Saturday, March 16, 2013

Do Srilankan Tamils support Setu Samudram Project??


It seems so. Before going into the details of what the Srilankan Tamils have said on the Setu project and my counter views, I wish to say a few things about the happenings in Tamilnadu. At the moment students belonging to arts, science and law colleges are agitating against the proposed Indian stance at UNHRC on the war crimes of Srilankan Government. They are right, as any human being will be moved by the human right violations and genocides wherever they had taken place.


http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130316/news-current-affairs/article/angry-young-men-want-india-rein-sri-lanka


But I want to say a few words of caution to the people of Tamilnadu.  Have they ever thought that they had been led to think in a particular way rather than they becoming masters of their own independent thought?


Have they ever been made to realize that human right violations or atrocities apply to any human being and not just Srilankan Tamils? I am constrained to ask this because the images of entertainment in all Tamil TV channels are still lingering on my mind when Mumabi was under siege by Kasab & Co. While the rest of the nation was beaming visuals and news on the terror siege, the Tamil TV channels were beaming dance sequences. The reaction of the people of Tamilnadu to the Mumbai carnage was mute at that time. The average Tamilian of Tamilnadu does not know anything other than what their remote controls – the TV Channels and the political circles – tell them. On the Srilankan Tamil issue, I wish to point out that this hype is a whipped up one – something Manivannan ( a film director and actor ) told a couple of days ago on the current agitation in a TV discussion programme – on how he and others publicized to the common man on the street about the plight of Srilankan Tamils on the war zone and how they made the common people cry and scream on the stories told to them and leave out a curse on the Srilankan govt. Why this kind of whipping up emotions selectively against Srilankan govt is being done by these people whereas LTTE too was equally responsible for the sufferings of the Srilankan Tamils? Why these people do not speak about LTTE atrocities that kept the innocent civilians as captives and shields?


This is where I want the people of Tamilnadu to think whether they are being used by some forces. I am of the view that Srilankan Tamil issue and Kudangulam issue are the ones where the emotionally susceptible common man of Tamilnadu is being exploited by some outside powers having some vested interests. The Tamilians have exhibited their weakness for emotional exploitation ever since the Dravidian movement took shape a century ago. The fall of the wise Tamils began from then onwards. Today only two words are enough to make them behave like puppets. They are 'Tamil pride' and 'Tamilian kinship'. The average Tamilian on the street can be made to think in the way you like by using these two "Tamil" sentiments. The funny part of it is that almost half of the people of Tamilnadu cannot even pronounce the special word of Tamil namely "zha" ( ) . They don't even know which is the correct way to pronounce Tamil – as Sen-thamizh or Chen-thamizh. They would fail in the test of Shibboleth if such a test is used to check their ethnicity as a Tamil.  The issue however is not this, but why they don't apply their independent thinking is my question.


Have they ever thought whether these Srilankan Tamils or their think tanks would come to their support if they have a grievance? Just take the safety of our nation's borders, how many people in Tamilnadu know or have been told (by the likes of Manivannan who are more keen on planting scripts against the Srilankan Govt) that it is better for Srilankan Tamils and Indians to have a friendly and peaceful neighbor in Srilanka than to have it driven to embrace China? For those who have no idea about the Chinese plans this article would help.


http://rightwingdian.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/india-firmly-in-china%E2%80%99s-crosshairs/


The Chinese are ready to go to any extent – even nuking the Himalayas so that the monsoon winds are not stopped by the Himalayas but enter China to give it rains! They are even working on genetically engineered babies so that future population of China is going to be super humans who cannot be surpassed by anyone in the world. The Chinese are the Daitya asuras of the olden days that indications are such that they are going to rule the world in near future. They have an interest in Pakistan and Srilanka that works to the detriment of India as a whole. The agitations in Tamilnadu  aimed at putting pressure on the Indian Govt are going to make us (India) lose control over our neighborhood and drive Srilanka to be a Yes-man of China. This situation is not going to help either Srilankan Tamils or Indians. Its time the Tamilnadu people see reason and help in making solutions that are good for both Indians and Srilankan Tamils. Kanchan Gupta's article could perhaps give an understanding of the nuances in this direction. Read this:

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/03/india-must-stand-by-sri-lanka-vote.html


I wonder how many such articles are reaching the Tamil reading public of Tamilnadu.


Coming to the core issue of this article, Tamilnadu people must know that Srilankan Tamil think-tank does not think about the Hindu or Indian or the cause of Tamilnadu people at any time. On the particular issue of Ram Setu, if the Srilankan govt opposes the Setu samudram Project, these Tamils think that it is their duty to support the Project  (perhaps typical of the mentality of the Tamilnadu political culture of Karunanidhi – Jayalalithaa) notwithstanding the probability that the very land of Jaffna where they are standing  would be submerged under sea water if the Setu canal is dug. It seems no amount of historical or scientific reasoning can convince them in this issue in their zeal to oppose the Srilankan government.


I say this because they are not found wanting to oppose the moves to destroy Hindu structures by the Srilankan Govt. Recently as many as  367 Hindu temples in Srilanka were demolished by the Srilankan Government. It attracted opposition from them and from many Hindus around the globe. But why can't they express similar sentiments when it comes to Indian Govt's moves to destroy Ram Setu? 


