political partner, the JD(S)." In effect, it stipulates consent. The same rule applies in the appointment of Advocate General and "other law officers". Finally, "in the event of any significant departure/deviation from the above understanding that impairs the ability of the coalition to provide highest standards of governance in the state, which remains unresolved through the mechanism of coordination committee, any of the partners shall be at liberty to withdraw from the coalition". This is a conveniently vague and sweeping condition.
This is no way to run any ministry. It is a Deed of Marriage with the divorce papers annexed for each to file at will. On November 4, Kumaraswamy said that while his support to the BJP was unconditional, "the rider is that the Dal (S) should not be blamed or held responsible for any untoward incident or unhealthy development that takes place during the regime of the BJP-led coalition government". This flouts Article 164 (2) of the Constitution which lays down "The Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State".
In the same vein Deve Gowda said on November 1 that the alliance was only a "temporary arrangement" till elections to Lok Sabha are announced. What of his letter written a week earlier urging dissolution of the assembly? "I maintain the same position despite the JD(S) entering into a fresh tie-up with the BJP. I have not written any fresh letter to the Governor or the President, which could possibly nullify the contents of the first letter", which warned against defections.
The BJP also favoured dissolution then. Parliament should take him at his word and ratify the proclamation imposing President's Rule. So should the Union Cabinet. It should dissolve the assembly thereafter.
The country has long suffered two obscenities. The constitutional one of abuse of the power to impose President's Rule has been taken care of by the Supreme Court's ruling in the Bommai case. The political one of coalitions promiscuous and unstable must be brought to an end also. It surfaced in 1967 in a big way.
At that time, the President appointed on November 26, 1970, a committee of governors "to study and formulate norms and conventions governing the role of governors under the Constitution". Its report is instructive. "We witness an assortment of parties with widely divergent programmes and policies — wherever such programmes and policies are publicly announced — combining themselves to form what are now called samyukta vidhayak dals (united legislature parties), the only agreement among them being the agreement to get into government. The two basic conditions which would ensure a stable government by such combinations are, first, that the different parties should enter the combination as a unit, and secondly, that they should remain faithful to the combination. Experience has shown that neither of these two conditions has existed in the states where we have had samyukta vidhayak dal governments."
Its censures on defections and the remedy it proposed apply to such alliances. "It may be considered whether in situation like this the proper course would not be a dissolution of the legislature and an appeal to the real political sovereign, namely the electorate as was done in Mysore." In a similar case of alliances broken and mended, the governor of Gujarat reported to the President, "The conditions prevailing in the state at this juncture are such that any party agreeing to form a ministry will have a tenuous majority and will not be able to provide a reasonably stable government to the state."
In Bihar, the Supreme Court rejected the governor's claim to decide whether majority was secured by bribery. But it accepted the test of stability in the very passage quoted by BJP supporters. "If a political party with the support of other political parties or other MLAs satisfied the governor about its majority to form a stable government, the governor cannot refuse formation of government because of his subjective assessment that the majority was cobbled by illegal and unethical means of horse-trading and allurements."
Rodney Brazier, an authority on constitutional law and practice, holds that in a House where no single party commands a majority, it would be prudent for the Queen "to tell the leaders that if she were to receive evidence… of a copper-bottomed agreement on a majority coalition, its leadership, proposed disposition of ministerial officers and agreed Queen's speech (on policy issues), together with an equally sound guarantee that the coalition government would not seek dissolution within a reasonable time, then she would appoint the person agreed upon to be Prime Minister".
