FW: Question
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 9:20:09 PM
To: venu1005@hotmail.com
From: venu1005@hotmail.com
To: info2007@muslim-answers.org
Subject: QuestionDate: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 21:18:34 +0530
Dear Sir,
I shall be thankful if you would please confirm whether the Islamic teaching is that after the last Judgement, the good will go to paradise and the bad to hell and each group of people will be in their respective places forever? Regards
K.Venugopal
Mumbai
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Your article on Ram
vacation mail
From: firozbakht@rediffmail.com
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Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 3:45:38 AM
To: venu1005@hotmail.com
The moment I see the e-mail, I'll get back to you. Right now I'm not at home.
Thanks!
Firoz Bakht Ahmed
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:44:48 PM
To: firozbakht@rediffmail.com
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:44:48 PM
To: firozbakht@rediffmail.com
Dear Sir,
I read your article in Hindustan Times on Ram and I am happy that you are spiritual enough to see Ram as a divine figure. Only today a fatwa was issued against Salman Khan for participating in Ganapati pooja.
Actually, all of us, nay, all living beings (and that excludes nothing, not even so called dead stones) are divine. We would miss this truth if we are not sufficiently heightened or intense in our consciousness. Religions are teachings that reveal the techniques of heightening our consciousness, or, to put it differently, awakening to the divinity that we are. Islam, unfortunately, has been interpreted in such a way that there is a separation between God and man and man's only destiny is to be a slave of God. The Sufis may be an exception to the common interpretation of Islam.
I believe that Islam, as it is understood by common Muslims, and Christianity, as understood by missionaries, stands in the way of a universal divine resurgence. If you think what I say makes sense, let's communicate.
Regards
K.Venugopal
Mumbai
I read your article in Hindustan Times on Ram and I am happy that you are spiritual enough to see Ram as a divine figure. Only today a fatwa was issued against Salman Khan for participating in Ganapati pooja.
Actually, all of us, nay, all living beings (and that excludes nothing, not even so called dead stones) are divine. We would miss this truth if we are not sufficiently heightened or intense in our consciousness. Religions are teachings that reveal the techniques of heightening our consciousness, or, to put it differently, awakening to the divinity that we are. Islam, unfortunately, has been interpreted in such a way that there is a separation between God and man and man's only destiny is to be a slave of God. The Sufis may be an exception to the common interpretation of Islam.
I believe that Islam, as it is understood by common Muslims, and Christianity, as understood by missionaries, stands in the way of a universal divine resurgence. If you think what I say makes sense, let's communicate.
Regards
K.Venugopal
Mumbai
Is Allah less than the total?
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 11:15:41 PM
To: Questions On Islam (questionsonislam@gmail.com)
Dear Farhan,
I am very happy to receive your response and I do not mind waiting for however long for your reply because I know it would be worth it. Moreover, I do not want you to be pressurized into replying within any timeframe. Please take your time to reply. I meanwhile wish you and your family the best in this holy month of Ramadhan.
I also condole the passing away of your family friend. May Allah give his family the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
1. You start by saying that it is part of Islam to believe that Allah and his creation are two separate things. I do not see anything amiss here as you talk about ‘believe’. For me believe is not satisfactory. What is the truth? This is the question and actually, the aim of any spiritual quest ought to be the discovery of truth.
2. You also say that Allah does not refer to his creation as something that is part of himself. This too I would agree with because Allah is a single entity, not a composite one. But I do not agree that His creation is separate and unique. The separation may only be apparent to humans in their lower consciousness, like the separation of the ocean and the waves. In reality the ocean and the waves are one.
3. I wonder why Allah talked about His creation as evil?
4. Actually the only attribute that Allah has which His creation does not have is continuity. Allah is eternal whereas his creation is ephemeral. Which is why we, you and I, grow, become old and die, to be created again. We are subject to the law of change. Allah is changeless. Or, to put it in a conundrum, Allah is the changeless change that we are. We recognize change. How? Because there is something changeless in us. How do we see the clock ticking away, its second, minute and hour hands moving? Because there is the still dial. We would never be able to tell the time if the dial was also moving.
5. You say I am looking for a belief (that Allah and his creation is not separate) within the Qur'an which is never stated therein. Maybe it is not stated in the Quran, but I think Allah would have intended us to use the Quran as the guideline and not be restricted by it. Going beyond the belief level and moving into the discovery mode, you are bound to discover Allah within yourself. This is quite what many Sufis discovered.
6. You say we may be small before Allah but this in no way negates our very existence. Actually our existence would be unknown even to us if it were not for our consciousness. Consciousness is the key to understanding not just ourselves but also God. It would be in the process meditation and going deeper into consciousness that we discover ‘Ane Al Haq’, as a Sufi maestro did. In the light of the eternal, the ephemeral stands negated.
7. Contrary to what you assume, I too believe the creator does not exist in the same physical construct as we do. In fact, God is not a physical construct at all.
8. I too do not believe that God is subject to time and space. But you seem to be contradicting yourself when you say that God does not exist everywhere.
9. If you say God is the creator of both time and space, you are, according to your belief, saying that God is separate from time and space. I would rather say that God is time and space and consciousness and maybe other things about which we do not have any clue about at this stage.
10. I agree with you that in trying to comprehend the exact nature of God we are bound to fail since we are limited beings and God is so great and grand. Yet there is a paradox. We assume that we are limited and yet we are able to imagine the unlimited or believe that the unlimited has sought to help us, the limited, by speaking to us in our own language in the form of the Quran. Aren’t we saying that the unlimited has come down to the level of the limited? This, according to me, is the ultimate truth – the unlimited becoming limited and the limited becoming unlimited – God becoming man and man becoming God– the involution and evolution of reality.
11. When you say the main message of Quran which is repeated many times, is to call humanity to the worship of the one God through the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him), I am wont to ask why would God find it necessary to want man to not only worship Him, but ensure that no one else is worshipped? Is not here God Himself putting the idea into man that there could be others man could worship?
12. I wonder if there is not a contradiction when you concede there is spiritual knowledge outside of Islam while at the same time you do not believe that any unadulterated, true guidance to God from God exists outside of the Qur'an and the Prophetic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. Either something is of God or it is not of God. There cannot be something that is partially of God and partially not of God. This would be tantamount to ascribe partnership to God.
Dear Farhan, we could be heading for a lockjam in our discussions because you take your position on the basis of Quran. However, in my case, I do not rely on any scriptures to sustain any argument for the simple reason that as a Hindu, none of our scriptures teach of any validity in what it says except that we experience its teachings. Therefore all my arguments would be based on either my experience or logic.
In an attempt to clear the lockjam on whether the creator and his creation are separate or one, I wish to ask you one simple question. Who created God? Since I know you are not wont to reply it on the basis of logic or experience, you will tell me what the Quran has to say about it. I eagerly wish to have your answer.
I hope this rather long reply would not test your patience. Please take your time to reply. Or if you feel I am impossible, please at least answer my question, who created Allah? I am not asking this question to tease you, but I sincerely believe that in the answer you give would lie the clue to a great truth.
With best wishes and thanking you for your valuable time, I remain,
Yours affectionately,
Venu
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:18:14 -0400
From: questionsonislam@gmail.comTo: venu1005@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Is Allah less than the total?
Venugopal,
I apologize for the late response. As you are surely well aware, Ramadan started a little more than a week ago and I have not been able to reply to any emails I have received. Also, a very close family friend of mine passed away and I had to go out of town to attend his funeral. It is part of Islam to believe that Allah and his creation are two separate things. Many times in the Qur'an, Allah says "Khalq Allah" which means "The Creation of Allah". Allah does not refer to his creation as something that is part of himself. Rather, it is something separate and unique. Another example of this is in Surah Falaq, Allah says:1. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn2. From the evil of what He has createdFrom the second verse, you can see that Allah has told us to seek refuge *in* Allah *from* the evil of his creation. In other words, go away from one and run towards another, implying that they are two different things. When the Qur'an says "There is nothing comparable to him", it means that any attribute which Allah has is not in any way similar to any attribute of the creation of Allah. For example, the we are living and Allah has described himself in the Qur'an as "The Living" (Al-Ahya). However, our life and the life Allah are not the same in any way. I have provided two examples. If you want, I can provide you with more examples within the Qur'an of how the creation of Allah is separate from Allah. But, this is a traditional Islamic belief. I think you are looking for a belief within the Qur'an which is never stated therein. You understood from this verse that we are so small before Allah as to say that we do not exist. It is appropriate to say that we are small before Allah, but this in no way negates our very existence. To say that would be to attribute things to the verse which are not said; to go beyond the meaning of the verse. You said: "Furthermore, not only is the Creator eternal but He is also everywhere. If there is a time when He is not or there is a place where He is not, then He is a limited being."The underlying assumption here is that the creator exists in the same physical construct which we do; that is to say that God is limited by time and space, and since God has absolute dominance over everything, he must be everywhere. This assumption is incorrect. We do not believe God is subject to time and space. In fact, he is the creator of both time and space. Therefore, he is not subject to their limitations. This may be difficult to understand from our perspective, because that is all we know, but one needs to take themselves out of the construct that he's used to understand this point. Another problem with our discussion is that we are trying to comprehend the exact nature of God. However, since we are limited beings and God is so great and grand, we are unable to comprehend God beyond our limited ways. If one analyzes the Qur'an, it is quite clear that the main message which is repeated many times is to call humanity to the worship of the one God through the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (Prayers and peace be upon him). This is the core of Islam and any deviation from this fundamental belief is a deviation from Islam. You asked if I believe there is no spiritual knowledge outside of Islam. There is without a doubt spiritual knowledge outside of Islam. However we do not believe that any unadulterated, true guidance to God from God exists outside of the Qur'an and the Prophetic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace be upon him). Nothing you have said has offended me. You were simply expressing your views on God, and I understand and respect them. I hope nothing I have said has offended you either. If so, I ask for your forgiveness and your advice. - Farhan
Dear Farhan,
I feel I am fortunate to be in discussion on Islam with a person who is quite clear in his mind as to what Islam teaches. I no doubt would benefit much from your understanding.
