INTERLINK INDIAN PORTS FOR PASSEMGER TRAFFIC

SAGARMALA : INTERLINK INDIAN PORTS FOR PASSENGER TRAFFIC

N.Nandhivarman

In Chennai Marina Beach just like buses start from Anna Terminal, a ship waits for passengers. People drive their cars and motorbikes near the ship, which has an open entrance. Passengers drive their cars and bikes inside the lower berth of the ship. Then they climb to the top berth where their seats are facing seas giving glimpses of the skies and sun. They have booked tickets to Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Tutucurin and Kanyakumari. Many minor ports are in between where infrastructure exists but not in operation. Hovercrafts can travel in road and seas, it can reach beach sands where there is no port for downloading passengers and cargo.

India has long coastline of 7517 kilometres with 12 major ports and 187 minor and intermediary ports. We are fully exploiting our 12 major Ports like Visakapattinam, Chennai, Tutucurin, Cochin, Mangalore and Mumbai. But when it comes to minor and intermediary ports they are used only as fishing harbours. While roads face traffic congestions and ever increasing accidents , because minor and intermediary ports are under the control of various state governments, no national policy emerged and these ports remained assets without generating revenues to states.

A suggestion to create National Seaways on the lines of National Highways was mooted by the author, when he was Trustee of Tutucurin Port Trust in between 1999-2001. Planning Commission Member Dr.S.B.Gupta evinced interest in this project, and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee finally spelt out the thinking of the NDA Government at Kanyakumari and Nagerkoil during his visit to Tamilnadu . He renamed National Seaways as Sagarmala , garland of seas to interlink 187 minor and intermediary ports.

This policy announcement of Vajpayee still remains a dream in papers.

We have a coast extending from Gujarat in Arabian Sea to West Bengal in Bay of Bengal. Easy connectivity without hugh investment in infrastructure like road and bridges construction is not required. Already minor ports and intermediary ports exist without any use. These idle assets could be converted to revenue earning assets for various states. A National Policy like Sagarmala must be framed announced, giving room for both public sector and private sector plying interstate hovercrafts to ferry passengers and cargo between states, across states, from India’s western coast to eastern coast.

Before undersea tunnel linked France and British Isles, hovercrafts ferried passengers from one country to other. These are now not in use, and we can even buy second hand vessels, and if proper rules are framed like bus and lorry owners with National Permits moving in National Highways. Hovercrafts or other vessels can move in National Seaways.

Need of the hour is political will of the Narendra Modi Government. Tamilnadu once launched Poompuhar Shipping Corporation with much fanfare but its vessels were used only to ferry coal to our power stations. Gujarat Maritime Board successfully operates within the state, but its focus is on building Cities around Ports and creation of a cluster of Ports for connectivity. Why not Tamilnadu take up with the Union Government, the Sagarmala scheme announced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Tamilnadu that too when J.Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister, who received him and went in same car to Kanyakumari as token of respect to Prime Minister. In Sagarmala let Hovercraft Ships too ply easing congestion in roads, making it easy for Chennaites to go with their vehicles in sea to Pondicherry in morning and return back by evening. Like local buses stopping wherever one shows hand, even where there are no ports let people get into hovercrafts from the sands of their beaches.

[The author was former Trustee of Tutucurin Port Trust between 1999-2001 and socio-political activist]

NATIONAL SEAWAYS MODI TALKS IN CHINA BUT NO ACTION

Dravida Peravai: A Fact-File

Dravida Peravai: A Fact-File

Periyar-Anna, the two ideologues of Dravidian Movement laid down firm ideological foundations for equality of all human beings and carrying forward a progressive rationalist global vision. Arignar Anna spelt out those noble ideals in the Annamalai University convocation address.

 “A world without beggar's outstretched palm, the miser's heartless stony stare, the piteous wail of want, the pallid face of crime, the livid lips of lies, the cruel eyes of scorn, a race without disease of flesh or brain, a land where life lengthens, fear dies, joy deepens, love intensifies and man regains his dignity” is what Arignar Anna dreamt of and Annaism stands for.

