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" (à®´ ) . 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.