Lord Rama's Bridge to Lanka

My dad mentioned to me today about one of the topics in Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji (Swamiji)'s lecture on TV. Apparently, according to Swamiji, NASA has issued a statement that the bridge built by Rama for traveling to Lanka about 9,000 years ago in Treta Yuga still exists, based on remote sensing images. I Googled for some information and here is what I found on Vaishnava News

USA, Oct 7 (VNN) — (Courtesy: NASA Digital Image Collection) Space images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. The recently discovered bridge currently named as Adam's Bridge is made of chain of shoals, c.18 mi (30 km) long. 

The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the a primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge?s age is also almost equivalent. 

This information is a crucial aspect for an insight into the mysterious legend called Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place in treta yuga (more than 1,700,000 years ago).

I checked NASA press Releases Archives and I did not find any reference to this bridge. Also, According to Wikipedia, NASA apparently issued the following disclaimer:

"The images [...] may be ours, but their interpretation is certainly not ours. [...] Remote sensing images or photographs from orbit cannot provide direct information about the origin or age of a chain of islands, and certainly cannot determine whether humans were involved in producing any of the patterns seen."

I did not find information on this disclaimer either in NASA Press Release Archives. So, the information I came across neither confirms nor denies NASA's statements regarding Rama's bridge. I don't understand as to how one can determine if a bridge was man-made or not, based on its curvature. Also, I don't think that we can make definitive statements about composition of this so-called bridge based on remote sensing images.

Here is another piece of conflicting information I found on Rama's bridge.

Archaeological studies of the bridge are ongoing, and some archaeologists claim to have found evidence suggesting that the bridge is man-made. 

For instance, some researchers from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, announced that the "bridge" is only 3,500 years old.

I think that we jump to these premature conclusions due to our inferiority complex. We (Indians) did not have any significant achievements proportional to our population at least until mid-1990s [Let us not blame it on British Rule because we did not have sufficient unity to resist their occupation; we need to admit that it was our failure - if you don't want to be bullied, don't be gullible. Also, as this famous quote says, "always win without boasting and loose without excuse"]. 

The only thing we have that is worth bragging about is our apparent distant past. Reminds me of a telugu saying "taatalu netulu taagaru, mutula vaasana chudandi" loosely meaning "our grand parents used to drink ghee, smell our breaths to verify that luxury they enjoyed". So, every time we see something that remotely suggests that our past was glorious, we grab that opportunity to console ourselves with positive affirmations. The fact is, we don't have to play this game. We don't need any one's approval other than our own. We are what we are, and we should be proud of ourselves. We have no control over the past and the future. Also, the past need not be an indicator of the future. What matters the most is our action now. The rest is irrelevant. 

Fortunately, we don't have to feel compelled to dwell in the distant past any more. In spite of all the poverty and corruption, we should be very proud of our achievements in the technology sector, and our entrepreneurship. 

I do not mean to disgrace our puranas. All I am asking is, let us be objective and brutally honest with ourselves when we are pursuing truth. Religion and science need not be contradictory to each other. On meditation, we should be able to find an agreement of these apparently divergent paths. I think the first step for progress, is the realization of the lack of it! 

Jai Hind!