This noble goal set for Dravidian Movement to make its appeal universal was first incorporated in the Manifesto of Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in its formative period. In fact at the very inception of that party two names emanated, one from Chennai and other one from Pondicherry. Anna DMK is the name given by Anagaputhur Ramalingam and DMK (Annaist) is the name given by N.Nandhivarman from Pondicherry. (Source: Dinamani front page top banner news 18.10.1972). MGR accepted the formation of the party later. The reason for Annaism to be set as goal was prompted by an experiment in Ghana by Nkrumah to create a scientific socialism suited to that soil.

Anna DMK formed a committee under Nanjil K.Manoharan to formulate policies and programme for the party. In the report submitted to that committee Pondicherry unit of Anna DMK had spelt out Annaism as the goal. ([Source: Indian Express 23.2.1973]

Mr.N.Nandhivarman entered politics in 1959 and became the Secretary of Dravidian Students Progressive Federation of Pondicherry [DMMK] in 1962. In 1967 he became the Organizer Pondicherry District DMK Students wing [DMMK] and in 1970 State Convener of Dravidian Students Progressive Federation [DMMK]. With this introductory remark New Times Observer, the only English weekly published since 1966 continuously from Pondicherry elicited Nandhivarman's reply on what is Annaism?

Annaism stands for universal affinity, equality, fraternity, liberty, honesty, purity, sincerity, morality and for socialism and democracy in their truest sense and meaning.

Within 2 months of Anna DMK's inception N.Nandhivarman was suspended from Pondicherry State Anna DMK leadership. The public reason in the first expulsion said it is for personal reasons. Later he joined DMK and remained in DMK till 1994. In 1996 when Dravida Peravai was floated "Annaism" emerged as the party's goal.

In search of redefining the goals of Dravidian Movement the new party listed out certain economic goals. One such goal of the party is single global currency. No one who espouses globalization will be ready to accept this because it cuts into the roots of speculative capitalism.

The first struggle was for safeguarding the ground water. By joining hands with certain individuals of Ashram, in the Supreme Court battle to relocate a water intensive distillery in the beach we won and shifted the 100 year old Government Distillery from Beach. Then joining hands with Narambai Fishermen's Panchayat the long drawn struggle to prevent a Multi National Corporation uprooting entire village to set up its shop followed. The list of struggles and their successes will be in a separate web site. Some web sites for immediate reference are given below.

The River Interlink Case:

 http://www.boloji.com/environment/22.htm

Water Famine Ahead:  http://www.boloji.com/analysis/043.htm

COSMIC CULTURE :DRAVIDA PERAVAI

Archives on the history of Dravida Pervai which promoted thinking beyond galaxies and propagated a cosmic culture to unify mankind and the seeds of the party’s ideology remains hidden in the writings of N.Nandhivarman , General Secretary  who started writing from 1964 and continues till date in English and Tamil dailies and magazines, apart from numerous  books

The ideology of the Party: Socialism called as Annaism   Dravida Peravai is a socialist party, which it describes as Annaism. "A world without beggar's outstretched palm, the miser's heartless stony stare, the piteous wail of want, the pallid face of crime,  the livid lips of lies, the cruel eyes of scorn, a race without disease of flesh or brain, A land where life lengthens, fear dies, joy deepens, love intensifies and man regains his dignity, is what Aringnar Anna dreamt of and Annaism stands for" says the party manifesto.

Aringnar Anna, the founder of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, parent party of Dravida Peravai, spoke about the ideals while delivering the convocation address in Annamalai University. Those words were chosen to describe Annaism, as a socialist ideology suitable to Indian soil.[Date of Formation: 15.02.1996. Registration with  Election Commission of India 25.10.1996.] 

 Objectives of the Party:  Dravida Peravai is for complete nuclear disarmament and moral re-armament. It strives for pooling the knowledge of science and technology for eradicating poverty, disease, illiteracy from the face of Earth. It aims towards a quest all over galaxies for betterment of humanity and all living creatures on Earth. For ending speculative economics it moots evolving of single global currency for knitting the economies of the countries and continents together. 

