myolam.org

“Nature is the art of God.”  ~Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1635

Nature is the manifestation of God’s love for us. Just like we bestow gifts on our children, all the wonders of nature are God’s gifts to his children - us. I would like to quote Tagore in Geetanjali:

“When I bring to you colored toys, my child, I understand why there is such a play of colors on clouds, on water, and why flowers are painted in tints…

When I sing to make you dance I truly know why there I music in leaves…

When I kiss your face to make you smile, my darling, I surely understand what pleasure streams from the sky in the morning light, and what delight that is which summer breeze brings to my body – when I kiss you to make you smile.”

The mountains, the plains, the entire terrain are like the fingerprints of god. And when we heartlessly slash trees and mindless alter the terrain to build our houses – we erase god’s fingerprints. We are the only organisms on this earth who destroy the homes of countless plants and animals to make our own homes.

In the name of development we are irreparably and irreversibly changing what god made for us.   The Indian government, for example, is planning to destroy Ram Sethu or Rama’s bridge, which is a chain of shoals connecting the southernmost tip of India with Sri Lanka.  It is believed that Rama Sethu was built by the Lord Rama’s army in order to reach Sri Lanka, where demon-king Ravana had kept Ma Sita (Rama’s consort) hostage.

NASA has confirmed that the actual bridge closely resembles its description in an ancient Hindu scripture. ‘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”, ‘ confirms George M Low, the then deputy director of Manned Spacecraft Center, NASA. Christians believe that the bridge was made by Adam and hence it is also known as ‘Adam’s bridge’.

Heedless to the religious sentiments of billions of Hindus, the government of India is adamant on destroying Rama Sethu as a part of a project for the creation of a shorter alternative route for ships to cross.  Needless to say, the project will contribute enormously to the government exchequer (and a part of which will inevitably go into the pockets of powerful politicians).

In addition to the destruction of a site of religious significance, the project will also jeopardize the fragile ecosystem in the area.
The trees, the rocks, the seas, the landscape are supposed to be the way god made them.  Let us hope that millions of those who are protesting against the destruction of Ram Sethu prevail over the Indian government.  Let us hope and pray that god prevails!