In an article (posted at the end of this blog), the Srilankan Tamil historian has supported the Setu samudram project on the pretext that it would make the ports of Jaffna (Northern Srilanka) busy! If by destroying the Ram Setu, the Jaffna ports can be made to do brisk business, then we don't support such a line of reasoning. Dharma would not support persons of such thoughts and actions. It is 'Dharmo rakshathi rakshithaha'.


The Jaffna ports were busy during the period of monarchy in India but today which of the eastern ports of India need a re-fuelling or embarking a stop-over in North Srilanka on their way to South India? Jaffna ports were popular during Cholan period when they had frequent trips – militarily or otherwise – to the North of Srilanka. They made straight trips from their ports which were located in the north of Ram setu. But never did they or anyone cut across the Ram Setu. The military expedition of King Rajaraja Chola is described in the copper plates of Thiruvalangadu inscribed during the times of Rajaraja's son Rajendra Chola where a mention of Ram Setu is made.


" The lord of the Raghavas (i.e., Rama) constructing a bridge across the water of the ocean with (the assistance of) able monkeys, killed with great difficulty the king of Lanka (i.e., Ravana) with sharp-edge arrows ; (but) this terrible General of that (king Arunmolivarman) crossed the ocean by ships and burnt the Lord of Lanka (Ceylon). Hence Rama is (surely) surpassed by this (Chola General). " (verse 80)

(source:- http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_3/no_205c_aditya_ii_karikala.html )


The sea route of this expedition was from west to east – somewhat parallel to Ram Setu and not across the Setu.

There is also a section of people who think that Setu was once as navigable passage! It could have never been so. Even if we take a look at the Silk route devised by UNESCO Project, it does not cut across the Ram setu – meaning to say that there was no sea route cutting the Ram Setu.


The following map has been devised by the UNESCO team based on historical inputs on Silk route of the ancient times.


http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001591/159189E.pdf


From the Arabian sea corridor, the next stop in the east was in Ceylon (Srilanka). Further route does not cut across the Ram Setu.

The spice route devised by the UNESCO project is as follows.

 

This shows an encircling on the west of Srilanka which seems to cut across the Ram Setu. It is not possible to go through the seas here, but possible to use the inland coastal routes. 


The most popular ports were in the southern parts of Srilanka. It is difficult for the Srilankan Tamil researchers to accept Colombo as a stop-over for ships in olden days. But from the accounts of the 13th century Venetian traveler Marco Polo, we come to know that some port in the southern side of Zeilan (Ceylon) served as a main stop-over in his times. (http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ojQ2Sdm-8dYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+travels+of+Marco+polo&redir_esc=y#PPA380,M1 )


From there he could sail exact west to the pearl harvesting region of south India. That was Tuticoin. This makes Colombo the probable port where Marco Polo landed.


Speaking of Tuticorin, the Tamils of Tamilnadu are being fed with a notion that it was Tamils' dream to develop and link Tuticorin with the other ports of east coast of India. No Tamil dreamt like that. But there was a Tamilian who openly expressed that Ram Setu must be raised and used as a road to Lanka. He was the famous freedom fighter, Maha kavi Bharathiyaar. (Simhala –th- theevinukkor paalam amaippOm, Sethuvai Meduruththi veedhi samaippOm – Let us build a bridge to the island of Simhala. Let us raise the Sethu and make it a causeway.)


Tuticorin was also not a settlement in those days. From the accounts of Marco Polo we come to know that pearl diving was done only during day times in April and May. After that they divers moved to another region to the south of it in the sea for diving. That means there were no continuous or permanent settlements in Tuticorin. Infact the very name Tuticorin was "Tuttu-k-kudi" meaning "scattered habitation" ( http://www.chaf.lib.latrobe.edu.au/dcd/page.php?title=&record=1985 ). (perhaps derived from ThuNdu-k-kudi meaning scattered. It became Tuticorin in the Dutch man's tongue who could not pronounce it properly). The fisher folks and pearl divers had made seasonal visits to this place and set up scattered settlements. It was not meant to be a harbor.


It was the Dutch people who made it their habitat and developed it.  A rare photo obtained by our reader and fellow Blogger  Mr Hemanth from the Dutch archives is given below.


Tuticorin at the time of Dutch occupation.


The huge pile on the shore is that of pearl oysters collected from the sea. The main activity was pearl collection and sales of the same.



http://hemanththiru.blogspot.in/search/label/Tuticorin


Developing this place was a Dutch dream not a Tamils' dream.


In their ambition to expand their influence they dug the Pamban breach, where the land was already inundated by sea waters during a cyclone of 1484 AD. Until then Rameswaram was an extension of land and not an island. The present gap with sea water going under the Pamban bridge was formed naturally by the cyclone of 1484 and other subsequent cyclones. At that time the depth of the sea at that place was only 5 feet. That continued to be so which perhaps led to the birth of a story of Rama having broken the Setu by his bow (Dhanush) after he came back from Lanka. But one must know that this part of the breach or break-up was not part of the Setu bridge built by the vanaras. It was a continuation of land which extended upto Rameswaram from where extended the Setu bridge.  Another information is that Rama did not come back to Setu bridge after winning Ravana and getting back Sita. He flew to Ayodhya by the Pushpaka vimana of Ravana.



 In the Google earth picture above, the arrow mark shows the area of breach in the extended mainland. Ram setu bridge is seen under the water.


This gap of land is crossed by Pamban bridge now. This gap was not present until 1484. Until then the land was a continuous extension and from that, Setu bridge extended.


The British records tell us these details and also how the Dutch deepened this gap for their ships to sail.


