Focus on Development

Dredging channel that would cut voyages between the northern and the eastern coasts by up to 30 hours is indeed a sensible idea, one would say! Perhaps so supreme that it needed divine intervention by no less than Ram himself. But what left most of us puzzled in the first instance was – just what could religion have to do with a development project of this magnitude? Everything, as it turns out. The debate revolves around the Sethusamudram project that many believe would end up destroying an underwater bridge believed to have been built by Ram and his vaanar sena to get to Lanka. Ram Setu, the 30 km long sandy bridge proves to be a hindrance for navigation because of the shallow waters around. The idea is to cut across this so that ships could sail through without having to go around Sri Lanka. Faith aside, what makes this debate important is the need to rectify a certain perversity that has crept into our political leadership resulting in such intravenous controversies. What enrages a secular mind, in this regard, is the BJP – a party that defines its politics by the politics of Hindutva. Ever since it was voted out of power, its close identification with Ram, quite evidently, is little more than unwanted baggage – a ploy aimed at reviving its pet issue for political gains.

Also lost in the din of the religious battle is the matter of environmental safety in the face of the project. Experts believe that with cranes and bulldozers, hundreds of rare marine species and coral reefs could be swallowed, destroying a natural defence against disasters. Some scientists are also of the view that the dredging could affect the flow of currents and water temperature. Whether Ram existed or not can be left to the believers to decide. Our polity meanwhile must focus on development, particularly the kind that does not keep progress and sentiments exclusive to each other.