Meanwhile, I am still not convinced that there is a Creator separate from his creation. I have the following thoughts on the subject.
You quote the Quran to say, "Allah is not comparable to his creation". Isn't it easy to deduce from this statement that Allah is so great that His creation is nothing before Him? That is, it is as if it (creation) is non-existent. Which is tantamount to saying Allah alone exists. This statement is true because the essential difference between the Creator and his creation is that the former is eternal while the later is ephemeral.
You expressed the same thoughts again when you said, "Indeed, nothing in creation is 100% pure." You may well have said nothing in creation is pure at all when compared with the purity of the Creator. Of course, the impurity has to be understood as something limited, as the ephemeral is when compared to the eternal.
Furthermore, not only is the Creator eternal but He is also everywhere. If there is a time when He is not or there is a place where He is not, then He is a limited being.
When the Creator/God/Allah occupies all time and space, then where do we exist? But exist we do and therefore the only conclusion is that we are God! If this is not obvious to us, it is only because we are asleep, in illusion. We are called, by the greatest of spiritual teachings, including the Quran, to wake up to the truth that we not a limited being but the divine eternal. Most of the interpreters of the Quran appear to have missed this call, except maybe the Sufis.
When I said God is the total, I did not mean that God is made up of separate entities. I meant that the separate entities that appear to constitute creation are actually one and the same thing as is also the entity we call creator. I used total in the sense of all, everything, whole. Therefore, God is not the sum of his creation. Creation is simply the expression of God, just as a dance is the expression of the dancer. You cannot separate the dance and the dancer. So the Quran is right in rejecting God as the sum of his creation.
I wonder what you meant when you said "Muslims depend only on the attributes of Allah specifically within Islam". Do you mean there is no spiritual knowledge outside of Islam?
I look forward to hearing from you and trust none of my comments sounded offensive to you. I say this because I know the sincerity of a Muslim vis-à-vis Islam and he would not want to think, say or do anything that is not sanctioned by the Quran. Verily it is therefore said that the Muslims are a people of the book!
Love,
Venugopal
I feel I am fortunate to be in discussion on Islam with a person who is quite clear in his mind as to what Islam teaches. I no doubt would benefit much from your understanding.
Meanwhile, I am still not convinced that there is a Creator separate from his creation. I have the following thoughts on the subject.
You quote the Quran to say, "Allah is not comparable to his creation". Isn't it easy to deduce from this statement that Allah is so great that His creation is nothing before Him? That is, it is as if it (creation) is non-existent. Which is tantamount to saying Allah alone exists. This statement is true because the essential difference between the Creator and his creation is that the former is eternal while the later is ephemeral.
You expressed the same thoughts again when you said, "Indeed, nothing in creation is 100% pure." You may well have said nothing in creation is pure at all when compared with the purity of the Creator. Of course, the impurity has to be understood as something limited, as the ephemeral is when compared to the eternal.
Furthermore, not only is the Creator eternal but He is also everywhere. If there is a time when He is not or there is a place where He is not, then He is a limited being.
When the Creator/God/Allah occupies all time and space, then where do we exist? But exist we do and therefore the only conclusion is that we are God! If this is not obvious to us, it is only because we are asleep, in illusion. We are called, by the greatest of spiritual teachings, including the Quran, to wake up to the truth that we not a limited being but the divine eternal. Most of the interpreters of the Quran appear to have missed this call, except maybe the Sufis.
When I said God is the total, I did not mean that God is made up of separate entities. I meant that the separate entities that appear to constitute creation are actually one and the same thing as is also the entity we call creator. I used total in the sense of all, everything, whole. Therefore, God is not the sum of his creation. Creation is simply the expression of God, just as a dance is the expression of the dancer. You cannot separate the dance and the dancer. So the Quran is right in rejecting God as the sum of his creation.
I wonder what you meant when you said "Muslims depend only on the attributes of Allah specifically within Islam". Do you mean there is no spiritual knowledge outside of Islam?
I look forward to hearing from you and trust none of my comments sounded offensive to you. I say this because I know the sincerity of a Muslim vis-à-vis Islam and he would not want to think, say or do anything that is not sanctioned by the Quran. Verily it is therefore said that the Muslims are a people of the book!
Love,
Venugopal
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:17:00 -0400
From: mailto:questionsonislam@gmail.comTo: venu1005@hotmail.com
From: mailto:questionsonislam@gmail.comTo: venu1005@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Is Allah less than the total?
Dear Mr. Kaikulath,
Excellent explanation! At first, I did not understand your email, but your subsequent e-mail explains your point very well. I appreciate your enthusiasm for an exchange of ideas.It was said: " When we talk about God, we are not talking about a countable object. We are talking about the Creator, the total, the absolute, the whole, the one, the only - the uncountable." This is where Islam and the understanding of God which was presented differ. According to the Qur'an, Allah (God) has described himself as Ahad (One) and in this purely numerical sense, one could say Allah is countable. However, the same chapter of the Qur'an which says "Allah is one" also says "And he is not comparable to his creation" (Surah Ikhlaas, Chapter 112, Verse 4). Saying "God is the Total" is to compare God as the sum of his creation, a concept which has already been rejected by the Qur'an. Also, Muslims depend only on the attributes of Allah specifically within Islam and the attribute of being "The Total" to the best of my knowledge is not in the Qur'an. We Muslims "Subhana Rabb al-'Alaa" which means "Glory to the Lord, the Highest". This means that Allah is so high, so pure, so elevated, so exalted above any of the creation. Indeed, nothing in creation is 100% pure. Even what we would consider the purest of things have some kind of impurities or harms. However, Allah is 100% pure. To say that Allah is the sum of his creation is to attribute impurities to the greatness of Allah. For example, would someone say part of God is urine, or animal dung? God is above such impurity! In response to the question "If Islam says there is only one God, then the question is begged, what else is there? And the conclusion is - if there is anything else, then the Islamic concept of God is not absolute ." The answer to the question of what else there is besides Allah is "the creation of Allah". Allah is not a part of his creation or one with his creation. Instead, he is separate, distinct, and outside of it. Allah is absolute in that he has control over his creation and nothing happens, not even a leaf falling from a tree, except that it happens by his will and pleasure. Again, I appreciate your question. I hope this clarifies your understanding of the belief in the Oneness of God in Islam and I am looking forward from hearing from you soon!- Farhan
Dear Farhan,
Thank you for your prompt response. I apologise for my question being difficult for you to understand. I concede that I was not explanatory enough. Please bear with me while I have another go at it.
Let us first talk about counting. You can count only things that are less than the whole. If you cut an apple to 10 pieces, then you can count the pieces till you reach the 10 th piece. You cannot count 11 because the 11th piece does not exist. Similarly, existence is made up of multitudinous number of entities. You can talk about 1 apple, 10 apples, a million apples upto a gigantic number of apples, because that many may exist. Even when all the apples have been accounted for you can keep on counting because there are other fruits in existence and innumerable other countable things in the universe, not to talk about the things in our imagination!
When we talk about God, we are not talking about a countable object. We are talking about the Creator, the total, the absolute, the whole, the one, the only - the uncountable. So correctly put, Islam should be saying there is ONLY God. Instead Islam says there is only ONE God. If Islam says there is only one God, then the question is begged, what else is there? And the conclusion is - if there is anything else, then the Islamic concept of God is not absolute.
Please explain this apparent lacuna in the Islamic concept of God. I do hope I have made myself somewhat intelligible. I look forward to hearing from you. Meanwhile, I assure you my purpose is not to argue with you, but to be enlightened through an exchange of knowledge.
Thank you for your prompt response. I apologise for my question being difficult for you to understand. I concede that I was not explanatory enough. Please bear with me while I have another go at it.
