Topic Research: The Debate of Rama's Bridge

Squirrel Helping in Bridge Building Between India and Sri Lanka

Image Source: Hindu Gallery

Everyone likes a good conspiracy theory. I always get a nice chuckle out of videos and posts regarding a flat earth, faked moon landings, or especially chemical trails. These ideas, while laughable, are undeniably in keeping with the tradition of our species to give stories and life to that which cannot be immediately explained or understood. Our relatively recent advances in science and technology are but the tiniest layer atop millennia spent ascribing divinity, legend, and myth to all we see.

The Storyteller, Josephine Wall

Image Source: Pinterest

Mythology showcases the absolute creativity of the human race. We imagine unique explanations for everything around us. Mountains were the bones of the giant Ymir's body. The sun was pulled by a chariot across the sky. The stars were thrown into the sky as quartz chips by an ancient trickster coyote. So many physical, tangible things are imbued with rich, vivid histories, often similar across time, culture, and distance. My favorite legends are those which relate how particular things, species, or places came to be.

Landsat 7 Satellite Photo, Rama's Bridge

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Rama's bridge presents a wonderful controversy. Was this bridge man-made? Could this be a justification of Rama's existence? Why are the rock boulders atop the sand dated as older than the sand itself? These are questions which geologists, historians, and governments argue over today. The likeliest answer which features the largest body of scientific evidence is that it is a natural formation. But the mythological history surrounding this topographical feature is mesmerizing.

I think I would like to begin the project / story with a modern setting, using the argument regarding the Sethusamudram shipping canal project. If completed, the canal will involve dredging the nearby ocean floor and removing the majority of Rama's bridge, allowing for faster shipping transit and decreased cargo pricing. Several Indian political parties currently protest the Government of India's decision to allow the construction of this canal for religious, environmental, and economical reasons, and this setting could make a great launch for the story of the bridge's religious and iconic value.

The stories of Nala the Bridge Engineer, Suvannamaccha: daughter of Ravana, and Rama and the Squirrel could be retold by various speakers at a public hearing where the fate of Rama's bridge is in question. I am picturing various representatives of political factions (Indian People's Party, Secular Party, National People's Party, All India Anna Dravidian Progress Federation) taking their turn to argue against (or for!) the dredging of the bridge, each with a different motive. 

Nala and Nila, the Vanara brothers credited with the design and construction of the bridge in the Ramayana, are described in various versions of the story as being both mischievous and irreverent. I like the idea of brash, youthful enthusiasm, and Nala has been divinely gifted with architectural prowess, making him a perfect candidate for such an undertaking. This would be a story about determination, skill, and economics. 

Suvannamaccha and Hanuman represent a beautiful love story between good and evil. An evil mermaid daughter of Ravana sent to prevent the bridge's completion, she is unable to complete her task because she falls in love with the goodness and devotion Hanuman represents. I also would like to include an epilogue in this story where Hanuman faces a mysterious half-Vanara half-merman creature during a battle with Ravana's army many years later, only to realize he is fighting his own son, Macchanu, of Suvannamaccha. This is an element which draws more from the Thai mythology of Hanuman, but I like it a lot. 

The story of the squirrel providing assistance to Rama is adorable; a moral lesson that even the smallest of us can be of assistance. How Squirrel Got Its Stripes could be presented by the Bahujan Samaj Party speaker, one of the strongest political factions for lower-ranking castes and minority peoples within India. 

However, no debate is complete without offering both sides of the story. The functionality of a bridge is the subject of Arjuna, The Monkey, and the Boy, where pride and humility are tested by Vishnu, disguised as a boy in a standoff involving arrows vs. Vanara bridge construction. The ultimate functionality of the bridge today could be presented as lacking in comparison with the economical benefits of access to a faster shipping channel, and I see a representative fiercely arguing that while these stories are important, they have no right to interfere with the progress of the future.

All in all, there will be a lot of research but this should be a really fun project. I am very excited to learn more about the economics regarding the bridge decision. It should also be noted that as of 2010, the bridge's future is still unresolved. The project has been delayed pending approval of an environmental report conducted by the Supreme Court of India.