Ram Setu : Indian Government to re-examine Sethusamudram

 

The government will re-examine the Sethusamudram project so that the Ram Setu is not disturbed and has been given three months by the Supreme Court to do so. The government has also withdrawn a controversial affidavit that said there is no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence.

The affidavit says: ”The government has total respect for all religions and Hinduism in particular in the context of present case. The government is alive and conscious of religious sensibilities, including the unique ancient and holy text of Ramayana having regards to public sentiments.”

 

The Centre said in a fresh affidavit that it never meant to cast aspersions on any faith.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balkrishnan, which allowed the Centre to withdraw the affidavits, said that the August 31 interim order putting on hold the construction in Rama Setu area will continue.

The Court in its interim order had allowed the dredging activity. It posted the matter for hearing in the first week of January, 2008.

 

Source : NDTV News

Indian Government blunders with affidavit regarding Ram Setu

Finally our beloved Government have done themselves in by making a statement regarding the Ramayana.

The controversy has now reached the level of the office of the Prime Minister who was contacted by the leaders of the opposition party to protest against the government affidavit before the Supreme Court saying epics were not historical records that could prove the existence of Lord Ram.

The government has told the apex court in an affidavit filed Monday 10th September : “The Valmiki Ramayana, the Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas and other mythological texts, which admittedly form an ancient part of Indian literature, cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the events depicted therein.“

This affidavit was in response to a query whether the Ram Sethu, geographically known as Adam’s Bridge, could be declared a protected monument.

The affidavit can be considered nothing short of blasphemous and an insult to the generations of Hindu’s and people in India who have grown up with the Ramayana.

In a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, objecting to the content of the affidavit, the opposition leader has said – “Ramayana is not only a religious epic but also a national heritage and part of the culture of this country.“

Dalai Lama : Celebrates 72nd Birthday

The 14^th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) turns 72 today.

The spiritual leader who sought refuge in India has not set foot in his homeland for 48 years. This year he will be celebrating what is known as an obstacle birthday. According to the Tibetan beliefs an individual is likely to experience loss and suffering every 12 years.

The world’s oldest couple — a 103-year-old retired army soldier, Thakur Pyara Singh, and his 101-year-old wife Hansa Devi — have been invited to bless the Dalai Lama.

According to Tibetan custom, the blessings of old people wards off obstacles from a person’s life.

Join thousands in offering prayers and wishes to a man who has dedicated his life to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.

Rama Setu : Man made or Natural, We must PROTECT IT!!!

If any of you have been following my older rants on the ram setu your well aware of the intentions of the Indian Government in implementiong Sethusamudram canal built between itself and Sri Lanka.

This means digging a big hole through the Rama Sethu Bridge and effectively destroying it. The economic benefits are said to be enormous but there are also high economic costs – estimated at hundreds of millions of Rupees which will probably escalate into billions by the time the project is completed.

The SOCIAL OVERHEAD COST of the offence caused to over 1 billion Hindus by destroying a traditional place of pilgrimage and worship will be immense.

In Hindu tradition, our entire environment is regarded as sacred and there are specific instances which provide important symbols for this. Witness the reverence Hinduism has for the great rivers – for example the sacred Ganga river – for their life giving and life sustaining qualities, the mountains which source these life giving forces and provide protection and indeed the whole land which is regarded as the Mother in addition to the regard for the millions of plants and animals.

The Rama Sethu land formation (also known as Adam’s Bridge), linking southern India to northern Sri Lanka, is an example of such a sacred symbol which is revered in Hindu tradition as the bridge constructed by Lord Rama and his army to cross into Lanka and defeat the demon Ravana.