Deve Gowda's MoU is not 'copper-bottomed'. It is full of holes. The Centre must not allow his MoU to make a mockery of the Constitution. In such a situation parades of fickle politicians are constitutionally irrelevant.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Vedas and unity

By J.G. Arora
There is a misconception in some minds that Hinduscriptures sanction the caste system. Vedas, the proudpossession of mankind, are the foundation of Hinduism.Vedas are all-embracing, and treat the entire humanitywith the same respect and dignity. Vedas speak ofnobility of entire humanity (krinvanto vishvam aryam),and do not sanction any caste system or birth-basedcaste system. Mantra, numbered 10-13-1 in Rig Veda,addresses the entire humanity as divine children(shrunvantu vishve amrutsya putraha). Innumerablemantras in Vedas emphasise oneness, universalbrotherhood, harmony, happiness, affection, unity andcommonality of entire humanity. A few illustrationsare given here. Vide Mantra numbered 5-60-5 in RigVeda, the divine poet declares, “All men are brothers;no one is big, no one is small. All are equal.” Mantranumbered 16.15 in Yajur Veda reiterates that all menare brothers; no one is superior or inferior. Mantranumbered 10-191-2 in Rig Veda calls upon humanity tobe united to have a common speech and a common mind.Mantra numbered 3-30-1 in Atharva Veda enjoins uponall humans to be affectionate and to love one anotheras the cow loves her newly-born calf. Underliningunity and harmony still further, Mantra numbered3-30-6 in Atharva Veda commands humankind to dinetogether, and be as firmly united as the spokesattached to the hub of a chariot wheel. The BhagavadGita, which contains the essence of Vedas andUpanishads, has many shlokas that echo the Vedicdoctrine of oneness of humanity. In shloka numbered V(29), Lord Krishna declares that He is the friend ofall creatures (suhridam sarva bhutanam) whereas shlokanumbered IX (29) reiterates that the Lord has the sameaffection for all creatures, and whosoever remembersthe Lord, resides in the Lord, and the Lord resides inhim. Shloka numbered XVIII (61) declares that Godresides in every heart (ishwar sarva bhutanamhrudyeshe Arjun tishthti). Guna (Aptitude) and Karma(Actions) Hindu scriptures speak only about ‘varna’which means to ‘select’ (one’s profession, etc.) andwhich is not caste or birth-based. As per shlokanumbered IV (13) of the Bhagavad Gita, depending upona person’s guna (aptitude) and karma (actions), thereare four varnas. As per this shloka, a person’s varnais determined by his guna and karma, and not by hisbirth. Chapter XIV of the Bhagavad Gita specifiesthree gunas viz. satva (purity), rajas (passion andattachment) and tamas (ignorance). These three gunasare present in every human in different proportions,and determine the varna of every person. Accordingly,depending on one’s guna and karma, every individual isfree to select his own varna. Consequently, if theirgunas and karmas are different, even members of thesame family can belong to different varnas.Notwithstanding the differences in guna and karma ofdifferent individuals, Vedas treat the entire humanitywith the same respect and do not sanction any castesystem or birth-based caste system. Veda is theFoundation Hinduism is all-embracing and grants thesame respect to all humans, and anything to thecontrary anywhere is not sanctioned by the Vedas.Being divine revelation, the shrutis (Vedas) are theultimate authority on Dharma, and represent itseternal principles whereas being humanrecapitulations, smritis (recollections) can play onlya subordinate role. As per shloka numbered (6) ofChapter 2 in Manu Smriti, “Veda is the foundation ofentire Dharma.” Shloka numbered 2(13) of Manu Smritispecifies that whenever shruti (vedas) and smritisdiffer, stipulation of Vedas will prevail oversmritis. In view of this position, anythingdiscriminatory in Manu Smriti or anywhere else isanti-Veda, and therefore, is not sanctioned byHinduism and has subsequently been inserted withunholy intentions, and deserves to be weeded out.Besides, precise codification of Hinduism in one bookis indispensable to make Hinduism easier to beunderstood by a layman. For this codification,appropriate mantras of Vedas and Upanishads, andselected shlokas in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata(which also includes the Bhagavad Gita), etc. willprovide the basic material. Role of Media In order tousher in a casteless and harmonious society, theall-embracing and universal message of Vedas has to befollowed and spread. Both the print and electronicmedia play an important role in a country’s life. Theyshould contribute their mite to unite various sectionsof the society. But in India, most of the media areunwittingly strengthening caste and communaldivisions. By publishing divisive articles anddescribing political leaders and electorates,achievers and sports persons, and even wrong-doers andtheir victims as members of a particular caste orcommunity, the media is strengthening the divisionsinstead of unifying the society. The media should playa positive role so that there is amity all around. LetYour Hearts be One Anyone believing in the castesystem is violating the Vedic command of oneness ofentire humanity. Although the first known poem in theworld appeared as the first mantra in Rig Veda, andthough the Vedas and Upanishads contain the sublimestthoughts in the sublimest language, because of afaulty education system, most of the educated Indiansare ignorant of their rich heritage contained in theVedas and Upanishads. Most Indians do not knowSanskrit, the language of Vedic literature. Manypersons do not know even the meaning of their Sanskritnames. By learning Sanskrit one can read the Vedas,though even translated Vedic literature can bestudied. We have to ensure that we do not lose ourrich Vedic heritage as it would amount ot losing ouridentity. To ensure the survival of our Vedicheritage, and to bring about unity and harmony insociety, it is imperative that the all-embracingmessage of the Vedes is practised and propagated. (Theauthor is a former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Objections raised by Shri Haran to "Committee of Eminent Persons"