Let us first talk about counting. You can count only things that are less than the whole. If you cut an apple to 10 pieces, then you can count the pieces till you reach the 10 th piece. You cannot count 11 because the 11th piece does not exist. Similarly, existence is made up of multitudinous number of entities. You can talk about 1 apple, 10 apples, a million apples upto a gigantic number of apples, because that many may exist. Even when all the apples have been accounted for you can keep on counting because there are other fruits in existence and innumerable other countable things in the universe, not to talk about the things in our imagination!
When we talk about God, we are not talking about a countable object. We are talking about the Creator, the total, the absolute, the whole, the one, the only - the uncountable. So correctly put, Islam should be saying there is ONLY God. Instead Islam says there is only ONE God. If Islam says there is only one God, then the question is begged, what else is there? And the conclusion is - if there is anything else, then the Islamic concept of God is not absolute.
Please explain this apparent lacuna in the Islamic concept of God. I do hope I have made myself somewhat intelligible. I look forward to hearing from you. Meanwhile, I assure you my purpose is not to argue with you, but to be enlightened through an exchange of knowledge.
Regards
K.Venugopal
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:28:15 -0400
Subject: Re: Is Allah less than the total?
Mr Venugopal,
How are you doing? I read your questions many times, but I did not understand what you were asking or the intention of the question. You said "less than the total." The total of what? Also, I do not understand the relevance or intent of your question. Is it to clarify a misunderstanding you have of the concept of Allah?I hope to hear from you soon!- Farhan
Dear Sir,
I shall be thankful if you could please answer the following question:
When Islam says there is only one God, is it not reducing God to a countable object? If something has to be countable, it has to be less than the total. Therefore, is Islam saying that Allah is less than the total?
Regards,
K.Venugopal
Mumbai, India.
I shall be thankful if you could please answer the following question:
When Islam says there is only one God, is it not reducing God to a countable object? If something has to be countable, it has to be less than the total. Therefore, is Islam saying that Allah is less than the total?
Regards,
K.Venugopal
Mumbai, India.
Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here!-- If you have any questions on the religion Islam, feel free to email me at mailto:QuestionsOnIslam@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfWcMK0dk8
Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here! -- If you have any questions on the religion Islam, feel free to email me at QuestionsOnIslam@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfWcMK0dk8
Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here!-- If you have any questions on the religion Islam, feel free to email me at QuestionsOnIslam@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfWcMK0dk8
Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here! -- If you have any questions on the religion Islam, feel free to email me at QuestionsOnIslam@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfWcMK0dk8
Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click here!-- If you have any questions on the religion Islam, feel free to email me at QuestionsOnIslam@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfWcMK0dk8
RE: SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CHANNEL PROJECT
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 10:51:31 PM
To: balakrishnan hariharan (hbalakrishnan@yahoo.com)
Cc: kalyan97@gmail.com
Respected Balakrishnanji,
Has the time come to talk about a new bridge from Rameswaram to Talaimanar? The idea of driving to Sri Lanka in less than an hour over the magnificient sea might be just the thing to bloster tourism in the area, increase trade and all that stuff. And an actual physical link to Sri Lanka. But for it to inspire the DMK wallahs enough to forget the canal, Colombo has to agree to autonomy and non interference in Tigerland. Then it will be a bridge from Tamil land to Tamil land. Sound proposition? Or would it be a case of trying to catch the tiger by the tail?
Regards
Venu
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:55:49 -0700From: hbalakrishnan@yahoo.comSubject: RE: SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CHANNEL PROJECTTo: venu1005@hotmail.com
DEAR SIR,
NAMSKARAMS.
I regret to state that 'NO RELIGNMENT' is going to make the SSCP 'economically viable' with the present Qualitative Requirements especially the '12 Metres' dredged depth. That rules out vessels of tonnage in excess of 32,000 to 34,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT). And,its not worth paying 'high pilotage rates' to save a 'few hundred miles' in voyage distances!! No sir!! SSCP MAKES NO NAUTICAL SENSE.
NAMSKARAMS
WARM REGARDS
CAPT(RETD) H.Balakrishnan,I.N.
RE: SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CHANNEL PROJECT
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:05:07 PM
To: balakrishnan hariharan (hbalakrishnan@yahoo.com)
Cc: kalyan97@gmail.com
Respected Capt. Balakrishnanji,
I am grateful to you for responding to me and I feel honoured to read such a well-written, precise, convincing and researched article by you in the Indian Express. It has come as a great relief to me that the Navy is unlikely to go nuts demanding completion of the Project regardless of what comes in the way, Ram's sethu or even Hanumanji himself! I was worried that the anti-Ram forces in India might get the Navy to push for the project and propagate that the project above all is vital for our defence purposes. After reading your article, I can see that the Navy has no reason to be excited about the project. I will soon be reading Priyanka Narain's article also. Maybe in the end I think it will boil down to alignments. Respected Sir, please pour over the various alignment proposals and see if we can have both the project (even if it turns out to be a white elephant) and Ram Sethu. The stubborn Minister Baalu is saying no realignment is possible. I am sure your capacity for incisive assessment can call the Minister's bluff. Congratulations for your solid contribution to saving Ram Sethu. Looking forward to reading many more of your essays. With best wishes,K.VenugopalMumbai
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:53:04 -0700
From: hbalakrishnan@yahoo.com
Subject: SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CHANNEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEAR SHRI VENUGOPAL,
1. Ref. your mail to Shri Kalyanaraman, above. The same was 'forwarded' to me by Shri Kalyanaraman.
2. I am a reitred Indian Naval Officer and have also served as a Master Mariner in the Merchant Navy. Of my own interest as a mariner,I had researched into the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project, purely from a 'mariner's perspective'. My conclusions,in a word is "THE SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CHANNEL PROJECT MAKES NO NAUTICAL SENSE". My research (a THREE PART PAPER) was published by 'THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS' in its Chennai and other Southern editions on 25, 26 and 28 MAY 2007.I am enclosing the same for your reading please.
3. Media reports indicate the Indian Navy was NOT CONSULTED in this Project from the security standpoint. However, I informally understand that SHRI Subramanian Swamy has enclosed my paper as an enclosure in his letter to the Union Defence Minister in mid-June 2007. I am sure that the Ministry of Defence would have forwarded the same to NHQ for its comments.I am not aware the official stand taken by NHQ. Informally,I understand that the senior echelons of the Navy are in agreement with my findings!!
4. NDTV 24X7 and CNN-IBN have recently carried my views on the SSCP in theor programmes.May I also request you to please read a 4 PART SERIES published by the daily MINT last Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday and Friday.It was written by thier journalist Ms.PRIYANKA NARAIN.You can access it over the NET as follows:
(a)- Go to www.livemint.com
(b)- When the page opens, please type 'Sethusamudram' in the 'search' column and click on 'go'.
(c)- The google page will now open and you can access Priyanka's Articles.
NAMASKARAMS
WARM REGARDS
CAPT(RETD) H.Balakrishnan,I.N.
"ATHREYA"
A1/8-FLAT-5
22nd CROSS STREET
BESANTNAGAR
CHENNAI-600 090
TEL: (044) - 24910140
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1 of 3
THE SETHU SAMUDRAM SHIP CANAL PROJECT - (SSSCP)
–A MARINER’S PERSPECTIVE
By
Capt (Retd) H. Balakrishnan, I.N
INTRODUCTION
1. The SSSCP is an off-shore shipping canal project in the Palk Bay. It plans to cut short the distance navigated by ships sailing from the West coast of India and bound for ports on the Eastern seaboard and vice versa, by precluding the necessity to circumnavigate around Sri Lanka.
2. The total length of the SSSCP in the Palk Bay is 152.2 Kms. It is divided into three legs. The Southern leg in the Adam’s Bridge area is 20 Kms. The Northern leg in the Palk Strait area is 54.2 Kms. The Central portion is 78 Kms. Dredging is to be carried out in the Southern and Northern legs to maintain a dredged depth of 12 metres. This would facilitate a navigable channel for ships with a draught of upto 10.7 meters. The canal will be 300 meters wide.
3. The basic justification advanced in favour of the project is that it will reduce the sailing distance between Kolkata and Tuiticorin by 340 nautical miles and between Chennai and Tuiticorin by 434 nautical miles. This enables savings in fuel costs and sailing time, for ships plying between these ports.
4. This paper aims to analyse the viability of the SSCP against the canvas of the following factors that have a bearing on shipping:
(a) Environmental Factors
(b) Security Implications
(c) Navigational and Allied Factors
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Tropical Cyclones
5. The India Meteorological Department has assigned the Palk Bay area as a ‘High Risk Area’ for cyclonic activity. The cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal is generally between Oct to Jan. It is interesting to note that the IMD’s records from 1891-2001, states that of the 452 cyclones that hit the Indian coastline, 256 were on the East coast. We mariners, in a lighter vein, refer to the Tamil Nadu coast between Rameswaram and Cuddalore as the ‘cyclone coast’!! There are valid reasons for this quip. Of the 256 cyclones referred, 64 have crossed the Tamil Nadu coast in this period. Of these, 36 were ‘severe cyclones’ (winds in excess of 90 Kmph). More interesting, of these cyclones, SIX have crossed the Palk Bay, 14 have crossed the coast at Nagapattinam and THREE have crossed the Gulf of Mannar. All these cyclones can have a devastating consequence on the SSCP and shipping in the area.