From http://www.chaf.lib.latrobe.edu.au/dcd/page.php?title=&record=1981


" The island, which is about 14 miles in length by 5 in breadth, is said, and no doubt with truth, to have once joined the mainland of Rámnád, and to have been separated from it by a violent storm. This took place in 1484 A.D., in the reign of Achudapa Náik, Rájá of Madura. A small breach was then made, but the water was so shallow as to be passable on foot till the time of Achudapa's successor, Visuvarada Náik, when another hurricane enlarged the passage, which was continually increased by succeeding storms. The passage was further enlarged by the Dutch when they possessed the island.


But the greatest improvements have been made since 1830 by the British Government. Before these improvements were made the passage was excessively crooked, and the depth, at high water and neap tides, only about five ft., so that dhonies without keels, even after discharging most of their cargo, would be often days getting through when the current was strong. There is now a channel called the Pámban Pass, the whole breach being about a mile broad, while the channel for ships clear of rocks is about 90 ft. wide and 10½ ft. deep, so that keeled vessels can pass through in either direction without delay and without discharging cargo.


Even this space has been obtained by much labour, at an expense of upwards of £15,000, the work of dredging having been carried on since 1837. The expenditure, however, has been repaid by a proportionate increase in the number of vessels which have passed through. The trade has increased from 17,000 tons in 1822 to 160,000 tons in 1853. Vessels of 200 tons have passed, and even the war steamers Pluto and Nemesis; and freight between Colombo and Negapatam has been reduced by about six rupees, or more than one-half, a ton."


The maps recorded by the Dutch show how difficult it must have been for them to cross this gap by ships.

http://hemanththiru.blogspot.in/2010/08/hes-so-hhhot.html


This map again collected by Mr Hemanth from the Dutch National archives clearly shows the Ram setu from Indian main land upto Mannar. It has been mentioned as "Adams Bridge". The Pamban pass shows the underlying land-connect. Four centuries before the breach at Pamban happened, the Pandyas and Cholas had sailed in this part of the sea. But they had not and could not have crossed the Setu in North-south direction. From Korkai to Southern Srilanka  on the Mannar side and from Pumpuhar to Northern Srilanka on the Palk bay side were only the possible sea routes.


One can see the abundance of land forms and life forms in and around the Setu Bridge that extended upto Tuticorin.


http://kalyan97.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/seagrasshabitat.jpg


Nearly 21 islands are there as a border to this stretch and one can see a group of islands near the Pamban pass thereby showing that it could not have been a thoroughfare.



http://kalyan97.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/21marineparks.jpg


Even when the British Government planned to make a causeway through the sea, it did not think of breaking Ram Setu. Its plan was adopted by the Govt of Independent India. The initial plan was to cut across the land and then re-enter the seas. But subsequent plans drifted to cutting across the sea and the final one now proposed by the UPA govt cuts across the middle portion of Ram Setu.

 



The present plan:-




http://kalyan97.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/channelmedialline.jpg


The earlier routes were around Srilanka. The Northern ports of Srilanka flourished then without any navigation across the Ram Setu. Today if those ports are in less use, that is their internal problem. The Srilankan Tamils must fight for their rights and make a place for themselves as an equal citizen of Srilanka. The Indian or International efforts must be to work towards that goal and not to deepen the wedge between the Tamils and others of Srilanka.


The Srilankan Tamils have themselves acknowledged that a king by name Arya Chakravarthi was known as Setu Kavalar (Protector of Setu). Such a name could not have come to him if he had damaged the Setu and made way for navigation. That title shows that he had provided security to the land bridge of the Setu for the movement of people from Tamilnadu to Mannar.  Setu bridge was protected by security staff on the Indian side too according to Kamba Ramayanam.  Read:


http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.in/2008/07/sethu-in-kamba-ramayanam.html


While we have such historical information on the land connect between India and Srilanka, I am perplexed  how they can support a project that seeks to demolish it.

 

The UNESCO says,

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today,

and what we pass on to future generations.

Our cultural and natural heritage  are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti,

the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and

the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage.

What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application.

World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world,

irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of

cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of

outstanding value to humanity."

 

Applying the UNESCO definition of Heritage, we find that the Setu connect has a much older geological presence. The maps of Graham Hancock shows that this land connect was there even as early as 10,600 yrs BP. At that time Gujarat was still surrounded by lands! The green coloured rain forest region in Northern Srilanka and the habitability of the land connect shows that it is a region of rich archeological reserve. It must be recalled that the Setu bridge was dotted with woods even at the time the British entered India.




10,000 years before this period, that is, even as early as 21,300 yrs BP, Srilanka and India were connected by a wider patch that went upto present day Andhra Pradesh, thereby giving scope for a wider habitation prospects and growth of an indigenous civilization at this stretch of land.



All these indicate  strong probabilities of a permanent link between India and Srilanka for nearly 20,000 years in the past. There is lot more to search in this region through marine archeology.


It would be in the fitness of humane sensibilities if the Srilankan Tamil historians  have come forward to appeal for Heritage Status to this patch which has later been reclaimed as Ram Setu by Rama's vanar sena. It is regrettable that those who take pride in their kings for having protected the Setu as Setu Kavalar should have seen the advantages in its destruction.

 

-Jayasree

 

Related article:-

All Tamils must unite to save Ram-Setu.

