Eternal Vigilance: Dr Swamy’s strife for Dharma

अहम् सेतुम् करिष्यामि विस्तीर्णे वरुण आलये |
पितुः सामर्थ्यम् आस्थाय तत्त्वम् आह महाउदधिः || २-२२-४७

"The great Ocean disclosed a truth. I will construct a bridge across this large Ocean, taking recourse to the skill and ability of my father."

- Yuddha Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana

The fight for Dharma is not easy, and the struggle for protecting cultural heritage is arduous. It requires a strong conviction and a willingness to take on powerful opponents. Dr Subramanian Swamy is one such vigilante with a career spanning decades and a wealth of experience in law, economics, and politics. Known for his unwavering commitment to preserving the Ram Setu, as a National Heritage site, he has been at the forefront of bringing attention to issues related to the Ram Setu. We ended our last piece with a tone of hope from the current government. As the times demand that we once again delve into this, let’s set some facts right while going through new developments.

Our old piece: https://sanelywritten.com/2020/12/12/ram-setu-a-national-heritage/

Ramayana has emphatic 85 slokas in Yuddha Kanda, one of which has been shared in the opening of this piece. Mahabharata has a reference to the continued protection of Nala Sethu following the command of Shri Rama. Kalidasa’s creation Raghuvamsa also refers to the Setu of mountains. Skanda Purana, Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, and Brahma Purana refer to the construction of Rama Setu.

But this can be treated as proof from mythological texts. So, here are some references to Ram Setu from the past few centuries.

• In 850, Ibn Khordadbeh, a Persian geographer in his book called ‘Book of Roads and Kingdoms’ mentioned Ram Setu as Set Bandhai or ‘Bridge of the Sea.’
• In 1030, Kitabu’l Hind was written by Al Biruni who came to India with the troops of Mahmud Ghazni. He even learned Sanskrit to read the Vedas. He mentioned Ram Setu as Setubandha.
• In 1747, a Dutch Cartographer prepared a map of the region and named it ‘Raman Coil.’
• In 1788, J. Renal named the region “Area of the Rama Temple.”

The bridge remained passable by foot until 1480 as mentioned in the temple records. The name ‘Adam’s Bridge’ was given by a British cartographer in 1804, in reference to an Abrahamic myth. Among many other appropriations, this name is also a British invention.

While the nation is celebrating its 75 years of Independence with the overly-pompous ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ tagline, it remains unfathomable how come a government be so vocal about getting rid of the colonial mindset yet neglects the biggest lie that goes around in the name of Setu of Lord Rama, the hero in the ruling party’s manifesto, to bridge of Adam’s.

The affidavit submitted by ASI that the so-called bridge is not artificial was withdrawn and until now, no new results are made public. With Dr Swamy’s timely intervention to stay the Sethusamudram Project, it was only a logical progression for the BJP to declare it a National Heritage. Let us, for a second, keep the historical factor aside, Ram Setu is also a significant marine biosphere reserve in India. But the willful act of wanton destruction of the bridge by dredging the limestone shoals seems to have been transferred from UPA to NDA.

It begs the question, is the government fearful of declaring Ram Setu as a National Heritage because the due credit will be given to Dr Swamy?

There has been some mild hand-waving by the union government. The Ram Setu expedition carried out in March 2021 by scientists and archaeologists, to explore the limestone shoal chain connecting Rameswaram and Sri Lanka aimed to understand the characteristics of the limestone rocks, its geological transformation and various other features of the Setu. Many proposals were sent to the Indian Council of Historical Research over the past few years. However, this is the first time that a proposal has been accepted and the expedition has received adequate funding from the board. The purpose of the project is to check whether the bridge is man-made. However, with casual remarks of Union Minister Jitendra Singh in Parliament to the question by BJP MP Kartikeya Sharma on ‘Ram Setu’, it becomes evident that all this noise is just that, a hand-waving.

We once again leave here with what the Director (Retd.), Geological Survey of India, formerly, Coordinator, Survey Division, National Institute of Ocean Technology has to say about Ram Setu-

“It is a well known fact that coral reefs can only form in clean and unpolluted water and these being marine organisms require firm and compact formation as foundation. Corals grow only in hard rocks. The presence of loose marine sands below these clearly indicates that these are not natural and are transported. Unless somebody has transported and dumped them these could not have come there. This is an ancient causeway and an engineering marvel”.

S. Badrinarayanan

We write this piece regarding the recent order of the Honourable Supreme Court of India that had checked the apparent ‘feet-dragging’ by the government to declare Ram Setu as a National Heritage site and had asked the Centre to apprise the court of its decision.

In the words of Dr Swamy, this ‘precisely worded’ decision of the court has put the ball again in the laps of the government.

While we wait to see what new tricks the government might have up its sleeve or if it caves in or not. It is worth remembering that these self-proclaimed saffron champions are doing everything in their power to delay the Lord’s work only to deny the worthy of its credit. We must remember who is really fighting for Dharma and who the pretenders are.

Dharma is so called because it sustains or supports society. The people of a country are held together and sustained by Dharma.

- 2/7 Ramayana, 7.59 Prakshipta 

References:

• Discovery of Bharat Through Hindustan and British India by Tribhuvan Nath Singh
• Rama Setu a bridge built by Lord Rama: Odisha Government Magazine
• Will take a decision on Swamy’s petition on Ram Setu soon, Centre tells Supreme Court
• “Difficult To Pinpoint But…”: Centre On ‘Ram Setu’ Query In Parliament
• Ram Setu Expedition: What to Expect from This Shallow Sea Mission?