The resurrection of Ayodhya
With the pompous celebration wherever I can look upon, whether it’s on youtube where every singer is dropping new bhajan every next hour, or sharing videos and photos of the underconstructed temple on various social media platforms or even streets of small towns like Garhakota where one can hear Ram bhajan here and there or bhagwa flags waving high as the bicycle of children moves ahead in the direction of January’s chilly wind. India and some part of the world as news channels claim is ready to witness the consecration that is going to take place tomorrow, in Ayodhya. Back in 2020, when The Hagia Sophia, which served as a museum, was converted into a mosque in Turkey, I was enraged and surprised by this act taking place in the 21st century even when I had nothing to do with museum or this country. Then I thought, what message did the demolition of Babri mosque might have had in the early 1990s! Well, I am not the judge, nor do I have any knowledge or facts to come up with what is right or what is not, but I do know 2 things for sure. The first, that incapicitated Ayodhya is now resurrected into new Varanasi and Mathura of Uttar Pradesh, and the people living there have found their new livelihoods and secondly that the so called gen-z who haven’t watched 1993 movie “Ramayana: The legend of prince Rama” by Kazuyuki Kobayashi or Ramayan by Ramanand Sagar will get to know that Lord Ram is more than just a mere slogan. Well, apart from my above vague reasoning, on larger perspective, I think for humanity to sustain for longer, a purpose is needed to be served, which in Mahabharat, Lord Krishna named it ‘Dharma’, is what this event can help us to achieve in some way. Dharma can be your duty towards family, work, or religion! Religion means to worship god or something supernatural. We pray Ram as god. I don’t count myself as a religious person much, but I do believe in the strength which helps me to fight hardships, my fears and shows me the hope and leads me to the brighter side of life. This strength helps me to understand the fine line between wrong and right, good and bad. As Rizwaan Khan’s mother in My Name is Khan, taught him that there are two kinds of people in the world and that he must choose the good one, both kinds have their purpose, their dharma just like Raavan had his own. We must follow the religion or the person that brings the good in us and who can be better personified than Maryada Purushottam Ram himself. We need Ram’s principle in our today’s lives full of animosity, infidelity, mistrust, hatred, hypocrisy, and vengefulness to seek paths of faithfulness, forgiveness, brotherhood, and love. To learn to become responsible elder sibling, obedient child, faithful and loving partner, and above all, avoid hypocrisy, that is, to be what you preach! Cheers to all those celebrating. May Lord Ram bless each of us with his path of morality to walk upon. That it should not only be the resurrection of Ayodhya or Hinduism but individuals as well. Jai Shree Ram. Jai Parshuram. Har Har Mahadev.