 

****************


From


http://tropicalclimate.org/~mahaweli/climate.lk_mirror/sethu/docs/balac002.html

 

Sethu project will revive Jaffna's ancient maritime glory: Historian


PK Balachanddran


Contrary to the alarmist view held by most Sri Lankans about the impact of India's Sethusamudram project on their island country, a renowned Sri Lankan Tamil historian believes that it will only bring immense benefits to the island, and revive Jaffna's glorious past as a maritime trading power.


"Though the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project is primarily meant to facilitate Indian coastal shipping, it will also have a tremendously beneficial impact on the economy of Sri Lanka, particularly the Northern and North Western parts of the island, by reviving maritime activity in the Palk Strait," says Dr S Pathmanathan, Professor of History at Sri Lanka's prestigious Peradeniya University.


"It will help revive the ancient ports of North Sri Lanka, which had gone into disuse because of various historical and contemporary political factors," Prof Pathmanathan told Hindustan Times in an interview at Kandy last weekend

"And with the activation of the ports at Thalaimannar, Kankesanthurai and Point Pedro, the age-old connections between the peoples of South India and Sri Lanka, particularly those of North Sri Lanka, will be revived," Pathmanathan added.


Currently the Chair of History in Sri Lanka's oldest university, the silver-haired don is known for his definitive work on the history of Jaffna, and is an authority on the history of the relations between the Tamils of North East Sri Lanka and the Tamils of South India.


"When opportunities for trade between South India and the Tamils of North Sri Lanka develop, the state of Sri Lanka will be obliged to develop the ports in the Jaffna peninsula, such as Thalaimannar, Kankesanthurai, Point Pedro and possibly even Mullaitivu, on the North Eastern coast."


"And there will be a great deal of commercial activity and economic development as a result of the development of these ports," he said.

"There is no basis for the assumption that the Sethusamudram project will have an adverse effect on Sri Lanka," Professor Pathmanathan asserted.


"India and Sri Lanka are linked by geography and history, culture and geo-politics. These links will only be further cemented by measures to facilitate the flow of trade, commodities and people between the two countries," he said.


"Development of the ports and the economy of North and North Western Sri Lanka will lead to an increase in the two-way traffic of tourists. Pilgrims from Sri Lanka will be able to go to Hindu and Buddhist shrines in India more easily and at less cost."


"Closer ties with India will also facilitate the transfer of Indian technology, which will only benefit Sri Lanka," Pathmanathan argued.


Region's glorious maritime past


Steeped in the history of Sri Lanka-South India relations, Professor Pathmanathan said: " In ancient times, the southern-most part of India and Sri Lanka had formed a single trading unit.There were close connections between the ports in South India and those in North West, and North East Sri Lanka".

"There was a substantial degree of trade between South India and Sri Lanka through the Palk Strait. The Medieval kings of Jaffna, the Ariya Chakravathis, were known as the Sethu Kaavalar or the Guardians of the Sethusamudram, as the Palk Strait and Palk Bay were known." "The title Sethu Kaavalar also symbolised the Jaffna kings' sentimental attachment to the sacred Hindu sites on the Rameswaram coast," Pathmanathan said.

On the other side of the Palk Strait, in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, the local ruling dynasty was known as the Sethupathi, the Lord of the Sethusamudram.

And according to Prof Pathmanathan, the Arab traveller, Ibn Batuta, who visited Jaffnapatnam in 1344 AD and stayed as a guest of the Ariya Chakravarthi, has said that the king spoke in Persian!


According to Ibn Batuta again, the king was conducting pearl fisheries and was exporting large quantities of cinnamon to the Indian coast, stretching from Quilon in present-day Kerala, to Nellurpatnam in present Andhra Pradesh.


Ibn Batuta further states that he had seen over a hundred ships belonging to the Jaffna Ariya Chankravarthi on the South Indian coast on their way to Yemen in Arabia.


According to Dr Naresha Duraiswamy, the Fifth Century Coptic monk, Indicopleustes, had described the port of Manthai on the Mannar coast in North West Sri Lanka, as an emporium linked to parts of the Coromandal and Malabar coasts of South India.


"The goods of the Far East were exchanged for those of the Near East in these ports. South Indian traders mediated the trans-shipment of merchandise. According to Sundaramurthi, Manthai port was crowded with ships belonging to different nations," Duraiswamy said in a personal communication to Hindustan Times.

"And the Arab travellers of the 10th century, Suleyman and Abu Zaid, had noted that the chief of Zapage (Jaffna) derived his income from shipping."

Duraiswamy went on to say that the ship construction industry continued in Kayts and Valvettithurai in Jaffna, till as recently as 1901.


"The early history of the Tamils of Northern Sri Lanka was linked to maritime trade," he asserted. It is this glorious tradition that may be revived if the ports of Northern Sri Lanka are revived as a fallout of India's Sethusamudram project.


It was the existence of maritime links across the Palk Strait, which brought the South Indian peninsular peoples, to Sri Lanka.

"Recent archaeological findings show that in the first three centuries before Christ, Tamil language was widely spoken in several parts of the island of Sri Lanka, like the North East, North West, North Central and South Eastern parts of the island, says Prof Pathmanathan.


Coins bearing Tamil names were found in the South East. Tamil Brahmi letters were seen in broken pottery, he notes.

"There was an overflow of megalithic people from peninsular India into Sri Lanka and they spoke what might be called proto-Tamil, with an admixture of certain features of Kannada and Telugu," Pathmanathan says.


Invasions from Tamil Nadu across the sea, were also not uncommon in the past.