6. A few more examples of the devastating consequences of these cyclones, will be illustrative:
(a) In Dec 1964, a cyclone washed away the Pamban Bridge.
(b) In Dec 1973, FIVE metres high tidal waves hit the Palk Bay area – the very
same area where the SSSCP is to be dredged!!
(c) In Dec 1977/78, under the influence of a severe cyclonic storm that crossed the
coast near Nagapattinam, 120 Kmph winds were recorded in the Palk Bay area.
(d) In Nov/Dec 1997/98, an oil-drilling ship, anchored with SIX anchors in the
Cauvery Basin, broke loose from her anchors and was washed ashore by a cyclone.
7. The foregoing will serve to illustrate the fact that the Bay of Bengal cyclones pose a ‘clear, live and present danger’ to ‘Safety of Lives at Sea’ (SOLAS). And, the SSSCP is sought to be created in a ‘cyclone danger area’!!
Siltation
8. Allied to the cyclonic activity in the area, is the problem of siltation leading to a loss of sea depth. scientists have concluded that the Palk Bay area is one of the FIVE areas, off the Indian coast, where siltation takes place regularly. Some of their calculations have indicated a loss in sea depth of about 1 cms every year. It is pertinent to state that TWO of the LEGS of the SSSCP, where dredging is to be undertaken, happen to cross two such micro regions where high siltation takes place.
9. To conclude, the environmental factors of cyclonic activity and siltation rates in the Palk Bay area, impinge on shipping safety. It is also appreciated that maintenance dredging may have to be undertaken through the year to maintain dredged depths. This could lead to substantially increasing the costs of the SSSCP.
SECURITY IMPLICATIONS
Global Scene on Maritime Terrorism
10. While terrorist attacks are predominantly land based, non-state actors have also sought to exploit vulnerabilities in shipping, ports and the container supply chains in Asia, Middle- East, Europe and North America.
11. Conventional arms trade and smuggling, both highly profitable global businesses, are spreading increasingly sophisticated conventional weapons to non-state actors, including long- range anti-ship missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and close range armour piercing missiles and rocket propelled grenades. All these weapons are capable of inflicting serious damage to ships.
12. The list of foiled, failed and successful attempts in maritime related terrorism over the past decade is significant. Yet, there is a tendency to overlook or downplay what has happened, and thus ignore the possibility of further trouble. It is clear that terrorists can see the potential of using the maritime trading system and its land links in the container supply chain to conceal weapons or agents for attack purposes. Two recent examples of terrorist attacks on naval warships help illustrate the point.
13. Attack on the U.S.S. Cole. In Oct 2000, Al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen, packed a small boat with explosives and rammed the same onto the U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S.S. Cole, while the ship was in harbour. The blast left a gaping hole on the side of the destroyer and the cost of repairs amounted to USD 250 million. The blast killed 17 U.S. Naval sailors and, wounded another 40 seamen.
14. Missile attack on Israeli Naval Ships. On 14 Jul 2006, two days after hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah commenced, the latter fired TWO, C-802 radar guided cruise missiles from ashore in Lebanon, at Israeli naval vessels patrolling off the Lebanese coast. One missile seriously damaged an Israeli naval corvette. The second missile narrowly missed another corvette. Instead it hit a Cambodian registered merchant vessel, sinking it with eleven hands on board.
The LTTE Factor
15. The LTTE factor has a direct bearing on the safety of shipping navigating through the SSSCP. The LTTE has control over most of North Sri Lanka coastal region and the seas contiguous to it. The Sea Tigers, the naval arm of the LTTE, have displayed considerable ingenuity and daring in sea borne insurgency. They have carried out numerous daring attacks on Sri Lankan naval ships, and have not hesitated in resorting to suicide missions. It is pertinent to note that the SSCP is a ‘next-door-neighbour’ in the area of operations of the Sea Tigers!!
16. A new addition to the LTTE’s fighting capability is its ‘Air Arm’. They have to-date carried out three daring ‘night attacks’ on Sri Lankan assets. This factor adds a new dimension to the threat perception along the SSSCP.
17. Reports in open source literature indicate that the aircraft deployed by the LTTE Air Force is the Czech manufactured ‘ZLIN-Z 242 L’ aircraft. These appear to have been purchased from a private South African flying club. The aircraft is delivered in a knocked-down condition and can be easily smuggled as automobile parts or components of heavy commercial vehicles. By all accounts these aircraft were ferried by sea using forged Bills of Lading. This corroborates Para 11 above.
18. Reports also indicate that the flying training for the LTTE’s pilots was carried out by the same South African flying club. It is also suspected that armament training were carried out by mercenaries in South Africa. All the air attacks on Sri Lankan assets todate have been at night, indicating a high degree of proficiency. The SSSCP falls within the radius of operation of these aircraft!!
19. Media reports of 28 Apr 2007 in Chennai, attributed the recent killings of the TN fishermen at sea to the LTTE Sea Tigers. The grounds for the killings, attributed to LTTE sources, were that these fishermen were ‘spying’ on the LTTE’s activities at sea!! If that be the case, the possibility of the LTTE advancing the same argument for attacking ships navigating through the SSSCP cannot be ruled out. The consequences of a ship sinking in the canal could have a disastrous impact on the viability of the project itself. It would have a psychological impact on the shipping industry which may then tend to avoid the SSSCP and circumnavigate Sri Lanka in the larger interests of safety of men and material.
NAVIGATIONAL AND ALLIED FACTORS
20.The official website of the SSSCP states: “ Ships originating in the West of India and destined for Chennai, Ennore, Vishakapatnam, Paradeep, Haldia and Kolkata have to travel around the Sri Lankan coast resulting in increase of travel distance and time. Apart from this ships belonging to the Indian Navy and Cost Guard need also to traverse around Sri Lanka- - “ .
Navy and Coast Guard
21. The website statement about the Navy and the Coast Guard would give the impression Naval/Coast Guard ships sail to and from either coast on a frequent basis. In reality this is not the case.
22. The navy has been operating on a ‘Two Fleet’ concept for over three decades, to safeguard our maritime interests on the Eastern and Western seaboards. New induction ships are allotted to both Fleets to maintain the required Force Levels on both coasts. Thus the requirement for ships to cross over to the other coast is more the exception than the rule. At the most, they may meet annually for a combined Fleet exercise programme.
23. Besides, peacetime sailings of the Fleet are to hone skill levels in battle-manoeuvres, missile and gun firings, submarine exercises, aircraft operations and underway re-fuelling exercise at sea. All these and other exercises are conducted in areas far removed from the coastal and international shipping lanes for obvious reasons. Under these circumstances and considering the security implications in the area contiguous to the SSSCP, it is debatable whether a Fleet would prefer to navigate through the SSSCP. Also, if the Fleet happens to be a carrier battle group, availing the SSSCP route can be almost ruled out, on account of various tactical factors.
24. During the period of hostilities, it is improbable that ships on passage to either coast would navigate through the SSSCP as it militates against the basic principles of naval operations of avoiding straits and narrows to maintain secrecy of deployment.
25. Similar arguments can also be advanced on the deployment of Coast Guard vessels.
Mercantile Marine
26. It must be borne in mind that the SSSCP is not an ‘open seaway’. Thus for ships to safely traverse through the canal, it will be mandatory to embark a ‘pilot’. A ‘pilot’ is a mariner with experience pertaining to local conditions. He would normally board a vessel at either extremity of the canal and take the vessel safely to the other extremity before disembarking. It is not clear at the present juncture, whether vessels calling at the SSSCP will have a ‘pilot’ boarding on arrival. Delays in the boarding of the ‘pilot’ will entail the vessel to anchor and await the ‘pilot’. Under adverse weather conditions this is not a comforting thought to a mariner. Besides, during cyclonic weather, sea conditions may preclude the embarkation of a ‘pilot’. What does the vessel then do?
27. Open source literature on the SSSCP indicates that vessels upto 32,000 DWT can navigate through the canal. However, in the current global shipping scenario, to reduce the operating costs and cater to the enormous growth in shipping needs, trends are towards operating vessels of 60,000 DWT and above. This trend is likely to grow further in future, resulting in vessels of larger tonnage. A passage along the international shipping lane from South of Sri Lanka to South of the Great Nicobar Island will prove this point. None of these large vessels can avail of the facility of the SSSCP.
28.This would leave the coal carrying bulk carriers on charter to the TNEB, the only ships that would use the SSSCP on a regular basis. These vessels load coal at Haldia/ Paradeep/ Vishakapatnam and discharge the same at Chennai and Tuiticorin for the Thermal Power Plants. Besides, some smaller container feeder vessels from Colombo and bound for Chennai could also use the SSSCP.
