Ground Breaking at Ayodhya
'Bhumi Pujan' was performed, by the Prime Minister, at the site of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. It
was a poignant moment when the whole nation stood still and watched the proceedings - a feat that
seemed unthinkable till a few years back. The 'Ram Janmabhoomi' case had undergone many twists
and turns; the first two questions posed were :-
(a) Isn't Ram a fictional character? Where is the proof that such a one existed on this earth?
(b) What is the proof of Ayodhya being his birthplace?
Here's where the people who posed such questions were completely off the mark. Firstly, Hinduism
more than being a religion is a way of life for the Hindus, which does not impose rigidity on its
followers regarding practices. You can go to the place of worship or stay away from it, the choice is
yours! That's the main reason as to why, despite numerous invasions by various types of marauders,
the Hindu way of life has grown from strength to strength and above that, has been flexible enough
to accept many good points from various other religions without losing its identity!
The historic verdict of the Supreme Court of India, last year, had settled all the legal issues on the
'Ram Janmabhoomi' and finally, paved the way for today's happenings. I've always had quite a few
questions regarding the Ram Janmabhoomi case which were :-
(a) Why was Ram being considered fictional? Extending the same logic, a counter question
could have been posed to the others regarding their gods.
(b) Thank God that a call for amending the Ramayana, replacing Ram and Ayodhya with other
names, was not insisted upon!
(c) India is a land of many religions and cultures and it's this diversity that makes it a vibrant
nation. The Hindus are in a majority but with a secular outlook, all religions have the right
to co-exist freely - at least, this is my understanding of the word 'secular' and I'm sure that
there's no other. Why did we, then, go overboard and shamelessly appease the minorities -
significantly not all, but a couple?
(d) To cite just one example, I've been a frequent traveller on the NH 66 (Old NH 47) from
Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and back, as a kid, from the '60s to date and must say that I've seen quite a few changes enroute - numerous churches and mosques have sprung up
from time to time and to my knowledge, no one has ever questioned this proliferation but
when a Ram temple was talked of at Ayodhya, there were questions and resistance. Why this
double standard?
Another observation that I'd seen among many Hindus is that they tend to downplay their religion
out of fear - of what, I don't understand. To cite an example, there was a call for lighting a lamp
at the balcony of the house today, to commemorate Ram but many stayed away from it...why, I
wonder?
There's nothing wrong with practicing one's religion truthfully and steadfastly but respecting other
religions, is a must!
Shall wind up with a message that I got today from my sister, A special thanks to the 92 year old Supreme Court lawyer, Kesavan Parasaran. He had argued the Ram Janmabhoomi case barefoot, standing for 4.5 hours at 90+ age. When the judge requested him to take a seat and continue argument, he said, "I have argued standing for all my clients till date. Today, Lord himself is my client, how can I sit and argue?" He didn't wear his footwear for 4.5 hours while arguing on behalf of Ram. Inspirational!
Tailpiece.
Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Watched the Ayodhya event on television and saw the Prime Minister giving a speech that was statesman-like! Yes, Ram truly belongs to the entire world!!
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