The third sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, late Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras was known for having his ear to the ground all the time. During a discussion on the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation with his close colleagues, he cautioned not to expect early results. “It’s going to be a struggle of 20-30 years,” he had said. He also advised that the movement should be launched only if everyone had the stamina and patience required. His colleagues agreed—and the rest is history.
Behind this cautionary advice was an underlying confidence that this would be the ‘beginning of the end’ of hundreds of years of sacrifice, struggle and aspirations of crores of people who were waiting for the grand temple of Ram at his birthplace in Ayodhya. It is noteworthy that this confidence did not emerge instantly. Since 1975, RSS and allied organisations have had growing public support for their every call to action. At the same time, there have been many challenges such as the Emergency, mass conversions at Meenakshipuram in Tamil Nadu and terrorist attacks.
Many would not be aware that after conversions at Meenakshipuram, the RSS launched a mass public awareness campaign, during which workers reached thousands of villages across the country. It was followed by the famous Ekatmata yatras during which four chariots carrying holy water from the Ganga and an idol of Bharatmata, travelled the length and breadth of the country. People of all ages, castes, religions and regions responded enthusiastically to this unique attempt to emotionally unify the country. All these mass movements took place before the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation.
How various milestones of the Ayodhya agitation were strategised, meticulously planned and executed with military precision remains the topic of several research papers. The first and foremost aspect is that it was a mass movement in the true sense, one that can only be compared with the struggle for Independence. From the ‘shila pujan’ during which thousands of bricks etched with “Shri Ram” were brought from every corner of India to the latest fundraising drive by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to build the temple. During the drive, more than 10 crore families residing in four lakh villages were connected by 40 lakh volunteers. The fund collection reportedly exceeded 2,000 crores, making it one of the world’s largest crowd-funding projects.
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Time to celebrate the homecoming
Of course, this movement was not without struggle and sacrifice. There were threats, intimidation, arrests, and firing of bullets. Then Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, infamously said “Not even a bird will be able to fly” over Ayodhya on the day of karseva. And when kar sevaks eluded the barricades, he mercilessly ordered a firing. But no such attempt deterred the common people of the country from their resolve.
A mammoth effort was also made to create false narratives against this agitation, especially in English-language media. Initially, there were attempts to discredit the organisations. For example, VHP was termed a “paper tiger” and it was predicted “.. the heavens are is not going to fall on this temple town”. Mulayam Singh Yadav was projected as the saviour of secularism and the rule of law. There was twisted logic floating around that the Sangh Parivar had chosen Ayodhya over Kashi and Mathura because Ram belongs to an Upper caste (Kshatriya), while Krishna is from the OBC community (Yadav) and Shiva is a tribal.
It’s difficult for those who witnessed and were involved in the agitation to forget all these painful chapters. But today, when the entire country is celebrating the grand homecoming of Ram Lalla, it’s time to let go of the bitterness and wholeheartedly celebrate this historic occasion. After the Allahabad High Court’s verdict on Ayodhya, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat appealed to everyone to bury our communal differences and march with hands together. “Ram belongs to all and lives in all,” PM Narendra Modi said at the Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan. Farooq Abdullah reciting a Ram bhajan reaffirms this conviction. Ram blesses everyone, even those who have boycotted the grand ceremony of his arrival.
Bhakti, devotion, is an essence of the Indian psyche—barring a minuscule minority of die-hard rationalists—it’s a universal truth as far as Indians of any faith are concerned. Overwhelming enthusiasm displayed from the remotest parts of the country to elite bastions such as Khan Market in New Delhi to celebrate Ram Lalla’s arrival in Ayodhya is a sincere expression of this conviction. It has transcended every boundary the human mind can imagine.
At the same time, it is undoubtedly a culmination of an unprecedented project of great national resurgence, where bhakti is transformed into a commitment to a larger good for the people, especially for the vulnerable sections of society.
In her column from 7 January, journalist Neerja Chowdhury had a realisation while watching a crowd of young people at the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi— is this “Hindu resurgence”? But someone like VS Naipaul had already realised it 25 years ago. In the same way, today, those who are still opposing the Ram temple in Ayodhya will have self-realisation and will be willing partners to build a ‘New India’ which is a modern-day synonym of ‘Ram Rajya’.
Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale is In-Charge, Foreign Affairs Department, BJP. Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)