Code of Conduct: The rules and regulations of Dravida Peravai registered with Election Commission of India contains a code of conduct for party functionaries. a] A party functionary must be proficient in Thirukural and must be secular in outlook. b] A party functionary must consider " Every country is my country, Everyone is my kinsmen" as Poet Kaniyan Poongundranaar says. In short galaxial thinking pushing the borders of human consciousness is the single most important duty of the party functionary. 

On the 19^th year of party formation on 26.10.2015 the path for future campaigns had already been spelt in 150 Television talks ,books, articles in English media. A bird’s eye view of the pictures shown in television speeches will throw some light on the ideals ...

ALL HUMANS HAVE COMMON GENES

The word Varna leaves no doubt that it originally meant a class holding to a particular faith and it had nothing to do with color or complexion. Then Dr.Ambedkar summarizes his findings by saying that the Vedas do not know any such race as the Aryan race. He further adds that there is no evidence in the Vedas of any invasion of India by the Aryan race and its having conquered the Dasas and Dasyus supposed to be natives of India. There is no evidence to show the distinction between Aryans, Dasas, and Dasyus was a racial distinction. The Vedas do not support the contention that the Aryans were different in color from the Dasas and Dasyus.

It would need a lengthy argument to say that all humans are one, and all human beings have a common gene called sangene in them. We have to quote extensively from the book Journey of Man by Spencer Wells to prove that first human beings originated in Africa and they are black. Instead we will quote a report in The Hindu, a daily dated December 14 Saturday 2002. ‘There is bad news for those who have notions of racial or intellectual superiority. New genetic evidence collected from across the globe shatters the myths and adds a body of proof to the hypothesis  that all people are descended from a single man in Africa, who lived approximately 60,000 years ago. Tune in to National Geographic Channel on TV on Sunday at 9.P.M, and come face to face with evidence gathered by geneticist Spenser Wells and her collaborators including R.M.Pitchaiappan of Madurai Kamaraj University.

The fascinating Journey of Man from Africa to Central Asia, and thereon to Asia, Australia besides separate moves westward to Europe and beyond is all documented in a two hour special. Genetics has a way of mapping biological reality and as Dr.Wells and her fellow scientists studied in places as varied as Artic to the Australian aborigines, they found stunning evidence unraveled by genetic markers. Some of the evidence is found right here at home, as the programme briefly points out. Piramalai Kallars, who form the majority population in Usilampatti and Thirumangalam near Madurai in Tamilnadu, were studied for health reasons by Professor Pitchaiappan initially, but the genetic evidence was leading to other exciting conclusions, that the Piramalai Kallars had the same unique genetic markers as those found in the African and Australian studies, and markers found in Central Asian people.

Professor Pitchaiappan’s findings which were also backed up by similar findings about significant levels of the same gene markers in Yadavas and Saurashtra communities., lead to the postulation of a Cape Comerin route of migration of Man from Africa to Australia. Some evidence also points to markers from Middle Eastern peoples. The study by Piramalai Kallar and other communities which are described by geneticists as sub divided gene pools, points to migratory evidence from genetic markers such as M130 [50,000 years old] and M20, the latter estimated to be 35,000 years old and derived from the former. The ancestors of the Kallars might have expanded from the Middle East, postulates Professor Pitchaiappan who heads the Department of Immunology. Yet other markers like the M172 [ found in Baluchis and also Yadhavas] and M17 [found in Central Asians and also in Saurastrians ] fuel the excitement that people essentially moved over thousands of years from one part of the globe to another, where they settled down. Features got differentiated due to isolation of the population and climatic factors. Journey of Man unifies the world, and let genetics do the talking, wrote The Hindu Reporter G.Ananthakrishnan.

REJOINDER TO SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY in 2003 FRONTLINE

When Dr.Subramanian Swamy wrote an article in The Frontline dated  July 18-2003 to blast the Dravidian Movement, only two leaders from Dravidian movement wrote a rejoinder, one being then General Secretary of Dravida Kazhagam K.Veeramani and N.Nandhivarman General Secretary of Dravida Peravai.

