Ram Setu – Faith, Trust & Belief

I sometimes am forced to believe that I am living in a nation where being majority is a crime, & more than that being a Hindu is a crime. Does the government dare to raze a mosque or some ancient Moslem monument to ground. NO they can't do that, as that will give rise to a hue & cry by the minority Moslems. Why is that, the Hindus are made the Scapegoats all the time, so as to be butchered? Its because the Hindu Vote Bank does not count for the government, just because the Hindus are not unified. But does it give the government any liberty to play with the sentiments of all Hindus?

It is ironical that a government which changes the metro rail route to protect the Qutub Minar, built with the construction material of destroyed temples, is destroying a unique symbol of national identity that has been there for the past 17,25,000 years, and an icon well preserved in our minds. Even a child knows that a bridge was built by the Lord Rama & his army to march into Lanka to rescue Sita and destroy the evil regime of Ravana. Ram Setu is a symbol of faith for the Hindus & holds both religious & mythological importance for Hindus. It is the path of virtuousness, & truth that God tread to win over the evil. How can anyone let the monument of such stature be damaged. The description of the bridge between India & Ceylon can be found in a lot of ancient Texts like Ramayna by Kalidasa, which puts it forth the same way as is shown by the NASA Satellites. Also its presence is reminiscent in one of the World's greatest epic Mahabharta. Apart from this it has mentions in numerous other religious & historical texts.

Strategic Importance of the bridge (Setu in Hindi) is that the US wanted the Indian Government to declare the Historical Sea Waters around the Setu as the International Sea Waters, so that commercial liners can traverse through this International Seawater. The Setu is like a divide that, that separates the sea into two parts hence, it decelerates the wrath & the force of the Tsunamis that arise in the Indian Ocean. Any alterations to the Setu, will not only disturb the ecological imbalance in the region but will also affect the fish catch of the Coastal fishermen. Also the Coral Reefs in the area will be disturbed, hence leading to their gradual extinction from the region.

The idea behind the Setu Samudram Project (The Bridge of the Sea) is to link Palk Gulf and Gulf of Mennar by making a shipping canal through Rameshwaram Island. But the Government could have averted the damage to the Bridge by taking an alternate route without damaging the Ram Setu. The route is between Mandapam and Dhanushkoti. This will not only give a shorter route for navigation but also protect the oldest heritage. The cost of fuel that will be saved in one year by making a gap in the Setu will be 21 crores per annum. But the cost of the project is a whopping 2400 crores. As per the calculation the project isn't feasible cost wise, as it will take 115 years to reap the benefits of making the cut in the bridge. 21 crores x 115 years = 240 Crores, the actual price of damaging the 17,25,000 years old man made structure. Being destroyed just for the sake of some coins.

The Solution to the problem clearly lies in the alternate route between Mandapam and Dhanushkoti, for the navy & commercial ships to commute through the channel, without any alteration of any kind to the Setu. There has been no transparency on the way the Indian Government has dealt with the Project till now, keeping everything under wraps, & when the lid was blown off, all of a sudden, it was supposed to create a hue & cry, just the way it has. Now to keep the Good will live amongst the people of India, the Government of India, should ensure that no damage is caused to the faith & religious sentiments of its people by taking the alternate route. The Current expenses to the tune of 2400 crores, can be bought down considerably by assigning alternate path, & can be used for other important issues that are haunting India as of now, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, epidemics, & many other such daunting issues. The Drilling on the project started 28.July, & till date 11.Sept, 25% of damage has been done to the current pass route. The Drill machine that is being used in the project is named as "Jai Hanuman", a Machine named after the biggest follower & devotee of Lord Rama. How ironical!! This again is a gimmick to ridicule the Hindus.
Two such drills have broken down while doing the drilling operation, & that is a sure sign from God, to stop this frenzy & madness.

Ram Setu is a monument of faith, trust & belief. Shaking or breaking the monument will be like shattering the faith of the Hindus, & faith once shattered or battered cannot be bought back.

Videos of the Setu's existence can be seen here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwwoeZrm22I