Did Rama really exist?
Yes? No? I ask - Is it really a question to be asked?
But for some unfortunate reason this and similar idiocities are the burning questions that are being debated for the past sometime in public media in reference to the Ram Sethu project. The final nail was hit recently by the Government categorically stating in a court of law - Director (monuments) of the ASI C. Dorjee, in the affidavit, stated that the mythological texts of Ramayana formed an important part of ancient Indian literature, “but which cannot be said to be historical record to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters, or the occurrence of the events, depicted therein"
I am not well versed in Indian mythology and hence am not in a proper position to comment on the mythological relevance of the aforesaid site. But one think I can assure is that perceptions are realities and currently public (read ignorant people if you want but just remember that they constitute a lot) perception is that it has relevance and in such a state it is best not to unsettle the populous.
I also want to bring out that the Government’s statement is not that the proposed site is not historically relevant but that RAMA himself is a fictitious character. Notwithstanding the “absolute” truth of the statement, such a statement is a very arrogant and dangerous statement to make and it is a direct insult to cores of people who have grown up hearing about the same in different contexts in all facets of life.
Finally I think, such a statement is not just demeaning to Hindus but to the sprit of nationalism it self. I feel this because the two epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana and related stories are the implicit source of a lot of nationalism and individuality we have and in this sense is also the source of our self-worth as a nation. The characters depicted have been role-models ( or anti-role modes) for our nation’s people for centuries if not millenia and for the Indian government to categorically state that it is some cocked up story is something that , I feel, is striking at the very root of OUR way of life. And this can be very detrimental the idea called India.
There are people who are taking a disparaging view of the whole situation just because one of the right wing parties is supporting it. I think this is a classic case of the logical fallacy of Guilt By Association. It may be true that they are raking up this issue as part of a political drama but the important fact to consider is that the concern raised is genuine and our support should go out of it. And lets not be naïve, its very hard to find politicians or parties that would take up an issue whether its genuine or not unless he/they can gain political mileage of it.
On a more sober note I also want bring out a face of the issue that my friend Shrihari raised as being close to his heart. It is that the proposed project is not just blasphemous (not a view shared by him) but also that there has been a study and it has been proven that this project would have a disastrous effect on the fragile eco-system present there. Proof can be found here
My humble plea is to take back both the decision and what they said in the Court so that this matter does not get more muddy messy and painful than it already is.