 Let me quote few paragraphs from what I wrote

“All humans are one and scientific studies have revealed that there exists a common gene in all human beings and that common gene is called sangene. The mapping of human genes for 50 years had thrown more light on the oneness of humanity, as theories of continental drift, especially the map fit theory, had proved beyond an iota of doubt that all continents were held together once and drifted. So to make all brains free from superiority complex and accept that humanity is one and the world is one, science had to unearth mysteries. The common gene in every human being had also proven that the theories of race are culture oriented. While race is disproved both Aryan and Dravidian theories have to die. Perhaps Dr.Swamy wants the Aryan concept too to die and if that were the case, one can welcome to some extent his wishful thinking. The Second World War waged by Hitler propounding the supremacy of the Aryan race, which he demonstrated with the killings of millions of Jews, still reminds us that whoever claims superiority over fellow beings in the name of his race of birth will be taught a befitting lesson by mankind.”

TIMES OF INDIA ON ARINGNAR ANNA'S ORATORY

TIMES OF INDIA ON BHARATHIAR ANNIVERSARY

GANDHI-RAJAJI GRANDSON AND ME

My friend and grandson of Mahathma Gandhi and Rajaji who through his weekly Himmat fought emergency was involved in Moral-Re-Armament Movement and in the house of Davida Young [Opposite to Pachayappas College behind Petrol Bunk] I had introduced him to Pondicherry Chief Minister M.O.H.Farook Maricar in 1973 who came with me to that house to meet Rajmohan Gandhi.At that time he was a bachelor. Later in Kalki Gardens Rajmohan Gandhi introduced me to Achariya Kripalani Co-Founder of the Janata Party along with Jayaprakash Narayan before 1977 polls, Achariya Kripalani surprised me when he sought more and more information on Dravidian Movement led by Periyar EVR and Arignar Anna. I fondly went on talking which lasted nearly 3 hours. Yesterday 12.09.2015 when I read Rajmohan Gandhi's rejoinder to Arundathi Ray translated in Tamil and published in Tamil THE HINDU, I went down my memory lane.

J.B.KRIPALANI WHOM I MET IN KALKI GARDENS IN 1977

A NOTE ON J.B.KRIPALANI WHOM I MET IN

 KALKI GARDENS IN 1977

Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (11 November 1888 – 19 March 1982), popularly known as Acharya Kripalani, was an Indian politician, noted particularly for holding the presidency of the Indian National Congress during the transfer of power in 1947. During the election for the post of the future Prime Minister of India held by the Congress party, he had the second highest number of votes after Sardar Patel. However, on Gandhi's insistence, both Patel and Kripalani backed out to allow Jawaharlal Nehru to become the first Prime Minister of India.

Kripalani was a Gandhian socialist, environmentalist, mystic and independence activist.Kripalani remained a critic of Nehru's policies and administration, while working for social and environmental causes.

While remaining active in electoral politics, Kripalani gradually became more of a spiritual leader of the socialists than anything else; in particular, he was generally considered to be, along with Vinoba Bhave, the leader of the what remained of the Gandhian faction. He was active, along with Bhave, in preservation and conservation activities throughout the 1970s.

In 1972-3, he agitated against the increasingly authoritarian rule of Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India. Kripalani and Jayaprakash Narayan felt that Gandhi's rule had become dictatorial and anti-democratic. Her conviction on charges of using government machinery for her election campaign galvanised her political opposition and public disenchantment against her policies. Along with Narayan and Lohia, Kripalani toured the country urging non-violent protest and civil disobedience. When the Emergency was declared as a result of the vocal dissent he helped stir up, the octogenarian Kripalani was among the first of the Opposition leaders to be arrested on the night of 26 June 1975. He lived long enough to survive the Emergency and see the first non-Congress government since Independence following the Janata Party victory in the 1977 polls. He died on 19 March 1982 at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, at the age of 93.