Being in Ayodhya witnessed three different pictures

The Ram Lalla was behind bars and akhand kirtan was going on. Then, at such a young age, could not understand the situation, and now feel the pain of generations of seeing Ram Lalla behind bars. That akhanda kirtan was an expression of the anguish of centuries and generations.

On the day the Babri masjid was brought down, Shripathi Ji was at home, probably Jagannath Rao Joshi who was not well, was in Kaushikashram. Probably Dada Rawat sent his wife with the news and sweets to him to give the news for which he waited so long, Shripati Ji said. Maybe Asha Vahini could witness his reaction. Shripati Ji said that nothing except the Ram Mandir could be built there. And now Ram Mandir is a reality.

The second visit to Ayodhya was some seven years ago. Ram Lalla was in the makeshift temple,the entire town was under strict surveillance. A serpentine long queue led to the temple, the cage-like structure was prepared, which had no exit and only one entrance. Some points had gates that were reserved for the quarters built for the police staff who were cautiously guarding the area. If there were to be some kind of commotion or stampede then it had no exit to move out. We felt it was very difficult and only God knew how long was the queue. There was no facility of drinking water or a toilet either, despite this, many had a strong urge of darshan. When one reached the point from where one could see Ram Lala, one could only glance for a fraction of a second. Maybe one could not even remember or have the impression prepared in mind. One felt empty, but mental turbulence could be sensed. No one uttered a word, we all returned silently and did not dare to express the deep-rooted pain.

No one could predict when would it be a reality. Silently we moved on to the next destination.

April 2023 was the transfer scene, the construction work was in progress, and though no one was allowed to visit the construction site, no one had any complaints. All knew a magnificent mandir was in progress. Though there was strict security protocol, no one was annoyed, all followed it happily. There were many security checkpoints, scanning was done, and all cooperated. Many young lady police officers were supervising and managing women's lanes. All were quick, smart, efficient, and doing their duty with a smile. When I thanked one of them for their proficiency, one officer instantly replied, ' इतनी मुश्किल से जो मिला है मंदिर ', and moved with a smile.

As we drew near the Ram Lalla temple, (though it was a makeshift temple, it was specious) people in the queue became emotional. Many had their eyes moist, some broke down and were crying, some were chanting the Ram dhun, or some stotras in the quivering voice. Many old people felt that they reached the pinnacle of their journey. One could be at ease in front of the makeshift temple, where Ram Lalla was virajman with all of its glory, beautifully decorated using fresh flowers, they were not pushed in a hurry. When they moved away from the temple their faces were lit with bliss, all walked out speechless.

People came from varied social backgrounds and places, it was an intersection of our society. Almost all the languages could be heard. The town was abuzz with a variety of sounds of construction and commotion. Many new projects were moving toward completion. A place with huge opportunity and development was in the making. Locals were also happy with the new opportunities being created. A lot has changed now, and many more things will be added.

Most of the people who visited Ayodhya had visited or were on the way to Varanasi too. It could be sensed that they had the image of Nandi at Kashi Vishwa Nath mandir and silently prayed for the darshan of the original idol of Baba Vishwa Nath in its real avatar.