U mean to say u dont believe the whole thing at all?? :? :huh: :oops:Quote:
Originally Posted by thamizhvaanan
PS: Ebbidi'keerai?? :P
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U mean to say u dont believe the whole thing at all?? :? :huh: :oops:Quote:
Originally Posted by thamizhvaanan
PS: Ebbidi'keerai?? :P
What I have mentioned are irrefutable evidences found in Archealogical survey of india records, Epigraphs of temples in Rameshwaram, Mysore, Tanjore and Kerala, records(olai suvadi) in Saraswathi Mahal Library in Thanjavur. I have seen them. The pictures of coins that were mentioned contain the name of sethu. Epigraphs also clearly mention about the bridge. Our ancient kings records the various events and happenings in epigraphs mostly in temples and places of importance. Any body with sincere interest, can always verify the same.
In the Aganaanooru Sangam literature text also, there is a reference to Sethu and there are hundreds of references to Rama. University of Chicago released Schwartzberg Atlas that have around 100 maps showing Sethu (in bracket, it is written Adam's Bridge) clearly and the maps are dated back to the seventh and the twelfth centuries.
Let us leave the religious part of it. Why should the project be pursued when the cost of the project will outweigh the benefits and why can't structure be allowed to remain intact which has significant advantages (explained earlier) and for the survival of people in west coast. What about the other points like ecological diaster and security risk. These facts are not religious beliefs but statements of experts in the respective field which can also be verified and available for easy access.
It is a fact that everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects.
Our ignorance or refusal to accept the truth about some issue cannot be brushed aside by laughing it off. Laughter is a good medicine for all the ills.
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
So did the previous NDA Government approve the SS Project without properly evaluating the Security threat and Cost-Return ratio ? That is what you are telling us ? Now after all the planning and implentation they suddenly woke-up ? NDA was playing deaf to Aganaanooru Sangam literature ?
Are you saying that the bridge was actually constructed by Ram ? Even so do you think Ram did the right thing by putting mud and stones in such a large scale across the ocean for just bringing back one person ? Why did he do that ???? ? And even if did so did he want you to protect it forever and forever ? If he did that time for a purpose, dont we need this Project to come in place another purpose pondered for about 100 years in the minds of Tamils ?
Kerala and West coast are on the Leeward side protected by mass of land between the East and West coasts. Ramar Sethu had nothing to do with saving the west coast.Quote:
Originally Posted by wrap07
So Rama's bridge saved people from Tsunami ? I thought several of them died. Why ??? Were they non-believers ? Last time Tsunami came from East. What if it comes from West this time ? If the shocks are not allowed to escape out because of Rama's bridge, the entire east coast areas will be wiped out ?!
Tell us more about your study on cost-benefit ratio. Compare it with the first railways in India. Or any new raodways. Are you saying the Operating cost will perpetually be higher than the prospective Operating Revenues and the project will never return your cost back ?
Everyone knows there is very little technicality in your argument and too mcuh politics. It is just a question of who takes credit to the project. NDA just wants to implement the project itself. Nothingelse. So you and your folks just dont take the whole thing to heart.
LOL.. I was not laughing to refute the stats that he mentioned, but just looking at how miserably he failed to read sarcasm in pizzalot's post cracked me up :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lambretta
I am fine kaakha :mrgreen:
Appo tsunami varadhuku munnadi indha project'a propose panni irundhal othukittu iruepeengala? :lol2: I wonder which expert performed the actual numerical analysis and concurred that west coast was saved by Ramar bridge. I am a layman in oceanography or any sort of graphies ... All I can see is that Tsunami came from south east, and ramar bridge is to the north of the peninsular tip. Wonder how it saved west coast :roll:Quote:
Originally Posted by wrap07
If the tsunami wave decides to hit southern kerala via ramar bridge, then it has chosen a very complicated route indeed.. :lol2: It has to travel north of Sri lanka, make a U turn, enter the passage between India and SL, after reaching Kanyakumari, make another U turn, pay a visit to Kerala. Indha rangela pochuna tsunami'ku driving license kodukalaam :lol2:
And not to forget that there is a simpler route from south of SL island, just a right turn to make to meet kerala south coast. But I read somewhere that Tsunami didnt hit south kerala coz it cant make sharp turns. But some ppl say that ramar bridge will save south kerala from the Z turn waves that tsunami can make.. :S ennanu solla ... :(
All these years, the fisherfolk of the southern coast have been opposing the project fearing loss of their livelihood. During this time the political parties including the BJP had supported the dredging of the canal, citing 'economic development'. But suddenly they have woken up to protect the bridge.