Says Dr Duraiswamy: "Karikalan, the Chola king, captured the iron fort at Manthai on the Mannar coast in the first century AD. The Chera king Sengottuvan stormed Manthai in the second century."


"Several poems of the Tamil work Purananuru of the third century, are in honour of Chief Kumanan of Manthai," he points out.

The relations between the Tamils of Sri Lanka and the Tamils of peninsular India were very strong so long as maritime links existed.

"The maritime trade of Jaffna with South India and the rest of the world was so strong that even the mighty Portuguese and the Dutch, who ruled Jaffna in succession, could not stamp it out. But British rule brought about a major change," says Prof Pathmanathan.


British rule weakened ties


"The British developed Colombo, as the major port of the island of Ceylon, and neglected the development of the northern ports. The 20th century especially saw a sharp decline of the northern ports," Pathmanathan said.


"Trade links between South India and North Sri Lanka almost completely ceased particularly after Ceylon became independent in 1948. Post-independence Ceylonese or Sri Lankan governments continued to neglect the northern ports, preferring to bestow attention on Colombo exclusively," he observed.

Of course, governmental neglect of the Sri Lankan northern ports was not the only reason for the decline of trade between North Sri Lanka and South India

The nationalisation of import and export trade in Sri Lanka had led to a decline in private trade. And all the South India-North Sri Lanka trade was in private hands.

"This had an adverse impact on the economy and society of North Sri Lanka because legitimate trade was replaced by smuggling. Smuggling began to flourish," Pathmanathan noted.


Unfounded fears about Colombo port


The Sri Lankan historian had no hesitation in asserting that the fear that the development of the Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu, as a result of the Sethusamudram canal, would hinder the growth of Colombo port, was "unfounded."


"The large carriers from South East Asia and the Far East will still call at Colombo by necessity. Similarly, ships from South East Asia and West Asia and Africa will be coming to Colombo because there is no prospect of these ships reaching South Indian ports," Prof Pathmanathan said.


In conclusion, Prof Pathmanathan's earnest plea to fellow Sri Lankans was: "All thinking people concerned about the welfare of society as a whole in Sri Lanka have an obligation to support projects and ventures from which the people of the country are destined to reap benefits."

 

 

 

 

 

16 comments:

Jayasree Saranathan said...

As I expected someone is trying to hack my account within an hour of posting this article. Some vested interests are out there who are keeping the Indian and Srilankan Tamils in their grip. Its time we know to differentiate the genuine ones from these vested interests.

Ramanathan said...

Dear Madam,
I do even think that Srinlankan tamils are not in anyway genuinely concerned with Indian ones. Somewhere i read that in Srilanka, Indian tamils, working in plantations where scoffed and looked upon by their "Toppul kodi uravugal". Is it true?

Regards
Ram

Unknown said...

Well said smtJayasree. There is no point in trying to preach wisdom to the Tamils who are whipping up emotions and the Tamils who welcome such whip ups and consider these peoples words as most wise. There are enough instances in the recent past history [about 100 years] which show how these selfish Tamils have exploited the common Tamils and misguided them. So your hard work to present facts and figures would only go waste against this misguided propaganda. I have faith in Sri Rama that He would never allow this project to materialise. Even if it did,as cautioned by Oceanolgists and Ecological scientists, volcanoes and Tsunamis would take toll of both North Srilanka and Southern India. At that time it would be impossible to go back and so the very same Tamils might perish. That would be fate! Even before these natural calamities occured, as you have cautioned, Srilanka would have become an Ally of the Chinese and that would cause continuous hardship for the Tamils in North Srilanka. But our 'manivannans and vaikos' are dreaming for setting up independent Eelam with Tamilnadu and North Srilanka. That, if materialized, would be enough for perpetuating hardships for not only Tamils of Srilanka but for the tamils in Indian subcontinent also. As you have mentioned Tamils are very emotional and wisdom can never dawn on such people.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Dear Mr Ramanathan,

// Somewhere i read that in Srilanka, Indian tamils, working in plantations where scoffed and looked upon by their "Toppul kodi uravugal". Is it true?//

I have no idea. If you come across the link having this info, please forward it. But it is common sense that unless there are some stakes, people would not do like what is happening in Tamilnadu. Incidentally the student organizations pioneering the anti lanka stir have dubious names of Elam or separatist ideologies and links. Something not good for Tamilnadu. It seems that Intel of Police are seized of the matter.

Infact the number of people who do selective targeting of Lankan govt or Rajapakshe are very less. Though everyone agrees that the lot of the SL Tamils must improve, they are not forgetting the LTTE and Prabhakaran role in the hardships for the common SL Tamils. The current agitations seem to have been propelled by pro-LTTE forces to skirt it aside and turn the focus on SL Govt.

There is certainly money and support coming from outside to the current agitations. The agitations are made out to be huge mainly because of the publicity given by some TV channels round the clock. These channels need to be under scanner.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Dear Mr Saranathan (Kodhayin Padhai)

There are lots of information I wanted to write but left them out as I felt that they may not go with the article.

Of importance is a Tholkappiyam verse which tells about 2 types of people - those who go to farther places through land and through ships. (kaalil piridhal and Kalaththil piridhal)

The 9th century Nacchinaarkiniyar says that the 4 varnas who follow the Vedic life do not cross the seas and therefore do not go by ships! Even for going over to Lanka I dont think they would have used the ships! This is also a reason (that I used to wonder) whether Rama chose to build a bridge instead of crossing the seas by ships.

