On January 1, 2024, thousands of workers from RSS, Sangh-inspired organisations, and devoted Ram Bhaktas embarked on a noble mission associated with Ayodhya Pranaprathishta. The mission involves the distribution of consecrated Akshat from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. In Kerala, the activities are conducted under the auspices of Sree Rama Theertha Kshetra Samithi, with a target to reach 5,000,000 Hindu households in the state, which has a total population of approximately 3.51 crores.
The Akshat Yajna is executed by 36,000 batches of workers from various organisations, including Sangh, BJP, VHP, BMS, ABVP, Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti, Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, and more.
This correspondent spoke with several batch leaders about their experiences, and they expressed joy at the devotional and enthusiastic responses received, transcending party lines. Even households of staunch CPM and Congress workers extended warm welcomes. Women in most houses received the akshata, a picture of Ram Mandir, and an appeal from the Sree Rama Janmabhumi Theerthakshetra Trust with utmost devotion, often washing their hands before accepting the consecrated articles.
Prominent personalities like singer K.S. Chitra, Padmasree and Padmabhushan laureate, and ‘Nightingale of the South,’ Mahesh Nambootiri (chief priest of Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa temple), and Ashwati Tirunal Gouri Lakshmibai of the Tiruvitamcoor royal family participated in the initiative. Olympian P.T. Usha MP (RS) and her husband Sreenivasan were also recipients of the consecrated Akshat.
R.V. Babu, state spokesman of Hindu Aikyavedi, reported that in his interactions, not a single CPM or Congress member objected when the workers visited their homes. Some women were seen praying for Prime Minister Modi’s long life and good health, showcasing the cross-sectional support for the initiative.
Meanwhile, Aranmula Police in Pathanamthitta district registered a case against CPM’s Abita Bai, a Panchayat Member (Councilor), for a controversial Facebook post aimed at causing religious enmity. The post, related to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, featured a Sree Rama devotional song with the visual of a seminude man. The case was filed by a BJP worker, Rateeshkumar, alleging religious animosity. Despite the controversy, the councilor withdrew the post.