29. In the opinion of Mr. K.S. Ramakrishnan, former Deputy Chairman of Chennai Port Trust and former Managing Director of the Poompuhar Shipping Corporation, the pilotage costs of navigating through the SSSCP and certain allied factors, could make the SSSCP unattractive to the shipping industry. It is his opinion that the actual use of the SSSCP maybe substantially lower than the projected figure of 3417 vessels by 2010 and 7141 vessels by 2025.
CONCLUSION
30.A report in the magazine ‘Frontline’ of 01 Jan-14 Jan 2005, entitled ‘Of Gains and Loses’, states: “ George Gomez, Tamil Nadu Manual Workers’ Union, Tuticorin, who has several decades of experience in the shipping industry, says the Project cost will work out to Rs. 3000 crores. He says the Project will be a ‘sick unit’ as the money invested can never be recovered. ‘I don’t think any container ship will use the canal’. Major container operators deploying mother-vessels, will not use it. The difference in time between ships using the canal and those going around Sri Lanka will only be a few hours. Ships would not be able to cruise fast in the canal because they will have to be piloted, he argues. Moreover, the canal will have to be dredged continuously.”
31. In the Chennai based English daily, The Hindu, of 21 Dec 2004, Mr. K.S. Ramakrishnan, former Deputy Chairman of the Chennai Port Trust had questioned the need for the canal. He had stated: “- - - . But the canal cannot be a free seaway because the grounding of a wayward coal or oil ship that strays from the alignment or a collision of two ships in the channel will result in an ecological disaster of unimaginable proportions to the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay”. He further stated: “ The two statements that the ships using the canal will save money and that the project will be a financially viable undertaking are therefore mutually contradictory and cannot have simultaneous validity”.
32. In the light of the foregoing analysis, it is debatable whether the investments made in the construction of the canal is justified from the security, environment or economic standpoints. The old adage ‘Haste Makes Waste’ readily comes to mind in the case of the SSSCP.
REFERENCES
(A) Business Line- 29 Dec 2004- ‘Will We Ever Learn’- P.Devarajan.
(B) “Is the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project Technically Feasible?”- R. Ramesh
(C) “Cyclones, Tsunami and the Sethusamudram Project”- Papri Sri Raman-
(www.boloji.com/environment/25.htm)
(D) Frontline- Vol 22- Issue 01, Jan 01-14, 2005- “Of Gains and Loses”- T.S.
Subramanian
(E) “Strategic Security and Sethusamudram Project”-Col. R.Hariharan (Retd)- http://www.saag.org-/ Paper No: 1713
(F) “ Countering LTTE’s Air Capability”- B.Raman- http://www.saag.org-/ Paper No: 2222
(G) “Maritime Related Terrorism”- Michael Richardson
(end of Part 1)
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Part 2 of 3
TIME AND SPACE CALCULATIONS-
NAVIGATING AROUND SRI LANKA AND NAVIGATING THROUGH SSSCP
PASSAGES FROM KOLKATA/CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN
BY
CAPT (RETD) H.Balakrishnan,I.N.
DISTANCES (in nautical miles- nm)- AROUND SRI LANKA
1. KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN = 1227 nm
2. CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN = 750 nm
(NB: Distances taken from Admiralty Distance Tables)
DISTANCES- KOLKATA-SSSCP-TUTICORIN
3. Kolkata to Palk Straits = 969 nm
4. SSSCP length (152.2 KMS) = 84 nm
5. SSSCP to Tuiticorin =45nm
6. Total Distance = (3) + (4) + (5)= 1098 nm
DISTANCES- CHENNAI-SSSCP-TUTICORIN
7. Chennai to Palk Straits = 180 nm
8. SSSCP length (152.2 KMS) = 84 nm
9. SSSCP to Tuiticorin = 45 nm
10. Total Distance = (7) + (8) + (9) = 309 nm
SAILING TIME- KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN AROUND SRI LANKA
11. @ 12 knots speed = 1227/12 = 102.25 hours
12. @ 15 knots speed = 1227/15 = 81.80 hours
SAILING TIME- KOLKATA TO TUITICORIN VIA SSSCP
13. Kolkata to Palk Straits
(A) @ 12 knots speed =969/12 = 80.75 hours
(B) @ 15 knots speed = 969/15 = 64.60 hours
14. SSSCP
(A) @ 6 knots speed = 84/6 = 14 hours
(B) @ 8 knots speed = 84/8 = 10.50 hours
15. SSSCP to Tuiticorin
( A) @ 12 knots speed = 45/12 = 3.75 hours
(B) @ 15 knots speed = 45/15 = 3.00 hours
16. Total time taken
(A) @ 12 knots and 6 knots = 80.75+14+3.75 = 98.5 hours
(B) @ 12 knots and 8 knots = 80.75+10.50+3.75 = 95.0 hours
(C) @ 15 knots and 6 knots = 64.60+14+3.00 = 81.60 hours
(D) @ 15 knots and 8 knots = 64.60+10.50+3.00 = 78.10 hours
SAILING TIME- CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN-
AROUND SRI LANKA AND VIA SSSCP
17. In a similar manner, the passage times from Chennai to Tuiticorin, around Sri Lanka and via the SSSCP at speeds and combinations thereof, indicated above, the times taken are indicated below.
18. Around Sri Lanka
(A) @ 12 knots speed = 750/12 = 62.50 hours
(B) @ 15 knots speed = 750/15 = 50.00 hours
19. Via the SSSCP
(A) @ 12 and 6 knots combination= 15.0+14.0+3.75 = 32.5hours
(B) @ 12 and 8 knots combination= 15.0+10.5+3.75=29.25 hours
(C) @ 15 and 6 knots combination = 12.0+14.0+3.00=29.0hours
(D) @ 15 and 8 knots combination = 12.0+10.5+3.00 = 25.50 hours
(N.B. The foregoing distances at paras 3 to 19 above have been derived from actual plotting on navigational charts.)
20. Additional Time For Passage Planning For purposes of embarkation/disembarkation of 'Pilot', manoeuvering of engines in the SSSCP, as also for any delays in embarkation of 'Pilot'- ADD = 2 hours (at the minimum) to all the passage times indicated above.
DEDUCTIONS
21. From the foregoing calculations, the following deductions can be arrived at:
(A) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Kolkata, circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 12 and 6 knots is = 1.75 hours
(B) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Kolkata, circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 12 and 8 knots is = 5.25 hours
(C) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Kolkata, circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 15 and 6 knots is = 18.6 hours
(D) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Kolkata, circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 15 and 8 knots is = 22.15 hours
(E) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Chennai circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 12 and 6 knots is = 27.75 hours
(F) The difference in time taken to reach Tuiticorin from Chennai circumnavigating Sri Lanka and navigating through the SSSCP at speeds of 15 and 8 knots is = 22.50 hours
(G) Comment: The Indian Flag coal carrying bulk-carriers plying the coastal route to Chennai/ Tuiticorin transit at speeds of 12 to 13 knots . Therefore, time differences between circumnavigating Sri Lanka and transiting through the Sethusamdram Ship Canal are NOT going to be very marked.
(H) While there is savings in distance navigating through the SSCP, this does not automatically translate into commensurate savings in time, on account of the 'slow speeds' required to navigate through the SSSCP. This is on account of a phenomenon termed 'SHALLOW WATER EFFECT',or,'SQUAT EFFECT,where the ship's propellers tend to seek the sea bottom while proceeding at High Speeds in shallow waters. The SSSCP is to have a dredged depth of 12 meters and can be used by ships having a draught of upto 10.7 meters. Thus the difference between the ship's keel and the sea bottom will be 12.0-10.7=1.3 metres. This explains the necessity for 'slow speeds' through the SSCP.
(I) It is mandatory for ships using the SSSCP to embark a 'pilot'. In the calculations above, at a conservative estimate, a time 2 hours has been added to passage time calculations. Under actual conditions, this time may be more than the 2 hours. All the major ports of India suffer from a shortage of 'pilots'. Therefore, the SSSCP is also likely to suffer from this prevailing malaise. It is therefore appreciated that vessels arriving at the 'pilot boarding grounds' at the SSSCP may have to anchor and await
'pilot boarding'. In this light, it would further tend reduce the difference in time between circumnavigating Sri Lanka and using the SSSCP.
(J) The 'pilotage rates' that are going to be charged for availing of the Sethusamudram Canal are not known at present. However, this is the only recourse available to recover the 'capital costs' involved in the making of the 'Sethusamudrm Canal'. It is therefore appreciated that the 'pilotage rates' for navigating through the Sethsamudram Canal might not prove to be competitive for the shipping industry.
(K) Navigating through the Sethusamudram Canal, does reduce the distances between Kolkata/Cennai and Tuiticorin. This will reduce fuel costs. However, this advantage will be offset by anticipated 'high pilotage rates' and 'time delays' in embarking 'pilot'.
CONCLUSION
22. The foregoing calculations, from first principles, clearly highlight the unviability of the SSCP, from the shipping standpoint.