Thinking of all the past events of Dig Vijaya given in Mahabharata, I don't remember having read anyone crossing the seas. The kings (Mandhata, Raghu, Muchukuntha) had just went around the Bharata varsha on land.

Even in the narration of Marco Polo on pearl diving, it is said that they didn't cross the seas. Their work at sea was from dawn to dusk only. The Brahmins also were part of the diving team as they used to chant mantras to make the sea animals / creatures stay away from divers or cause no harm to them.

The period of Rajaraja Chola is later to Nacchinaarkiniyar. He was perhaps the first king of Vedic system to have crossed the seas - some thing told in contrast to Rama's bridge in the Thiruvalangadu copper plates.

One may then ask how was the Vedic culture taken to Indonesia before this time or even as early as the former centuries of the Common Era. Going through those instances, I can see 2 scenarios, one the kings had migrated over there and made those places their homes, which is perfectly ok and two, those kings were mostly Pallavas, the mallas - Kshatriya vratyas. The Pallavas were not originally from the Tamil stock. They were the descendants of Ashwatthama, son of Drona of Mahabharata times. For nearly 2000 to 3000 years they have lived incognito due to the stigma carried through Ashwatthama. Then they spread out and carved out a space for themselves. They needed acceptance and a place to live and rule, that is how they could have spread out crossing the seas.

(cont'd)

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Another issue that is in my mind is that SL is a missing link between pre-historic Sunda land where the Puranic narrations had happened and the current era of Vaivasvatha Manu in Bharat.

Look at the last map I have shown in the article, it is connected to Andhra! One view that I have gained from my research is that migration from Sundaland to Indian mainland could have been through Srilanka in the thick patch that connected it with India about 20,000 years. That was the time Sundaland was a land form and was brimming with civilisation. The varaha and Narasimha avataras took place in Sundaland. The import of Narasimha from there to Andhra could have happened through this route via Srilanka.

Infact there are altogether 3 places on the east coast of India having links to regions close to Sundaland. One was Pumpukar (my article on Tamil blog on 11,500 old stricture off Pupukar).

Another was Mahabalipuram, nearly 7 temples and therefore 7 habitats were there in the sea towards the direction of Sundaland whose early submergence took place 7000 yrs ago according to Graham Hancock.

The 3rd region is Andhra coast through which the memory of Lord Narasimha entered India. There is a genetic study on a group of people of Andhra who are oldest than the rest of India and whose genetic imprints are different and stands out distinctively from the rest of India. I wonder if they were the early inhabitants of Sundaland.

The issue for this article is that Srilanka must have served as the link to these people. It is good that SK Govt recognizes Ramayana and is promoting Ramayana sites as part of tourism. They must also recognise that Lord Muruga's main area of activity was in SL. 10,000 years ago Sura padma had his presence in SL. Lord Muruga was a historical figure then and had walked in SL. If only the Tamils and Sinhalese live in harmony and take pride in their land, they can find out the hidden heritage of their land with reference to Muruga.

(cont'd)

Jayasree Saranathan said...

I agree with you that the more adharmic one becomes, more hardships one would face. If the Setu canal is cut, Jaffana would be lost to the seas. Livelihood of fishermen on both sides would be lost. The Christianised region in south India starting from Rameswaram upto Kerala regions would be washed away if a tsunami hits again. The Vedic dictum Dharmo rakshathi rakshithaha would again be realized then. Those who do not protect Dharma would be destroyed by Dharma.

The heavily evangelicised Kerala coast in the Arabian sea also faces danger from the seas, as Antartica is warming up. Within a century, the prospect of an ice berg from Antartica suddenly sinking into the seas is high which would create flash floods in the Arabian seas where the first casualty would be the Kerala coast.

Bharat is a unique land well protected by Vedic Gods. Breaches in the nature of Bharat as a Vedic land would come back to the people who breach it. Puranas have many stories as a kind of warning to the people who move away from Veda dharma or who undermine Veda dharma. Such people would face destruction of a pralaya type.

I am not saying this without a scientific reason. Scientists have found out star shaped gravity waves on non linear surfaces. India which is triangular shaped - the shape of Maa KAli - has the potential by Nature to have some unique divine manifestation. A breach into it would wipe out the ones who cause the breach.

I thought of writing on these gravity waves some time in future as I wanted to concentrate now on Mayan articles and move on to my Tamil blog. Let me see what my In-Dweller guides me:)

Sheela said...

Dear Madam,

there are invisible forces creating media hype on this issue after four years.. there is no use to SL tamils by such outbursts in TN. infact SL tamils donot want any interference and are capable to survive. SL tourists getting attacked in TN is also a matter of concern.

Sheela

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Yes Ms Sheela.

How easy it is to create hatred!

Look at the names of the groups that were indulged in attacking the monk -
Tamil Desa Poduvudamai katchi, Vidhuthalai Tamil Puligal Katchi, Nam Tamilar movement, Marumalarchi DMk and like minded organizations - are they students?
No.
They have some vested interests and funded by vested interests from abroad. Even the names of the student forums who are agitating are dubious. JJ must put them all under check. But MK would cry hoarse and try to extract mileage out of it. The agitators are only giving oxygen to MK at a time when he has to wither away.

The sequence of attack on the monk also shows the kind of network these fringe groups have. First the monk was spotted by a tourist there. On seeing his shaven head and saffron robes, he had enquired about his identity and the monk had obliged. Immediately this person had called up his friends and they descended on the temple and attacked him.

