“We want Hindus to be assertive and not violent. This is as per the wise saying— ‘When the divinity asserts itself, it is incarnation’. In future, the politicians and administration should bear it in mind that the Hindus will no longer tolerate injustice. They will assert themselves for their rights.” – Shri Ashok Ji Singhal, in his interview with Organiser (Weekly) on November 18, 1990
It was a momentous occasion once the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Garbha Griha (Sanctum Sanctorum) of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was over. The eyes of Ram Lalla Vigraha blessed everyone with blissful energy. Everyone watching had tears in their eyes – few hiding it from others, many giving way to them. They were blissful tears – expressing different emotions associated with the moment.
Ram Lalla’s Pran Pratishtha at the rightful place was the deliverance of civilisat ional justice. The battle for Ram Janmabhoomi was never about just a temple; it was a scar on our culture, beliefs and national identity by the Islamic invaders. Right from the first attack on the temple, the battle was the reclamation and restoration of the soul of Bharat. For the last 500 years, somebody has stood up for the cause in every generation and passed on the baton to the next generation. The abode of Maryada Purushottam Ram is restored. The barbaric mindset symbolised in the form of the Babari structure was defeated by ordinary Hindus collectively. The intellectual and political treachery by ‘secularists’ and ‘communists’ has been successfully countered and defeated. The long legal battle is peacefully won with sheer determination and hard work. Those tears were a matter of satisfaction and a sense of justice delivered as our generation could see the fructification of those 76 battles and 134 years of legal battle Hindus have fought for the national cause. A sense of achievement, a new moment of ‘cultural independence’ considered impossible, paved the way through tears.
It was also in the remembrance of known soldiers who virtually adopted the role of Veer Hanuman for the cause of Shri Ram. Besides numerous Sadhus and Seers, the key pioneers and organisers of the recent struggle like the third Sarsanghachalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Balasaheb Deoras, senior Pracharak Moropant Pingale Ji and Vishva Hindu Parishad’s stalwart Ashok Ji Singhal reflected in those tearful eyes. The way these people not only brought all sects, Akhadas, and Sampradayas of the Hindu fold under the one umbrella of Dharma Sansad, but they also visualised and assessed the impact of every move in the larger scheme of things on the society. They successfully galvanised the Hindus and broke the barriers of caste, language and sects. Numerous Karsevaks around us who defied the draconian measures of tear gas, lathi-charge and firing and kept moving ahead peacefully with great determination revitalised the courageous character of Hindus. Those tears were a sense of gratitude towards all of them.
On the screen, the mere Darshan of Ram Lalla generated a new energy of devotion in the minds of devotees. The wait is over. That purity of Bhakti was also reflected in the tears.
Those tears are not a sign of weakness. They are the symbol of determination, gratitude and devotion. The same spirit needs to be carried forward to take the movement forward and imbibe and inculcate the spirit of Ram Rajya – where all faiths are respected and accepted, where spirituality and prosperity will go hand in hand and where everyone will contribute to victory and success of Ashwamedh started for Vishwaguru Bharat.