Objections Raised by Shri Haran to "COMMITTEE OF EMINENT PERSONS" -SSCP10/31/2007 4:14:40 PM To:The Secretary,The Committee of Eminent Persons onSethusamudram Shipping Channel Project,"Malligai"30/95. P.S.Kumarasamy Raja Road,Chennai – 600 028.SirSub: Objections and Suggestions on SSCP.Ref: Your Press Advertisements inviting for Objections & Suggestions.The Great Nationalist and Poet Subramania Barathiyar, being a believer and a staunch Hindu, probably motivated by the Great 'Ithihasa' Ramayana, had dreamt of a bridge connecting India and Srilanka, about which he had expressed in one of his immortal poems.The British rulers also studied and analyzed such a project and dropped the idea altogether, as it was not a viable one in many aspects. In independent India too, committees were constituted to study the viability of the project and lastly the A.Ramaswamy Mudaliar Committee had categorically said that, only a land-based canal could be built and that, the idea of demolishing "Rama Sethu" must be abandoned.Later, after almost four decades, the NDA Government laid the foundation and gave the green signal, and the present UPA Government had inaugurated the project in 2005.Since then, I have been closely following the development of the project and the relevant issues and their consequences.In a life full of uncertainties, many things might be conceived, but only a few are brought out. Many projects might be planned, but only a few are implemented or executed. There are many reasons for the non-implementation of projects. Some reasons are economical; a few are scientific; a few are environmental; a few are due to security concerns and a few are beyond our reasoning, which are attributed to GOD and Nature by the Religionists and the Atheists respectively. I strongly feel that, the SSCP belongs to the non-viable & non-implemental category because of all the above-said reasons and that is the 'unique aspect' of this project!I, as the Citizen of this Great Country, am deeply concerned with the "fall outs" (Economical, Environmental, Law & Order and National Security) of the implementation of a controversial project of this magnitude and hence I request you to kindly consider the "Objections & Suggestions", which I have enclosed along with necessary supportive materials as annexure.I hope and pray, that the Eminent Committee would recommend for a peaceful solution for the utmost satisfaction of all concerned.Thanking You Sir, Yours truly, B.R.Haran.OBJECTIONS* The "Rama Sethu" is a sacred and revered monument for the millions of Hindus and along with the "Himalayas", it plays a great role in integrating the people of this Great Nation. While Rameshwaram is a very important place of pilgrimage, the "Rama Sethu" is a place of worship for the Hindus. The Hindu religious and cultural organizations have requested only for the change of alignment without opposing the project as such, but certain quarters, with an intention of politicizing this issue, have given a communal colour by spreading a canard like "150 years dream of "Tamils" is being threatened by the "Hindus" in the name of Lord Rama and Rama Sethu", through the media, which is very unfortunate. The so-called rationalists have also indulged in hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus by issuing statements and through press interviews. Such actions give a lot of room for anti-social & fanatic elements, which take law in to their hands and play havoc threatening peace & harmony. Since time immemorial, our Nation has been a land of Rishis, Munivars, Acharyas, Mahans, Gurus and Mahatmas and the people of our Nation have always revered and worshipped them. They have always been our permanent source of "strength". As all the Hindu Religious Gurus are opposed to the demolition of the Rama Sethu, we should heed their advices and accept them. Hence, the "Rama Sethu" must not be destructed at any cost, and the religious sentiments of Hindus must be respected.* Mr.S.R.Rao, Eminent Scientist and President of Society of Marine Archeology in India, who discovered the submerged "Dwaraka" off the coast of Gujarat and proved the historicity of Krishna & Mahabaratha, had categorically said that, a proper exploration and survey must be done to save & protect the Rama Sethu. He had said, "Rama Sethu is an ancient monument of national and international importance. Based on overwhelming archeological, epigraphical and scientific evidences, Rama Sethu should be declared and protected as a World Heritage Site". Hence the Rama Sethu must not be damaged and steps must be taken to implement the suggestion of Mr.S.R.rao.