From Sunit Patel, NW England

Namaste.

Being a British Hindu I have been brought up with the stories of the brave Lord Ram, Lakshman and his ever loyal and most trusted friend Hanuman to save the Princess Sita from the demon Raavan. In order for Lord Ram to reach Lanka he and his army had to build a bridge, from the southern tip of India to Lanka. The bridge was built by stones where the name Ram was written to help support the weight of the army. This small part from the Ramayana, one of our greatest Hindu texts, has been heard not just by Hindus from India and around the world but by many other people of different faiths. Even in most schools the story is taught.

When I first heard about the bridge a few years ago I was most intrigued. To see pictures from a NASA space shuttle of the bridge helped not only me but many others to solidify the existence of an event that happened in India’s history.

Why destroy such an important part of our history? To improve the trade transportation between the two countries thus improving the economy. Yes it does have its advantages but improving the economy can be done in other ways.

Lord Krishna’s Dwarka, which is now underwater had once existed too. Circular shaped objects have been found underwater and these signify soldiers who belonged to the army of Krishna. This is again solid proof of the existence of a great being who once existed. Would we want to destroy this too?

The Lord Buddha statues that towered high above any person, were found in Afghanistan where Islamic extremists destroyed it by shooting missiles. This event was on world news and clearly upset many people including myself. Would we want a repeat of such an event?

Destroying the bridge could have its environmental impacts. The animal and sea life habitat could have its effects on the future to come, as everything has to eventually balance out.