Nationwide protests to show support for saving Ram Setu!

Many independent groups chose today Sept 12, 2007 to stage a nationwide protest against the Supreme Courts decision to give the go ahead for the Sethusamudram project. The rallies are being stormed by hard line Hindus to campaign against the proposed shipping canal project between India and Sri Lanka.

Unfortunately the Indian media is resorting to some really superficial journalism and not realizing the depth of the matter.

Would Australia agree to destroy the great barrier reefs so ships can save 600kms of travel? I think not !

I just finished watching an interview with Dr. Praveen Togadia on the “Headlines Today” news channel which had an absolutely pig headed and arrogant anchor – Zakka Jacob. He made many incriminating statements and chose to deal with the interviewee in a aggressive manner showing utter disregard for not just religious sentiments but also India’s heritage and rich ecological wealth that needs to be protected. What a blowjob this Zakka chap is!

While we are talking thorium deposits, unique and diverse marine species and a natural barrier against tsunami’s, the news anchors are more worried about the traffic jams and inconvenience caused to the corporate rat race because of todays protests. One lady had to give birth on the road because she couldnt make it to the hospital. Sad I agree. But come on look at the bigger picture you damn petty fools!!! Look beyond the Mythological argument. So what if its a natural formation? All the more reason why we shouldnt be blasting our way through it.

Leaving aside the Hindu sentiments, such a blatant disregard just goes to show the bloody sham justice system today. Not just for India but the entire worlds natural ecological treasures.

Urgent need to protect unique ecosystem!

The Athirappilly – Vazhachal area in the southern Western Ghats of Kerala hosts a unique ecosystem of evergreen, riverine forests intermingled with Myristica swamps.

This ecosystem supports a large number of endemic, rare, threatened and endangered species of plants and animals. While science is still discovering many new species from the area, a hydro-electric project threatens to wipe out these forests.

Buy a T-shirt to show your support!

Beijing to take a million cars off the street !

In a bid to ensure cleaner air, Beijing is planning to ban a million cars from the city’s streets as preparation for next year’s Olympics. The test run will last 2 weeks in Beijing from August 7-20.

This two-week period is crucial to Olympic planners, as it roughly coincides with the time that the Games will be held next year, from August 8-24.  As per official statistics around 15 billion dollars has allready been spent on a massive pollution clean-up in the run-up to the Olympics.

Air quality remains a key concern.

Rama Sethu : Scientific facts

The Ram Sethu (which was re-christened Adams Bridge by the Brits) is facing serious threat of being hurriedly destroyed, paying no heed to protests. Ironically it is the Indian Government that argues that there is no documentary evidence to prove the heritage. Its time that UNESCO, Greenpeace and some of the global organizations start making a racket about this.

In this exclusive podcast, by Dr.S.Kalyanaraman, an eminent researcher on Indian heritages produces all documentary evidences for the existence of a man made bridge. He also warns that if the bridge is destroyed, it would cause damage to ecology and also create a greater risk to western India, if next Tsunami occurs.

7/7/7 : Live Earth

China will broadcast Live Earth, giving the climate change concerts an audience of 2 billion. Will that silence the sceptics?

It wont! Besides the all english line-up in China isnt bound to have too much influence either!! Nor is it going to stop the worlds appetite for cheaply produced stuff coming out of china’s factories.

The actual impact of the concert to work towards global warming issues might not be that much… more of a publicity stunt for AL GORE and the artists involved.. but hey its still a chance to sit back and ENJOY the music. While the our planet still has some grunt left in it 😉

VH1 will be screening the 24 hour show here in India.

One Acre At a Time

Okay so the global warming threat is now in our faces more than ever.

We have all seen the film “An Inconvenient Truth”. (If not, I suggest you do ASAP). If not checked, the repercussions include a dangerous rise in sea levels, unstable weather conditions (tsunamis, hurricanes), failed crops, depletion of natural resources, and the extinction of species (possibly humans!)

If you are not already doing your bit towards a greener, cleaner planet then hopefully you can put your money where your mouth is and check out the Raintrust Foundation.

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.

Ram Setu : Govt. turns blind eye to disastrous effects & chooses to destroy barrier

Okay things are really beginning to get heated up now.

Our sham justice system and government has taken a decision in favour of the Sethusamudram project which will destroy a unique natural/archaeological as well as destroy the heritage & roots of India.

Image courtesy : National Remote Sensing Agency, ISRO.