* Dr.S.Badrinarayanan, Eminbent Geologist and former Director, Geological Survey of India and Consultant, National Institute of Ocean Technology had said, "It is a well known fact that the coral reefs can only form in clean & unpolluted water and these being marine organisms require firm & compact formation as foundation. Geological & geophysical studies of Rama Sethu reveal the presence of loose marine sand below the coral layer clearly indicating the coral layer in the form of boulders are not natural and formed on their own, but have been transported by somebody and dumped there; thus clearly establishing the fact that Rama Sethu is very much manmade in the hoary past". Hence the Rama Sethu must not be damaged, but protected.* The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been done by NEERI much before the fatal attack of Tsunami on 26th of December 2004 and hence it becomes imperative to have a new study done by considering the impact of Tsunami and the effects of future Tsunamis. Prof. Tad S. Murthy, Vice President, The Tsunami Society, Ottawa, who is also a consultant for our central government for developing our own Tsunami Warning Systems, has said, "Execution of SSCP in its present form & alignment will lead to unprecedented disasters along the coast line of southern Tamil Nadu& Kerala during the next Tsunami". Hence the Rama Sethu must not be destroyed.* Prof. CSP Iyer, Executive Director, Center for Marine Analytical Reference and Standards, Trivandrum has said "The execution of SSCP would have an adverse impact on the sensitive ecosystem and the marine life in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, home and breeding ground to a large number of endangered marine life and species, viz, Dugong, Sea Turtles, Dolphins and Sea Horses thriving in the coral reefs that abound in this region". Hence the Rama Sethu must not be damaged, as the damage & dredging would prove detrimental to all the rare marine organisms.* Captain (Indian Navy) & Master Mariner H.Balakrishnan has studied the [project in detail and had presented his findings in the form of articles as "Mariner's Perspective", which have been widely published by the mainstream media in India. So far his findings have not been objected or contested by any of the functionaries associated with the project, which goes to prove that the project doesn't make any 'nautical sense'. He had analyzed the project taking in to consideration the important factors such as distance, fuel-need, time duration, pilot requirement & pilotage and tonnage of vessels, etc and arrived at a conclusion that the project is not viable at all. Captain Balakrishnan has said, "Considering the present global and geopolitical situation and insurgency & terrorists' threat perceptions, it is felt that the execution of SSCP would poise a grave danger to National Security". Hence the Project deserves to be shelved.* Dr.S.Kalyanaraman Ph D, Eminent Scientist & Director, Saraswathi Research Center who is in the forefront of saving & protecting the magnificent & wonderful world heritage monument Rama Sethu, hasd said, "The SSCP would lead to destruction of fish & marine life in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, resulting in loss of livelihood of thousands of fishermen and their families, along the southern coast of Tamil Nadu. The project does not include Tsunami protection measures". Hence the project must be shelved.* Apart from the expert opinions of the experts belonging to relevant fields, there are umpteen evidences to prove the historicity of Rama Sethu. Historical, Sculptural, Socio-Cultural, Literary, Numismatic, Cartographical, Epigraphical, Geological & Archeological evidences have been presented for the existence of the Rama Sethu for ages. Mr.V.Sundaram I.A.S. First Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust, Scholar & Journalist, who had compiled all the above-said evidences in his masterpiece titled "Rama Sethu-Historic Facts vs Political Fiction" had said, "SSCP in its present form is scientifically inconsistent and technically indefensible". Hence, Rama Sethu must be protected and the SSCP must be shelved.* Mr.Ossie Fernandes, Environmentalist & Leader, Coastal Action Network, has been working tirelessly to save the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and their families and also to save the lives of thousands of rare marine species. He has been vociferously against the project since the beginning and he had said, "A spoilt environment would lead to the threat of livelihood of fishermen in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu". The website www.earthdive.com has published a news item along with his interview in January 2007.* The famous journal "Current Science" has addressed the short term & long term implications of this project, raising relevant questions on the technical feasibility of the project.* Retired Army Officer Colonel S.S.Rajan, concerned with the implications of the SSCP, took a "Padha Yathra" from Chennai to Rameshwaram, covering a distance of 650 Kms for creating awareness on the importance of protecting Rama Sethu. Through this padha yathra, he had appealed to the government "To protect Rama Sethu for saving the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, to save the environment for the safety & well being of thousands of marine organisms & rare species, to respect the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus as that of Christians, Muslims and other Minorities, to secure the Nation from the threats of Terrorists". He also had the support of a great number of Army, Air force and Naval officers in person, as well as through correspondences, thereby upholding the secular fabric of the Armed Forces. Hence, this project must be shelved and the Rama Sethu must be protected.