(end of Part 2)
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Part 3 of 3
SETHU SAMUDRAM SHIP CANAL PROJECT- COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
By
Capt (Retd) H.Balakrishnan, I.N.
INTRODUCTION
1. The official project paper of the SSSCP states that the estimated investment of Rs. 2400 crores will " earn an operating profit from its very FIRST YEAR of operation and that the capital will be recovered with 9% interest WITHIN THE FIRST 25 YEARS after which THERE WILL BE A MAMOTH PROFIT GENERATION in the next 25 years". (REF: THE HINDU- OPEN PAGE- 21 DEC 2004- "SETHUSAMUDRAM- WILL THE SHIPS USE IT"- MR. K.S. Ramakrishnan, Former Dy. Chairman, Chennai Port Trust and Former M.D. Poompuhar Shipping Corporation, Chennai).
2. The Capital cost of constructing the SSSC is Rs. 2330 crores. The equity component of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is Rs. 971 crores. The debt portion has been pegged at Rs. 1456.40 crores. (REF: BUSINESSLINE- 19 MAY 2005- "CCEA CLEARS SETHUSAMUDRAM PROJECT AT RS. 2427 CRORES")
3. For the debt portion of Rs. 1456.40 crores, assuming an interest burden of 10%, it works out to Rs. 145.64 crores per annum. Assuming a repayment period of 25 years, the annual installments for repaying the capital, work out to Rs. 58.25 crores.
4. Thus, the total annual financial repayment for servicing the debt would be Rs.145.64 + Rs. 58.25 crores = Rs. 203.89 crores OR Rs. 204 crores (approx).
5. The major contributor to the earnings of the SSCP will be the ships that navigate through the canal.
6. This paper analyses the cost benefit that accrues to the ships that navigate through the Sethusamudram Canal.
ESTIMATE OF SHIPS THAT WILL ANVIGATE THROUGH THE
SETHU SAMUDRAM CANAL (SSC)
7. According to the consultants for the SSSCP, the number of ships that are expected to navigate through the SSC is 3055 in 2008 and 7141 in 2025.
8. Coal Ships One can predict with a reasonable accuracy the number of coal carrying bulk-carriers that will navigate through the SSC. These vessels carry thermal coal from Haldia/Paradeep/Vizag to Chennai/Tuiticorin to cater to the requirements of the Thermal Power Plants located at these ports.
9. Annual Requirement of Coal Ships for Tuitcorin
(a) Installed capacity of the Tuiticorin Thermal Power plant = 1050 MW
(b) Annual requirement of coal = 1050 X 6144.8 Tonnes = 6452040 Tonnes
( NOTE: The figure 6144.8 Tonnes is the annual requirement of coal to generate 1 MW of power. TNEB website refers)
(c ) Deadweight Tonnage of a bulk-carrier = 30,000 DWT
(d) Thus, number of vessels required annually = 6452040/30,000 = 215 ships.
10. Other Vessels. To cater to the requirement of petroleum products for Tuiticorin and nearby areas, at a very optimistic rate = 200 vessels.
11. At the most, it may be possible that 1000 vessels use the SSC annually, though this figure may not be realized, and is nowhere near the projected 3055 vessels in 2008. This is on account of the fact that global shipping trends are towards larger vessels of 60,000 DWT and above, and the SSC being restricted to vessels of 30,000 DWT- 34,000 DWT, with a draught limitation of 10.7 Metres.
COST RECOVERY
12. (a) The annual financial repayment burden on the SSCP videPara 4 above = Rs 204 crores
(b) Maximum number of ships expected to use the SSC = 1000 ships
(c ) Thus, cost per ship to be levied through pilotage/allied rates = Rs. 204/1000= Rs. 0.2 crores OR RUPEES TWENTY LAKHS AND FORTY THOUSAND (at a very conservative estimate )
FUEL COSTS FOR VOYAGES KOLKATA/CHENNAI TO TUITICORIN AROUND SRI LANKA/ SSCP
13. Vessels use Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). The cost of 1 Metric Tonne (MT) of HFO as per I.O.C . pricing as on 01 MAY 2007, with 12.5% VAT works out to = Rs 24,020
14. Kolkata to Tuticorin
(a) Distance Kolkata-Tuticorin around Sri Lanka = 1227 nm
(b) Distance Kolkata-Tuiticorin via SSCP= 1098 nm
(c )Time taken at 12 knots for (a) above= 102.25 h
(d) Time taken at 15 knots for (a) above = 81.80 h
(e) Time taken at 12 and 6 knots for (b) above= 98.5 h
(f) Time taken at 12 and 8 knots for (b) above = 95.0 h
(g) Time taken at 15 and 6 knots for (b) above = 81.6 h
(h) Time taken at 15 and 8 knots for (b) above= 78.1 h
15. Fuel consumption rate for these vessels is = 1 MT/h
16. Thus, total voyage fuel consumption will be as follows:
(a) For Para 14 (c) = 102.25 MT
(b) For Para 14 (d) = 81.80 MT
(C ) For Para 14 (e) = 98.5 MT
(d) For Para 14 (f) = 95.0 MT
(e) For Para 14 (g) = 81.6 MT
(f) For Para 14 (h) = 78.1 MT
17. Total voyage fuel costs
(a) Para 16 (a) above = Rs. 24,020 X 102.5 = Rs. 24,56,045.00
(b) Para 16 (b) above = Rs. 24,020 X 81.80 = Rs. 19,64,836.00
(c) Para 16 (c ) above =Rs. 24,020 X 98.50 = Rs. 23,65,970.00
(d) Para 16 (d) above = Rs. 24,020 X 95.00 = Rs. 22,81,900.00
(e) Para 16 (e) above = Rs. 24,020 X 81.60 = Rs. 19,60,032.00
(f) Para 16 (f) above = Rs. 24,020 X 78.10 = Rs. 18,75,962.00
18. Total voyage costs including pilotage and allied costs. In addition to the foregoing, pilotage and other allied charges as at Para 12 (c) above have to be added to the values at Paras 17 (c) to 17 (f). Thus the total costs will work out as follows:
(a) Rs. 23,65,970.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 44,05,970.00
(b) Rs. 22,81,900.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 43,21,900.00
(c) Rs. 19,60,032.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 40,00,032.00
(d) Rs. 18,75,962.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 39,15,962.00
19. Chennai to Tuiticorin
(a) Distance Chennai to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka=750 nm
(b) Distance Chennai to Tuticorin via SSCP =310 nm
(c) Time taken at 12 knots for (a) above =62.5h
(d) Time taken at 15 knots for (a) above =50.0h
(e) Time taken at 12 and 6 knots for (b) above =32.75h
(f) Time taken at 12 and 8 knots for (b) above =29.25h
(g) Time taken at 15 and 6 knots for (b) above =29.0h
(h) Time taken at 15 and 8 knots for (b) above =25.5h
20. Thus, total fuel consumption for the voyage will be as follows:
(a) For 19 (c ) above =62.5 MT
(b) For 19 (d) above =50.0 MT
(c )For 19 (e) above =32.75 MT
(d) For 19 (f) above =29.25 MT
(e) For 19 (g) above =29.0 MT
(f) For 19 (h) above =25.5 MT
21 Total Voyage Fuel Costs.
(a) For Para 20 (a) above = Rs.24,020 X 62.5 = Rs.15,01,250
(b) For Para 20 (b) above = Rs.24,020 X 50.0 = Rs. 12,01,000
(c) For Para 20 (c )above = Rs. 24,020 X 32.75=Rs. 7,86,655
(d) For Para 20 (d) above = Rs. 24,020 X 29.25=Rs. 7,02,585
(e) For Para 20 (e) above = Rs.24,020 X 29.00 =Rs. 6,96,580
(f) For Para 20 (f) above = Rs. 24,020 X 25.50 =RS. 6,12,510
22. Total Voyage Costs Including Plotage and Allied Costs. The total voyage costs work out as follows:
(a) Rs. 7,86,655.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 28,26,655.00
(b) Rs. 7,02,585.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 27,42,585.00
(c) Rs. 6,96,580.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 27,36,580.00
(d) Rs. 6,12,510.00 + Rs. 20,40,000.00 = Rs. 26,52,510.00
(Note: Many ocean going vessels use a combination of HFO for the ocean passage, and Motor Diesel Oil (MDO) for manoeuvering engines in restricted waters, like the SSCP. The I.O.C. rate for MDO/MT as on 01 MAY 2007, with 25% VAT, works out to Rs. 40,53,745.00.Considering the fact that vessels will have to manoeuvre their engines while transiting through the SSC, it is safe to assume a specific fuel consumption of 1 MT/h also. This would further increase the 'total voyage costs'. For the purposes of this paper, only HFO is being taken as the basis for the calculations.)