More shocking is that the Tamil newspapers reported him merely as a SL student and not his status as a monk! The MK and Dravidian chauvinists are around. They are creating the trouble. They have to be completely nipped out. On one side we are hearing growth oriented future of India from Modi. But with these thugs around, we can not make any progress.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Mr Bala Gauthaman writes:-

The catholic church facilitated the escape of two Italian marines, who killed catholic Indian fishermen along the Kerala coast. Where are the fishermen federations and Church NGO's, who protest against Sr Lankan attack on Indian fishermen now? Are they in Vatican to save the murderers! The cardinal of Mumbai exudes joy and happiness to see the Indian National flag during papal election. May be those!

The catholic church of Srilanka issued travel advisory for catholics visiting India in the name of LTTE 'elements. The same church is fanning pro LTTE protests across Tamil Nadu. Support LTTE in India and oppose them in Sri Lanka. Both Hindus and Buddhist can be converted.What a strategy!

Read pasted links. Forward this mail and educate people on the evil designs of the church. Act fast to save our Homeland.

http://newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/article1504490.ece

http://www.dinakaran.com/News_Detail.asp?Nid=43285

http://truthdive.com/2013/03/11/loyola-college-students-on-hunger-strike-on-sri-lankan-tamils-issue-evicted-by-police.html

http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2012/09/06/warning-catholic-church-tamil-nadu-not-conducive-locals-visit

*****

My observation:-

The 2nd link given above is from a Tamil newspaper (run by Maran brothers)- which gives the names of the students who participated in the fast on SL issue. Most of them are Christians. Dr Subramanian Swamy's tweet also indicated that the Catholic priests are behind inciting this agitation.

The first link is a must-read.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Unusual happenings today. The CBI raids in Stalin's house has all the trappings of a drama. Was it done to deflect media attention in Tamilnadu from the voting at UN and from TN budget which is mostly a satisfactory budget?

What is going to happen to the 2G case esp with reference to Kanimozhi?

MK's reason for clinging to the Congress all these days was the likely implication of Kani in the case. The congress and the DMK were like the two snakes holding each other's tail. If Kani is let down by the Congress / CBI, then MMS- PC-Sonia would be pulled into the mess. Already Raja is preparing to do that in JPC. How did MK agree to the pull-out with Kani still not cleared out of the mess?

MK's handling of the media queries today on the CBI raids were a typical deja vu of how he reacted when Kani was trapped in the 2G case - answering as though he was not at all aware of the whippings on him. adicchaalum valikkatha maathiri iruppathu.

Is Stalin calling the shots? Or did MK come to think that saving DMK is more important than saving Kani?

Or Stalin does not want to inherit a party heavily laden with corruption charges and want Kani to face it but himself to be there with a better image?

If Kani is implicated, would MK keep quiet or would he pull the rug from under Sonia's feet?

Only Time will tell. Or has the Time come now?

In his Maha dasa of the Bhaadaka planet Venus, MK is running the antar dasa of the maaraka, Mars starting from December 9th, 2012. Though Mars is a yoga karaka, it is in Marana Karaka sthana in Capricorn. The next antar dasa is that of Rahu, another marak, and its period starts from Feb 2014.

The upcoming year after his birthday in June has adverse sahamas of Punya, yasas, Mahatmya, Putra, Gaurava and Roga. I get a feeling that he is nearing his nemesis - a fitting end for the kind of destructive and adharmic influence he had on the Thought, Word and Action he on a generation of people.

Though I don't have the exact time of birth of Kanimozhi, I can see that things are not fine for her moon sign. The present crisis had started after saturn turned retro in her ashtama sthan. Ketu Maha dasa is going to start or already had started and Ketu is in ashtama. Is she facing a fate like Sunjay Dutt?

Would MK swallow it without taking on Sonia? Won't he wreck a havoc on Sonia if Kani is sent to jail?

Does it mean then that we going to witness some of the best moments of Dharma winning after all the trials and tribulations?

I can not but relate an information I read in Dr Swamy's tweet that India and Italy signed an agreement for serving of sentence in the country of citizenship. Is Sonia preparing to fly away to Italy?

Jayasree Saranathan said...


http://www.lankapage.com/NewsFiles/Mar21_1363849946.php


Leading News from Sri Lanka::

* Attacks on monks, tourists in TN will do more harm, say Tamils in Lanka

Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 12:42 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Mar 21 (NIE) Sri Lankan Tamils have expressed opposition to the current trend in Tamil Nadu of attacking visitors from Sri Lanka. Two leading Tamil dailies Virakesari and Thinakkural came out with editorials on Wednesday, saying that it had tarnished the image of the Tamil struggle for rights.

Virakesari went on to say that the attacks had had an adverse reaction in Lanka which could affect the Tamils living on the island. Previously, a Sinhalese-Buddhist party had called for a ban on visitors from Tamil Nadu, and a ban on travel to Tamil Nadu, the paper recalled.

Other Sinhalese-Buddhist groups had also taken up the issue with a view to blowing it up. The paper appealed to the people to be sensitive to repercussions in Sri Lanka.

Thinakkural said like the Tamils, the Sinhalese too had long-standing bonds with India, which could not be broken. But some elements were misusing the pro-Tamil movement for their own ends. It noted that the majority of people of TN wanted to struggle peacefully, but some groups had made the Tamil community as a whole hang its head in shame. Groups indulging in such activities should realise that their activities would only add grist to the mill of the anti-Tamil forces in the island, the paper warned.

