Sri Prasanna Venkatachariar Chaturvedi Swamy, Managing Trustee of Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust, Chennai, was in Delhi recently. He spoke at a seminar on “India and her neighbours” at Ambedkar Auditorium at Andhra Bhawan. He concentrated on geopolitical and maritime issues that India has with her neighbours.
Quoting extensively from Shastras (ancient texts) about what sort of neighbourhood one should seek, the Swamy said in the modern times one is not free to choose neighbours due to scarcity of resources and space. Earlier, people were advised not to have a stagnant pool or a noisy place like a sawmill as a neighbour, as the stagnant pool will give disease and the sawmill will not allow you to rest peacefully.
Forests, rivers and oceans are good borders, as they help defend the inhabitants against invaders, he said.
The programme was sponsored by Forum of Scientists Aiming at Peace and Harmony, Chennai, and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Studies, Hyderabad. Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust, Chennai, was the co-sponsor.
He said among India's neighbours, Bangladesh and Pakistan were difficult ones earlier. Now even Nepal is helping smuggle in India Bangladesh nationals at Rs 10/- per head.
“We should not use gunboat methods to dissuade our poor coastal fishermen from fishing in the Indian maritime zone during the ban on fishing period, which generally falls from May to August, ” he said. “The fishermen should be encouraged to learn new methods of fishing in the deep sea during the ban period, where the catch is immense. We should emulate big powers like Japan to exploit the sea for our people's benefit. Japan lends its navy to fishermen to go fishing in the deep sea.”
The Swamy spoke with the rapidity of a machine gun and all the time priceless gems fell from his lips. But the indifferent illumination in the auditorium prevented the scribes to gather them. The light was so dim that one escaped bone dislocation by hitting the steel of seats. The hall is good for screening films, because of its darkness. While allowing seminars, etc., the Andhra Bhawan authorities should see to it that there is sufficient light for journalists to take notes.
Earlier, Mr Wassan Sheshadri from Chennai, who has spent more than 34 years in the Navy, set the tone for the function. He said this was the century of the seas. There are two lakh million km of seas and the seas unite the borders whereas the land divides them. It is very difficult to mark sea borders, but on land it is comparatively easy.
India had first maritime boundary agreement with Sri Lanka whereby Kichhativu islands were given to the latter. But Tamil fishermen have been fishing in these waters for centuries – and they still do.
“We have not been able to demarcate maritime boundary with Pakistan,” he said.
He said success of SAARC grouping's cohesiveness depends on : a) checking illegal immigration from Bangladesh; b) resolution of maritime boundaries; c) solving fishing issues and deep sea mining.
China is a big factor to reckon with. It has quietly invested billions of dollars from Myanmar to Malaysia without raising any issues. It is now reaping dividends for that. The India's neighbours can be offered satellite technology to map their fields and oceans from the sky to gain their confidence.
“Sunami sea upheaval caught us unawares,” he said. “But now India has National Disaster Management Authority in place.”
Mr Sheshadri said Maritime Neighbours definition has to be recast, as Iran's Straits of Harmuz and Diego Garcia are moving closer to India due to naval technology advancement.
He said Maldives is important to India – “we had helped Mr Qayum in his difficult days” - but now his people say he is a dictator.
Mr Rajesh Gogna of a human rights organization said minorities, especially Hindus, are being killed in cold blood in the name of religion in Pakistan. He narrated an incident where an old, poor, illiterate Hindu woman was slaughtered on the spot for serving cutlets on a piece of old paper bearing Arabic printing. It was alleged that the “kafir” had insulted Islam by desecrating holy Qoran and deserved to be beheaded. Even the courts refused to intervene in religious killings.
The function began with the singing of Vande Mataram and ended with Jana Gana Mana.
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