DEDUCTIONS
23. Kolkata to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka/ via SSC. It is 'MORE COST EFFECTIVE' to CIRCUMNAVIGATE Sri Lanka than routing through the SSC by amounts ranging from Rs. 19,49,925.00 (Rupees NINETEEN LAKHS, FORTY NINE THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND TWENT FIVE ONLY), [Para 18 (a)–Para 17 (a)], TO, Rs. 19,51,126.00 (Rupees NINETEEN LAKHS, FIFTY ONE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX ONLY ), [ Para 18 (d)–Para 17 (b) ]
24. Chennai to Tuticorin around Sri Lanka / via SSSCP. It is 'MORE COST EFFECTIVE' to CIRCUMNAVIGATE Sri Lanka than routing through the SSSC by amounts ranging from Rs. 13,25,405.00 (Rupees THIRTEEN LAKHS, TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND FIVE ONLY), [Para 22 (a) – Para 21 (a) ], TO, Rs. 14,51,260.00 (Rupees FOURTEEN LAKHS, FIFTYONE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONLY), [ Para 22 (d) – Para 21 (b) ].
CONCLUSION
25. In the reference quoted at Para 1 above, Mr. K.S. Ramakrishnan, had made TWO insightful comments. Firstly, "the saving in sailing time for that ship will also be substantially less than the 36 hours projected by the SSCP because the ship cannot be towed at its normal speed through the canal, and time will also be lost in embarkation/disembarkation of pilots and other inspection procedures. The saving in sailing time of just about a day will not justify the incurring of over 8 times the cost of the saved fuel". Secondly, " the two statements that the ships using the Sethu Samudram Ship Canal will save money and that the SSSCP will be a financially viable undertaking are therefore mutually contradictory and cannot have simultaneous validity ". His wise words of reason have been corroborated by the 'Time and Space' and 'Voyage Costs' calculations.
26. It is quite possible that Indian Flag flying ships maybe 'coerced' into using the SSC to justify its existence. However, no such compulsions exist in respect of foreign flag ships.
27. The Sethu Samudram Canal Project Just Does Not Make 'Nautical Sense'.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
28 . My profound gratitude is due to Dr. S.Kalyanaraman, Phd., former Executive Director, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Shri V.Sundaram, I.A.S. (retd) and, First Chairman, Tuiticorin Port Trust, and Shri Govindan Menon. But for their valuable and insightful inputs, this analysis would not have been possible.
(CONCLUDED)
RE: Ram Setu - Indian Navy position
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 8:12:34 PM
To: kalyan97 (kalyan97@gmail.com)
Dear Kalyanaramanji,
Thank you very much for your prompt response and it is extremely kind of you to forward my e-mail to someone in the know on this subject. I eagerly await to hear from Capt. Balakrishnan. As a last resort those wanting to destroy Ram Setu may seek to obtain a statement from the Navy that the project would be in the interest of the Indian Navy. We must pre-empt the possibility of such a statement by having the Army declare that in principle they exist to defend the country and its heritage and not destroy it.
Regards
K.Venugopal
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:46:54 +0530
Subject: Fwd: Ram Setu - Indian Navy position
I have no idea on the subject. I think Indian Navy has been doing well guarding the coastline without the channel. In fact, the channel may be a risky affair for the coast guard to use, becoming a sitting duck in a strait from enemy forces. Anyway, I am referring this to Capt. Balakrishnan who may be able to respond to you. Namaskaram. kalyanaraman
From: Venugopal Kaikulath <venu1005@hotmail.com>
Date: Sep 24, 2007 8:17 AM
Subject: Ram Setu - Indian Navy position
To: kalyan97@gmail.com
Dear Sir, I am writing to you directly because I have been reading your postings in Haindava Keralam and know that you are well-versed with the Ram Setu issue. I am worried about one thing. Has the Indian Navy so far expressed their opinion on the issue? How are they presently going from, say, Cochin to Chennai? Are they also going round Sri Lanka? If so, would a canal be beneficial for them? Or would it be that a canal would be detrimental to the Navy from the point of view of security? Please research into this and write on this issue. Please also personally e-mail me a copy of your opinion on the subject. Regards
Date: Sep 24, 2007 8:17 AM
Subject: Ram Setu - Indian Navy position
To: kalyan97@gmail.com
Dear Sir, I am writing to you directly because I have been reading your postings in Haindava Keralam and know that you are well-versed with the Ram Setu issue. I am worried about one thing. Has the Indian Navy so far expressed their opinion on the issue? How are they presently going from, say, Cochin to Chennai? Are they also going round Sri Lanka? If so, would a canal be beneficial for them? Or would it be that a canal would be detrimental to the Navy from the point of view of security? Please research into this and write on this issue. Please also personally e-mail me a copy of your opinion on the subject. Regards
K.VenugopalMumbai
Granting of SC/ST status to converted Muslims and Christians
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 10:59:38 PM
To: ncrlm2005@rediffmail.com
Cc: das_asha@yahoo.com
28th October, 2006.
Respected Chairman of the Commission,
I have come to understand that the Government of India has set up a Commission to find out about the possibility of granting SC/ST status to converted Muslims and Christians and that the Commission has sought public opinion on this issue. In this regard, I wish to state my opinion. While reservations are meant to uplift the weaker sections of society, we must have an elaborate mechanism to identify the weaker sections, nay individuals. To dub entire sections as perpetually weak is just being too lazy to identify the weak at a micro level under ever changing circumstances. My suggestion goes like this. Now that the Income Tax Department has made income tax returns an on-line affair, I am sure that we can have a provision to include all Indians as 'filees' of income. Since everything is computerized, we can quickly identify which Indian has what income and categorize them into either income tax payees or 'income reservationists’. (That is, one section of the population pays money to the Government and the other section gets money from the government, be it in the form of educational concessions, jobs or perty disbursement.) I am willing to spell out the implementation of this scheme in its practical aspects if called upon to do so. We have certain categories already availing reservation facilities. But now with India poised to lead the world economically and already leading it in computerization, we can certainly aim at a more scientific and systematic reservation on individual-need basis, instead of sticking to en-block communal reservation. I thank the Commission inviting me, as a citizen of this great nation of ours, to submit my humble opinion on this vital issue.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
(K.Venugopal) - Age 51 yearsStenographerc/o S.M. Kapoor & Co.,3rd Floor, Nanabhai Mansion,Sir P.M. Road,Fort, Mumbai - 400 001.Ph: 22662691
Anwar Hussain
Many paths, one destination
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:01:38 PM
To: anwarhussainmomin@yahoo.co.in
Dear Shri Anwar Hussain, Thank you for your reply. Please take your time to reply and I would too, as it gives us time to reflect on what the other has said and write thoughtfully. But correspond we must. 1. When you say that Islam is as old as mankind, you must be taking the meaning of Islam as a generic word meaning, say, religion. Of course, religion is as old as mankind. However, to claim such antiquity for the religion that came to be after Mohammad is erroneous because it is well known that Mohammad was born in the 7th century AD and what we know today as Islam is the religion that flowed out of Mohammad. (Out of Allah, yes – everything flowed and flows out of Allah. Hindus have no dispute on that. Some of us call Allah as Krishna, others Shiva and yet others as Ishwar. The discussion really is about the Islamic culture that has come to be after the teachings of Mohammad.) The Muslim, in saying that Islam has been there since the beginning is only trying to give Islam the hallowedness of age it does not have. Hinduism came before Islam and so have Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity. 2. Since you believe that the Quran is the only word of God that is extant in the world today, when you say God never sanctioned idol worship, you of course refer to what he said in the Quran. But the Hindus believe in innumerable scriptures, ideas, thoughts etc. Among the well-known scriptures of the Hindus are the scriptures of Tantra, which is the basis of idol worship. 3. I agree that Muslims do not worship any idol of Mohammad, but this is because they have been strictly prohibited from doing so. But Islam has the biggest idol of them all – the Kaaba. It serves as an idol for the Muslims because to say that Muslims need a direction to offer prayers to God is illogical as Islam believes, I think, that God is all pervading. 4. You say an idol is a mere stone. I say an idol is a mere stone as much as the Quran is a mere book. 5. You ask if it is right to worship an idol, which is made by our own hands. This is like asking if it is right to listen to the Quran as the voice of God since it was first heard though the voice of Mohammad, a mere mortal. 6. You point out the irony of man creating gods through idols. In creating idols, man is only bringing to his mind the gods, who would be existent even if the idols are not there, just as electricity is existent everywhere, but we require special technology to experience its presence through the electrical circuit etc. 7. In worshiping the creation, you are worshiping the creator because for the ordinary man the creation is the closest he can get to the creator. In fact, only Hinduism believes you can get to the Creator and meagre in him; Islam believes man, the created, is forever separated from his Creator. 8. Incidentally, may I ask, why do Muslims say ‘peace be upon him?’ every time they mention Mohammad and other selected individuals? They omit to say that about others they might refer to (Krishna, for instance); does this not mean that Muslims hold Mohammad in a special position? Is this not a form of idol worship? Otherwise, why would you want to hold the messenger in a special position? Is not the message itself enough? 9. Remember the saying, ‘one man’s meat is another’s poison’ and you would be able to place in perspective your statement ‘Prophet Mohammad and Prophet Ibrahim only showed their intolerance towards something which was false’. False for some, but not for others. 