Jayasree Saranathan said...


http://www.lankapage.com/NewsFiles/Mar21_1363849946.php


Leading News from Sri Lanka::

* Attacks on monks, tourists in TN will do more harm, say Tamils in Lanka

Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 12:42 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Mar 21 (NIE) Sri Lankan Tamils have expressed opposition to the current trend in Tamil Nadu of attacking visitors from Sri Lanka. Two leading Tamil dailies Virakesari and Thinakkural came out with editorials on Wednesday, saying that it had tarnished the image of the Tamil struggle for rights.

Virakesari went on to say that the attacks had had an adverse reaction in Lanka which could affect the Tamils living on the island. Previously, a Sinhalese-Buddhist party had called for a ban on visitors from Tamil Nadu, and a ban on travel to Tamil Nadu, the paper recalled.

Other Sinhalese-Buddhist groups had also taken up the issue with a view to blowing it up. The paper appealed to the people to be sensitive to repercussions in Sri Lanka.

Thinakkural said like the Tamils, the Sinhalese too had long-standing bonds with India, which could not be broken. But some elements were misusing the pro-Tamil movement for their own ends. It noted that the majority of people of TN wanted to struggle peacefully, but some groups had made the Tamil community as a whole hang its head in shame. Groups indulging in such activities should realise that their activities would only add grist to the mill of the anti-Tamil forces in the island, the paper warned.

Jayasree Saranathan said...

The reports at the time of death of LTTE Prabhakaran said that his wife, daughter and son Balachandran were also killed almost the same time of his death. There was no way to believe that Balachandran (Prabhakaran's younger son) was killed while he had taken shelter. The Channel 4 clippings of this boy was one of the major reasons that was supposed to have incited the student agitations in TN. Read this report:-

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/21/former-sri-lankan-army-chief-sets-record-straight-defends-rajapaksa-57877.html

Addressing the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in Colombo on Tuesday, March 20, 2013, Fonseka, a leader of the opposition Democratic National Alliance (DNA), refuted charges that his troops murdered Prabhakaran’s 12-year-old son, Balachandran.

It may be recalled that the bodies of Prabhakaran’s wife Mathivathani, 20-year-old daughter Dhuwraha (Dwarka), and younger son Balachandran were found on May 20, 2009, after the war ended. Bearing gunshot wounds in the head, the bodies were found in Nandi Kadal lagoon area a day after Prabhakaran’s body was recovered by the Sri Lankan Army. The bodies of 150 other LTTE cadre were also recovered from the lagoon area.

Prabhakaran’s elder son, Charles Anthony (24), was found dead on May 18, 2009, in the Karayamullaivaikkal area, with other senior leaders, including B Nadesan, head of LTTE’s political wing, Puleedevan, and senior field commander ‘Colonel’ Ramesh. Reports at the time hinted that they most likely took their own lives in a series of massive explosions heard within the No Fire Zone the previous day. Charles Anthony commanded the LTTE air wing, which he built up after returning from Ireland in 2006 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He was behind the sensational night raid on the military air base inside Colombo International Airport in March 2007.

Regarding Balachandran, Fonseka said that the pictures shown by Britain’s Channel 4 television network last month, one showing Balachandran sitting inside a military bunker having a snack and another of his bullet-riddled body, were possibly ‘doctored’. His explanation: “The bunker where he was looks too tidy and orderly to be one of our bunkers. In the battle field, we did not have the luxury of having such neat and tidy bunkers.”

Moreover, he pointed out, “The camouflaged uniform worn by someone who is claimed to be a Sri Lankan soldier is not what we issue our troops. This is the camouflage that is used by Indian troops. We know Tigers used smuggled Indian army-type uniforms.” Certainly, all photographs of Prabhakaran and other LTTE commanders and cadre show them in fatigues similar to those of the Indian Army.

Calleum Macrae’s documentary, which showed Balachandran with five bullet wounds in his chest, claimed that the boy was interrogated to ascertain his father’s whereabouts before he was killed. He had allegedly been sent with five escorts to surrender.

We shall probably never know the truth of these allegations.

General Fonseka has told the media that he is willing to face any independent international investigation as it is his “duty” as the commander at the time to face any probe. He charged the Government of mishandling accountability issues and allowing calls for a war crimes probe to escalate. He said many people had questions, and the Government should have cleared their doubts.
Fonseka firmly asserted that the military under his command fought the war professionally according to international law and had not violated human rights. However, if there was ‘specific evidence’ which deserved investigation, he would submit to any probe.

Sheela said...

Dear Madam,

Its obvious to know the invisible forces behind kudankulam or Lankan tamil issues. True tamilians and students are fooled against Dharma. Pondicherry ashram has been attacked which is no way connected with Lankan issues or Mamta Banerjee. In few websites its painful to read inflammatory comments to the extent of going for Thani thamizh naadu etc..

All these forces should be crushed by JJ hope she waits for suitable time. DMK will be more venomous without power.

Such unruliness all over and thinking of people going so bad (though they may be miniscule) wrong thinkings spread faster which is worrying factor for TN.


we should Pray for peace first.

Sheela

Jayasree Saranathan said...

True Ms Sheela.

I expect that JJ would try to finish DMK. Her first target would be Alagiri and son. In a way DMK first family seems to have suddenly become vulnerable.

2G dagger is hanging over Kani's head. Stalin would inherit the party sans competitors. Marans would be to Stalin as how their father was to MK.