uyirulla manidhanin andrada uNavukku kidaikkAdha mariyadhai oru uyiratra pAlathirkku kidaikkum pozhudhu manam nOhathAn seihiRadhu !!
manidha nEyam madindhu vittadhA ?? alladhu madha nambikkai nam idhayangaLai moodivittadhA ??
enthan oru madhathin kurikolum manithanai nalla muraiyil vaazha vaikkanthan. Manithanukku payanpadatha/udavatha entha madamum nilaikkathu. manithanin atthiavasiya thevaigalku piruguthan madhame. pasiyulla vayirukku unavuthaan thevai. madam piraguthan.
let me be understood correctly. madam/religion ithanil nambikkai illathathathaal oruvar thavaranavar alla. madathil nambikkai iruppathal mattumae sariyanavar aaga mudiyaathu. Evar nalvaizhiyil selkiraro avar mathikkapada vendiyavar. "Be good. Do good. That is the way to God" ithu oru old saying.
To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion-Swmi Vivekananda. I belelive in that. my posts are my humble opinions taken from what I have read and from the concern for human lives and cultural heritage only. If i am wrong, I am open to be corrected.
Regarding Tsumani and ecological factor as also the cost factors, let me the post the articles I have read and if they are wrong, i am prepared to correct my opinion. I am no expert either.
As the controversy refuses to die down, Contributing Editor Shobha Warrier spoke to oceanographer Prof Tad S Murty of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa in Canada [Images], who is a world renowned expert on tsunamis. In an email interview, Prof Murty talks about the Sethu Samudram canal project and whether it poses a danger to the Kerala [Images] coast if another tsunami strikes.
You said in 2005 to rediff.com that there was a real threat to southern Kerala from future tsunamis in South East Asia. Do you still feel if such a tsunami happens next, it would be a real threat to Kerala?
Yes, my position has not changed. In the December 2004 tsunami, the very southern part of Kerala was not significantly impacted by the tsunami mainly for the following reason. Some of the tsunami energy propagated south of Sri Lanka and a part of it diffracted north and affected the middle part of Kerala.
Tsunami, being a long gravity wave, somewhat similar to tides and storm surges, can only take a wide turn, and in this process, missed the very southern part of Kerala. An analogy is like a car making a turn, a long car can only take a wide turn, while a short car can make a narrow turn.
The middle and northern parts of Kerala were also impacted to a certain degree by tsunami waves reflected from the Lakshadweep-Maldives Ridge as well as from the east coast of Africa.
Whatever may be the reason, significant tsunami energy did not propagate through the waters separating India and Sri Lanka during the December 2004 event and did not impact much the southern part of Kerala. Deepening and widening the Sethu canal, will provide a more direct route for some of the tsunami energy to travel and impact southern Kerala.
I will draw an analogy with what happened in the Alberni Canal (also called Alberni Inlet) on Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada, during the Alaska earthquake tsunami of March 28, 1964. Outside of the generation area (Alaska) the biggest tsunami amplitude of some 5.2 metres anywhere else in the entire pacific ocean, occurred, not at the open coast, but at Port Alberni located at the landward end of the Alberni Canal. This came as a surprise to all the scientists at that time, because the traditional wisdom at that time was the tsunami energy will dissipate as the tsunami moves away from the coast. This is generally true, for tsunamis propagating on land and inundating it. However, this need not be correct when the tsunami propagates inland through a water body, such as a channel, river or estuary.
In this sense, tsunamis are quite similar to storm surges, the largest amplitudes could occur some distance upstream in the water body. The reason for this is the so-called quarter wave resonance amplification. If the linear dimension of a water body roughly matches one-fourth of the wavelength of the incoming tsunami, then the tsunami amplitude inside the water body can increase through resonance.
In the 1964 event, the tsunami amplitude at the ocean end of the Alberni Canal (which is connected to the wider Barkley Sound) was about half a metre, but as the tsunami was propagating through the Alberni Canal, the amplitude increased to 5.2 metres through resonance. While no two water bodies are identical, there are certain similarities for me to feel that the Sethu Canal could amplify tsunamis during propagation. However, only a detailed numerical model can provide definitive and quantitative data on this process.
As a tsunami expert, would you advice the government of India to go ahead with the Sethu Samudram canal project?