* The Tamil Nadu Tourism Department had rightly claimed that the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a wild life sanctuary and a great Marine Biosphere running along the coasts of Ramanathapuram & Thoothukudi covering 21 Islands, 623 ha, full of Coral reefs, Dugong, Turtles, Dolphins and other Marine Species. The Department says that the Kurusadai Islands off Mandapam boasts of a vast expanse of shallow water. The presence of 'flora & fauna' here are in their virgin form.* The Honourable Shipping & Road Transport Minister Mr.T.R.Balu, when he was the Union minister for Environment & Forests during the NDA regime, had inaugurated The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Trust on the 16th of December 2000. During the function, he had given a scintillating speech delving at the concept & importance of Biosphere. He had said, "The Biosphere is a "Biologists' Paradise" and that it was established for attempting an integrated approach to resolving the adverse impact of human activities on the rich biodiversity of this ecologically fragile area". He had called upon the people, "Work with commitment & vigor for the cause of conservation of biological diversity". So, as per the contention of Mr.T.R.Balu, it becomes imperative for us to protect the ecologically fragile area and hence the project must be shelved.* In the event of implementation of this project after completion of dredging, there is a strong possibility of spillage of oils & chemicals, which would be devastating for the entire marine life in the area. In this context, we must recall the situation prevailing in the rivers & oceans of Europe, which are totally polluted and completely rid of marine organisms. Now the authorities there are finding it very difficult to repopulate the rivers & oceans with newly bred organisms like the "Salmon Fish", etc, which have become almost extinct. In the event of such a disaster, do we have a disaster management mechanism in place? D we have a disaster prevention mechanism in place? * The present committee constituted by the Central government does not have experts from the fields of Geology, Marine Archeology, Marine Industry, Coastal Security and Indian Navy, which are vitally relevant & important to assess the viability of the project. So, I feel the said committee must be reconstituted as experts from the above said fields have been missed out.* I feel the inclusion of Historians in the committee is irrelevant and doesn't make sense at all, as the central government had already accepted the historicity of Lord Rama, Ramayana and Rama Sethu. Despite the fact that the Existence of Rama Sethu for ages has been established with authentic facts & evidences, it is a matter of faith & belief of millions of Hindus, which cannot be questioned by any authority, as Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Worship have been enshrined in our Secular Constitution. Hence the inclusion of Historians in the committee is not necessary. SUGGESTIONSAs this unviable project is destined to be shelved, I, as a Tamilian, have a sincere suggestion for the development of the state, particularly the area under debate.* The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere can be developed as a prominent place in the map of International Tourism.* An Underwater Aquarium can be built, where the national & international tourist community could enjoy the sight of coral reefs and thousands of rare marine organisms.* A portion of Rama Sethu at "Sethukarai" near "Thirupullani" can be identified and promoted as a prominent tourist place.* A fresh Geological and Marine Archeological survey could be conducted and consequently the Rama Sethu could be declared and protected as a World Heritage Monument, which would help for a heavy inflow of international tourists.* Governments may come and go. But, the people, environment and the site remain forever. So, if the above suggestions are considered, the governments can have the satisfaction of spending the taxpayers' money in a useful and productive way.* In the event of implementation of the above steps, coastal areas would develop further; fishermen livelihood would not be affected; environment would be maintained & protected; marine organisms would flourish; revenue will keep on increasing due to tourism & pilgrimage. Last but not the least, all sections of people would live in peace & harmony without getting hurt, religiously or otherwise.ANNEXURES1. The statement of Dr.S.R.Rao, Founder, Society of Marine Archeology in India.2. The statements of Dr.S.Kalyanaraman,Ph D, Director, Sarswathi Research Centre.3. The statements of Prof CSP Iyer, Executive Director, Center for Marine Analytical Reference and Standards, Trivandrum.4. The papers presented by Captain H.Balakrishnan.5. The news published by www.earthdive.com6. The news published by "Current Science".7. The Tamil Nadu Tourism's Advertisement (Web Page)8. Text of Mr.T.R.Balu's speech, when he inaugurated the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Trust, in December 2000, when he was Union Minister for Environment & Forests, in the NDA government.9. "Rama Sethu – Historic Facts vs Political Fiction" – Compiled by Mr.V.Sundaram. I.A.S.10. "Sethu Bandhanam" – A compilation of Tamil Literary evidences by Shri.R.Subbarayulu.