I was at Ram ki Paidi in Ayodhya on a recent winter morning, whose severity was exacerbated by fog, cold wind, and a feeble sun. But the atmosphere there was reminiscent of the day before a wedding. The Yogi government had left no stone unturned in adorning Ayodhya. Is a Vatican for Hindus on the horizon?
This milieu reminds me of the days when the surrounding area was packed with Ram bhakts. Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power in UP, and he was determined to uphold his constitutional pledge. At the same time, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), argued that an issue of faith transcended time, the constitution and government policies. Those were turbulent times. Karsevaks battled with police and paramilitary troops multiple times between 1988 and 1991. More than 30 persons were killed and over a 100 injured.
While VHP and RSS were preparing the movement’s outline and building the organization, the ambitions of the Sangh’s political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party, were obvious. It desired to rule the country. This is not unusual for a political party, but the road they took was novel for India, which was steeped in socialist dreams.
The leaders’ commitment to secularism was so strong in the early days of Independence that then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru declined to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Somnath temple.
Times have changed. Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders do not hide their strong religious beliefs. Modi sent a message to the nation last Thursday, announcing an 11-day ritual. He began his speech with “Ram-Ram".
The groundwork for the current trend was laid in the late 1980s. Not only Sangh officials, but even top leaders such as Lal Krishna Advani, used to meet with the media and make forceful arguments for it. I remember Advani visited Agra in 1990. There were three established newspapers then. He had a lengthy chat with the three editors over breakfast. We asked him some tough questions, but he was unfazed.
At that time, a big section of karsevaks began alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party only sought to acquire power by manipulating our religious convictions and that it was not serious about the “controversial structure".
I recall vividly the night of 5 December 1992, when our special correspondent, who had been assigned for coverage, told me over the phone that the edifice would be dismantled the next day. If Advani and other politicians like him tried to stop the karsevaks, they would be severely beaten up. What happened the following day, 6 December, is widely documented. It is true, the karsevaks had little regard for the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party who were present there in Ayodhya.
Should we think that time has come full circle this week when pran pratishtha is almost certain to take place? Is democratic India going to put an end to what the imperialist troops of Babur did five centuries ago? Will 22 January be remembered in a special way in Indian history? Is it possible that time still has some surprises in store for us?
Time continues to play its games, and mankind, willingly or not, becomes its pawns. I can say this because, as a journalist, I documented the rage and exhilaration of 6 December 1992. There is only one difference. The struggle was then kept going, and now efforts will be made to extend the vijayotsav (victory celebration) for months.
Half a day has passed in Ayodhya, and upon my return, it is evident that the city is preoccupied with finding its place in this celebratory atmosphere. Not only the inhabitants of Ayodhya, but everyone who comes and goes here is probably doing the same. Let me tell you about an experience I had. Our return flight took off around 40 minutes late for Delhi. A few minutes after take-off from Ayodhya’s Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, a passenger in the middle of the second row chanted, “Jai Shri Ram." The majority of the passengers on the plane backed him up. “Pavanputra Hanuman ki Jai" was the next chant. The passionate repeat reached the ears once more. The delay seemed to excite the passengers rather than irritate them.
You can ponder the political consequences if you want, but it won’t change the euphoria that is spreading all around us.
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.
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Ayodhya is being swept by a fresh wave of euphoria
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I was at Ram ki Paidi in Ayodhya on a recent winter morning, whose severity was exacerbated by fog, cold wind, and a feeble sun. But the atmosphere there was reminiscent of the day before a wedding. The Yogi government had left no stone unturned in adorning Ayodhya. Is a Vatican for Hindus on the horizon?
This milieu reminds me of the days when the surrounding area was packed with Ram bhakts. Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power in UP, and he was determined to uphold his constitutional pledge. At the same time, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), argued that an issue of faith transcended time, the constitution and government policies. Those were turbulent times. Karsevaks battled with police and paramilitary troops multiple times between 1988 and 1991. More than 30 persons were killed and over a 100 injured.
While VHP and RSS were preparing the movement’s outline and building the organization, the ambitions of the Sangh’s political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party, were obvious. It desired to rule the country. This is not unusual for a political........
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