So far the only official from the Government of India that approached me on this is Mr Raghupathy of the Tuticorin Port Trust. He invited me to meet him over lunch at some restaurant in Chennai. I do not remember the exact date, but I believe that it was in late 2005. We had a very cordial meeting and a pleasant discussion. Mr Raghupathy told me that he noted my concern and will look into it. When a Senior IAS Officer such as Mr Raghupathy tells me something, I believe him.
Is the Gulf of Mannar area tsunami prone?
Any water body can be tsunami prone from two sources, one from local sources and the second from distant sources, such as the 2004 event. I am not aware of any tsunami event in historical time from local sources. One of the recommendations I make (not just for the SSP) for general tsunami research in India, is to extend the tsunami database through paleo-tsunami studies on the coastlines of India. I understand that some research groups in India are already undertaking such studies.
Many archaeologists and environmentalist are against the project because they feel it will destroy the precious environment and also a centuries old structure like Ramar Sethu. The other day the World Monuments Fund, a US-based international preservation body that brings out the annual world monument watch list of endangered sites, has also come out in an open support of Ramar Sethu. What is your opinion on this?
In the ultimate analysis, it is really a political decision, taking into account all aspects (pros and cons). I am sure the archaeologists and environmentalists have studied the problem. As a physical oceanographer, it is beyond my expertise to comment on this, but I am satisfied that whatever decision the Government of India makes on this important project, will be the right one for the country.
Sethusamudram, a project to create alternative shorter route for ships to cross the Gulf of Mannar, is a wonderful idea -- one which is more than 150 years old. The channel, originally an idea of a British commander named A D Taylor was put forth in 1860. In 1955, the Government of India set up the Sethusamudram project committee to look into the feasibility of the project and five routes were discussed till 2001 but nothing happened. The National Democratic Alliance government sanctioned a few crore rupees to study the project but before a final decision on the route could be taken, the government lost power.
The official web site of the project says, 'Ships originating from the west of India and destined for Chennai, Ennore, Vishakapatnam, Paradeep, Haldia and Kolkata have to travel around the Sri Lankan coast resulting in increase of travel distance and time. Apart from this ships belonging to Indian Navy and Coast Guard need also to traverse around Sri Lanka. In order to reduce the steaming distances between the east and west coast of India and to improve the navigation within territorial waters of India, a navigation channel connecting the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay through Adam's Bridge has been envisaged so that the ships moving between the east and west coasts of India need not go around Sri Lanka.' The total cost of the project is Rs 2,427 crores (Rs 24.27 billion).
But due to political expediency and a pathetic problem of a 'secular amnesia' about heritage matters, it has got a controversial hue, which could have been avoided if some transparency was maintained and points of collective sensitivities and faith were not ignored. The project is fine, but the present route is not, as it involves destruction of a bridge believed to have been built by Lord Rama and Muslims and Christians believe it to be Adam's creation.
Foreigners and Indians alike have described it as Rama's bridge since ancient times in their maps and travelogues. The first time someone called it Adam's Bridge was in 1804 by James Rennell, the first surveyor general of the East India Company. Even if the Government of India prefers to use the name Adam's Bridge, it simply proves that not only Hindus but Muslims and Christians too have a reverence for the bridge it is going to destroy.
Now when the media and political leaders are busy with the Uttar Pradesh election and exit polls, the Sethusamudram dredgers are busy destroying a great world heritage site India has.
The Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge connects India's Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka's Talaimannar. A movement has begun to safeguard it at the shores of Rameshwaram on April 18. Two former judges of the Supreme Court, Justice K T Thomas and Justice V R Krishna Iyer, none of them close to the saffron side, have warned the government against destroying the Ram Setu.
It is ironical that a government which changes the metro rail route to protect the Qutub Minar, built with the material of destroyed temples, stops a corridor to protect the Taj Mahal's surroundings and spends crores of rupees to showcase ancient potteries and jewellery in heavily guarded museums, is destroying a unique symbol of national identity and an icon well preserved in our minds since ages. Even a child knows that a bridge was built by the friends of Lord Rama using floating stones and Rama's army marched over it to Lanka to rescue Sita and destroy the evil regime of Ravana.
Hence during Dussehra every year and in dance dramas depicting Rama's life enacted across the globe, specially in East Asia, they never ever fail to mention the Setu Bandhan or the construction of Rama's bridge. Apart from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata also refers to the continued protection of Nala Setu following Sri Rama's command. Kalidasa's Raghuvamsham also refers to the Setu. So does the Skanda Purana (III 1.2.1-114), the Vishnu Purana (IV 4.40-49), the Agni Purana (V-XI), the Brahma Purana (138.1-40).