10. It appears that anything that doesn’t agree with what is said in the Quran is for the Muslim a falsehood. But for many others, the Quran itself is a falsehood. (If you are interested, I can quote the comments on the Quran by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the famous founder of Arya Samaj.) 11. You also say in your letter that everyone must think before accepting a religion. Unfortunately this is contradicted by the culture of Islam. A person born a Muslim is not permitted to renounce his religion. If he attempts to do so, he is punished by death. Islam teaches that it is the only true religion. Muslims accept that only the words of Quran are true and anything contradicting it is untrue. If Mohammad and Muslims believe that idol worship is wrong then they should by all means stick to the practice of this belief. But do they have the right to destroy or question others beliefs? Taking recourse to the justification that Allah said so in the Quran is to first accept that what is said there is the absolute truth. Such acceptance can only be an act of faith or blind belief, because if everything said in the Quran were the absolute truth, then there would have been no need for the Muslims or anyone to interpret the Quran, as absolute truth is absolutely obvious. 12. Could it not be truer that the Quran is only the expression of an individual’s spiritual experience interpolated with the culture of the Arabs (and Jews)? Such spiritual experiences, as Mohammad had, was not unique. Down through the ages innumerable people have had spiritual experiences and they have expressed it in various ways and have shown the path to other seekers. 13. Going by the actions of Prophet Mohammed, it is obvious that he had lapses from his exalted state, which he achieved after meditating in the Herat caves. For even I, a non-Muslim, consider the Quran (having read it in its English translation) an exquisite product. But within its body are verses that reek intolerance. Why, the very first verse quoted in the site you recommend for me to learn about Islam says: “THERE IS NO DEITY WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH, AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER!” Does this verse not indicate an intolerance? 14. You say that idol worship is considered wrong even by the revered books of Hindus. Remember, there are innumerable religious books of the Hindus. The branch of Hinduism following the religious books of Tantra not just believe in idol worship, but have prescribed elaborate rules and regulations regarding idol worship. 15. You ask why do Hindus tolerate what their own revered books do not tolerate? Because, I suppose, the Hindus are not stuck with just one scripture! I hope I have taken your arguments in the right spirit. Hinduism is not merely a single monolithic religion. Hinduism is actually a spiritual culture that has been expressing itself and continues to express itself in a variety of religions (teachings). I am not attempting to teach you any religion. But I hope to convince you that unless we have a culture of acceptance of many ways to reach Allah, the clash of civilisations is not going to end. In this spirit, I invite you to be a Hindu! Islam your religion and Hinduism your culture. P.S. I have begun to visit the sight you recommended. I shall comment on what I read there in due course of time. Love,Venu
Re: Your letter in Asian Age
From: anwar hussain (anwarhussainmomin@yahoo.co.in)
You may not know this sender. Mark as safe Mark as unsafe
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 7:41:39 PM
To: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Dear Venugopal Kaikulath Sahab
Thank you for your letter. I am sorry for replying to you so late.
Islam, the religion of monotheism, is as old as mankind. God never sanctioned idol worship or polytheism i.e. the worship of more than one deities. In the past when some pious persons died, their admirers made statues of these persons to remember them. Later they started worshipping these statues leading to idol worship. An idol is a mere stone. Is it right to make an idol with your hands and worship it? God Who is just one created man and man made many gods!
You must worship the One Creator and not His Creation.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and before him Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) destroyed idols, they only showed their intolerance towards something which was false. You cannot tolerate falsehood in the name of tolerance towards any faith.
You must always examine any religious belief before accepting it. Do not just blindly copy others. Do not just blindly do what your forefathers have been doing. When one buys a thing from a shop, he spends a great time examining its quality before buying it. But in matters of faith, many people are so
careless that they worship stones, sun, moon, plants and animals and yet consider themselves as educated and intellectuals!
It has been shown to us that idol worship is considered as wrong even by the revered books of Hindus. Now why do Hindus tolerate what their own revered books do not tolerate?
Hope you will take my arguments in the right spirit and not get offended.
I invite you to study Islam. You may visit the following website:
http://www.islamworld.net/
Do keep communicating with me.
With Best Wishes,
Anwar Hussain
Venugopal Kaikulath
20.01.06Dear Anwar Hussain saab,I read your letter in the Asian Age of 19th July where you said all are Muslims who want to follow Islamic teachings and calling some Islamists who want to live according to the Islamic Shariah would suppose there are Muslims who are non-Islamists. What you say is, by experience, true. All consider themselves Muslims, including Ahmediyas who are not allowed to consider themselves so by the Pakistani government. Then again there are the Sunnis and Shias, all Muslims but who still consider each other different. So probably the writer sought to call the more conservative Muslims Islamists. These are nomenclatures and could be useful to differentiate the heterogeneity that Islam has actually turned out to be.If you would be kind enough, I request you to please enlighten me on why Prophet Mohammad had to cleanse Mecca of its idols in order to begin his religion? Does this not prove that Mohammad was intolerant of other religions? (You might say that he only reclaimed the Grand Mosque, which was defiled by the idols, for Islam. This implies that Islam existed before Mohammad taught it. If it indeed existed and traces its origin to Prophet Ibrahim, all I have to say is that Prophet Ibrahim too was an iconoclast, who started off by breaking the idols his father worshipped. Anyways, intolerance!).Awaiting your comments.RegardsVenugopal
La Salle Brickfields
Kinrara Oval
From: Venugopal Kaikulath (venu1005@hotmail.com)
Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2006 10:10:21 PM
To: peter_sinniah@yahoo.com
Dear Peter,
Noises from this end after a long silence. As your sole class 69 rep in India, I've got to let you know that I'm still alive! As you know, all Indians are cricket crazy (I'am an exception). However, I just could not avoid reading in the papers that India played at Kinrara Oval recently. I said to myself, hey Muruga, isn't it where I stayed? Eight of my most impressionable years were spent in Kinrara Estate in Petaling, Puchong. Can you, Peter, when you get some time, tell me what has come of the estate now? Do they still tap rubber trees there? I understand the nearby Bukit Jalil estate of yore has also become a stadium. Keep me posted. Who knows, Sachin (whose fan I am) may have blasted his sixes standing on the very spot where our ranch style house used to be. There also used to be a huge tin mining establishment in front of our estate, with a huge dredge and all that. The famous British Military Hospital was at the side of Kinrara Estate.
My love to your family.
Venu
From: Peter Sinniah
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 01:05:50 -0700 (PDT)
Venu,>>
am not really as materialistic as you think I am.
Having lost a brother when he was 20 (remember Raymond John) and having come close to death the year after his death, I leave my fate in the hands of God. I could have become more than what I am but tend to also float along struggling to maintain a family of 3 kids and a wife. The only luxury I have is my French Citroen car (second hand) and have not had the luck to buy a house yet. We should explore what we could do together in the our golden ages. Send me some pictures of you, your family, the palce you stay etc.
Take care
Peter
Re: New comment on All Ye La Sallians
From: Shashi Kapoor (smk.co@hotmail.com)
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 12:25:26 PM
To: peter_sinniah@yahoo.com
From: Shashi Kapoor (smk.co@hotmail.com)
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 12:25:26 PM
To: peter_sinniah@yahoo.com
Dear Peter,
How prompt you are. My blog id is: http://www.kaikulath.blogspot.com/.
I have written a lot of carp in it, but at least it can help you to decipher the kind of nut I am! I can make out that you are a pragmatist and would therefore measure success in terms of material gains. But I have no use for anything material. I have for ages been keeping away from wherever there is a show of material power - like marriages, parties etc. Rather than 'doing' as an indication of how alive we are, I am into 'undoing' to regain my original heritage - freedom. Ah... spiritual mumbo jumbo, I can hear you say. Maybe so, because finally the words we use to express ourselves are itself so limited. In spite of what I am, if you think you can still have some 'return' from a relationship with me, do continue to write sometimes. Otherwise, we again evaporate into the mists of memory.
Love,Venu
From: Peter Sinniah
Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 04:53:55 -0700 (PDT)
venu,
my apologies and i am thankful u wrote me cos i lost ur e-mail address....
i have lost my password for the blog so need sometime before i post your item
whats your blog url
best regards
peter
Dear Peter,
We had communicated via e-mail some years back and suddenly the communication came to a dead end. You said at that time you had some financial difficulties and I could understand that we needed to have a break. Now again I communicate through this blogsphere. Since we last communicated I have become more of a recluse. So sometimes I stay back in the office after work and then I have a cave all to myself (eerie with not a soul in the whole huge building and all quiet). I suppose on such nights I shall be able to blog and communicate with you and all the good folks whom I had the honour to study with and be taught by.
If you get on to my blog, you might get to know my mind and how crazy I have become since I left La Salle in 69 and Malaysia in 70. May God bless you, Peter, for your labour of love in keeping the memories of class of 69 as a beacon light for the rest of us to reflect on some of the most gorgeous moments in our life.
Love,
Venu
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