That is the memory so beautifully adopted by the Geological Survey of India in its logo, which describes India in this line etched at the bottom of its insignia -- Aasetu Himachal, meaning India is spread between the Bridge and the Himalayas. That is the Ram Setu Bridge on the southern tip of our motherland, an identity of the nation, under destruction now.
The credit of digging up material regarding the Ram Setu and providing impeccable factual content goes to Kalyan Raman, a former senior executive of the Asian Development Bank. He astounded even the government with his material on the entire project. His findings have stirred up protests from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. Ashok Singhal of the VHP is spearheading a movement to protect the Ram Setu. He addressed a big public meeting in Rameshwaram with religious heads and Dr Subramanian Swamy. BJP leader and former Union human resources development minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has written to the prime minister, urging him to stop the destruction of the great heritage site.
The government, very 'secular and fair' indeed, tries not to remember or give any credence to what Hindus, Muslims and Christians believe, But this is what NASA says about the bridge, 'Exploring space with a camera by NASA's [193] Gemini XI, this photograph from an altitude of 410 miles encompasses all of India, an area of 1,250 000 square miles,' George M Low, then the deputy director, Manned Spacecraft Center, NASA, notes. 'Bombay is on the west coast, directly left of the spacecraft's can-shaped antenna, New Delhi is just below the horizon near the upper left. Adam's Bridge between India and Ceylon, at the right, is clearly visible...' We can see the picture dramatically resembles the description given in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsham. Kalidasa wrote, (sarga 13): 'Rama, while returning from Sri Lanka in Pushpaka Vimaana told Sita: "Behold, Sita, My Setu of mountains dividing this frothy ocean is like the milky way dividing the sky into two parts".'
The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the bridge thus, 'Adam's Bridge also called Rama's Bridge, chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India.'
Apart from such issues of heritage and belief, there are genuine concerns regarding security and the tsunamis' impact increasing in case the Ram Setu is destroyed. If the new channel is created through the present Rama's bridge, international ships would pass through it making a de facto international boundary between India and Sri Lanka, facilitating an increased alien presence, burdening our navy to a great extent.
So far the sea between India and Sri Lanka has been recognised as historic waters, though the United States has been pressurising to have it declared as international waters and said in a naval notification in 2005 that it does not accept the sea between India and Sri Lanka as 'historic'. The US declaration and the role of the Tuticorin Port Trust, the nodal agency to implement the Sethu Samudram Canal Project coupled with the haste with which the project was inaugurated, has given rise to many unanswered questions.
The US Navy operational directive refusing to accept the sea between India and Sri Lanka as 'historic' was made on June 23, 2005. The Prime Minister's Office sent some queries in March 2005 to N K Raghupathy, chief of the Tuticorin Port Trust. He sent answers to the PMO's queries on June 30, 2005 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the project on July 2, 2005. Why were the queries sent to the TPT and not to an agency which had scientific authority to look into the geological and maritime aspects of the project? Why did the prime minister and the UPA chairperson rush to inaugurate the project without, prima facie, having the time to look into the answers given by the TPT chief? Why was the present route okayed which essentially requires the destruction of the Ram Setu, while other options, closer to Dhanushkodi, which did not touch the Ram Setu were ignored?
Local fishermen, Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike oppose the present route and are demanding alternative channels, which are available. They say the present channel would destroy marine life and corals. This will kill the trade in shankas (shells) that has a turnover in excess of Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) per annum. Invaluable thorium deposits would be affected, which are too important for our nuclear fuel requirements.
Professor Tad Murthy, the world renowned tsunami expert, who advised the Government of India on the tsunami warning system and edited the Tsunami Journal for over 20 years, has also warned that the present Setu Samudram route may result in tsunami waves hitting Kerala more fiercely. In a reply to a query regarding the Sethusanmudram's impact, he wrote, 'During the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, the southern part of Kerala was generally spared from a major tsunami, mainly because the tsunami waves from Sumatra region travelling south of the Sri Lankan island, partially diffracted northward and affected the central part of the Kerala coast. Since the tsunami is a long gravity wave (similar to tides and storm surges) during the diffraction process, the rather wide turn it has to take spared the south Kerala coast. On the other hand, deepening the Sethu Canal might provide a more direct route for the tsunami and this could impact south Kerala.'
The issue concerns us all, and should be taken up as Indians, without getting entangled in party lines and political games. The Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge belongs to all humanity, being an important heritage site; hence the government should not allow it to become another issue affecting Hindu sensitivities. Nobody is opposing the Sethu Samudram Project, only a realignment of the route is being asked, as the present one destroys the Ram Setu.