Beyond Ram Mandir, A Collective Dream Behind The Clamour Of Ayodhya

As preparations pace in full swing for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir or the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, every nook and corner of the country braces up for the highly-anticipated day. Ayodhya, an apparent dream, or a 'promised land' for many Hindus, is witnessing people from across the spectrum going out of their way to mark this day with something indelible and immortal, beyond the political umbrella.

Besides the elaborate religious cornucopia planned at Ayodhya over the week leading up to the installation of the chosen Ram Lalla idol at the sanctum sanctorum, governments, local administrative bodies and businessmen across the country have mounted numerous initiatives to mark the day which marks the completion of a three-decade-wait for many.

Ayodhya As A Collective Dream

The carnivalesque nature and the grandeur of the spate of plans in place play into a collective dream of the believers and devotees of the Ayodhya temple. From Surat, a textile businessman was seen sending a special saree for Ma Janaki printed with pictures of Lord Ram and the Ayodhya temple. In Varanasi, weavers fused motifs of various chapters from Ramayana to the treasured craft of Banarasi silk weaving to quench a rising demand ahead of January 22. These are just a few of the many instances of the sartorial craze that has spread on social media like wildfire ahead of the inauguration. 

"Sarees with detailing work and motifs about historical features have always been in great demand but the sentiment towards the Ram temple is completely different," Anisur Rahman, a weaver from Mubarakpur area told PTI. Rehman said that they are preparing sarees on the Ram Mandir theme for this significant and historic cause, and these will soon become a fashion statement. "We have orders from different parts of the country from women who want to celebrate January 22 at their respective places wearing these sarees," he added.

To add to the craze, the Uttar Pradesh government has also declared a holiday for all educational institutions and has also requested a Deepotsav at every house, ghaat and temple urging that the celebratory aura pervades in the state. Numerous confectioners from Varanasi and Gujarat are preparing sweets, which will be offered as a prasad to Lord Ram during the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony for the dignitaries and devotees on the big day.  ANI reports that since January 6, the confectioners have been preparing 1200 kgs of laddoos daily and have been assigned to prepare around 45 tonnes of sweets for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony on January 22nd. 

A video posted by a passenger on X showed the IndiGo staff even dressed themselves up as Ram, Laxman, Hanuman, and Sita ushering in passengers on the airline's first flight to Ayodhya, from Ahmedabad. While the person dressed up as Ram took the lead with announcements, one more staff member, also in a costume, kneels in front with a bowed head and folded hands. At the gate, there are also Indigo employees dressed as Lakshman and Sita, ready to welcome passengers. This followed a post on X where the airline talked about proudly being a part of this historic moment of connecting the 'vibrant' Ahmedabad to the 'sacred land of Ayodhya'.

Memorialising Ayodhya

People have gone out of their way to etch their personal attempts permanently, in honour and celebration of the “promised day”. For few, it has been a life-long journey towards a holy dream, while for others, services, initiatives and emotional gestures leading up to the day serve as a journey towards self-actualisation. 

Recently, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan bought a plot in a seven-star enclave in Ayodhya. Expected to be completed by 2028, The Sarayu, by Mumbai-based developer The House of Abhinandan Lodha, spread over 51 acres, and fifteen minutes away from the temple, will also be inaugurated on January 22 in honour of the consecration. "I am looking forward to embark on this journey with The House of Abhinandan Lodha for The Sarayu in Ayodhya, a city that holds a special place in my heart. The timeless spirituality and cultural richness of Ayodhya have forged an emotional connection that transcends geographical boundaries," said Bachchan, who was born in Allahabad, a four-hour drive from Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, Saraswati Devi, an octogenarian from Dhanbad, is set to break her 30-year 'maun vrat' (vow of silence), which she had taken on following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. She had vowed to break her fast when a Ram Mandir would be built in Ayodhya, NDTV had reported. Known as 'Mauni Mata', she has received a special invitation from the Ram Mandir Trust for the inauguration, which she considers a divine call, where she would break her fast by uttering the name of Raam. Though she had taken a break from 'maun vrat' and spoke for an hour at noon every day till 2020, she went completely silent the day the foundation for the temple was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While for many, few instances go beyond the believable, it is interesting to note how these play out as optics in the days to come. Shabnam Sheikh, a young hijab-clad Muslim woman from Mumbai, took on a journey to Ayodhya with her friends with a bag pack and a saffron flag lodged firmly. "Jai Shri Ram. Witnessing Shri Ram is my life's purpose, hence my journey to Ayodhya," expressed Shabnam Sheikh, a self-proclaimed Sanatani and ardent devotee of Ram. Shabnam's journey is pushed by her belief that Ram belongs to everybody irrespective of religion and sect, and discarding the stereotype that daring challenges of this sort are only the monopoly of men.

Another instance was of Batool Zehra, a first-year college student from Uri, singing a Ram bhajan in Pahari language to connect Jammu and Kashmir with Ayodhya. "I come from the Saiyyad community and Imam Hussain taught us to love our nation. People from all the communities are our brothers and sisters. Muslims must respect Hindus and Hindus must do the same. Lord Ram was supreme among human beings because of his virtues. And, he was an epitome of justice and good conduct," said Batool, as reported by ANI.

Jay Soni, a tattooist from Gujarat's Navsari city, has been offering free tattoos to people who want to ink the name of Raam on themselves. Expecting to reach 1000 tattoos by January 22, according to PTI, Soni said, "I was wondering what I could do on my part when the Ram temple comes up in Ayodhya. Since I am a tattoo artist, I decided to offer a free tattoo of Lord Ram’s name to devotees." Another tattoo artist from Nagpur, Hritik Darode had offered to tattoo the name of Ram on the hands of 1001 people, free of charge. 

While a huge part of the Hindu population gears up for the day with a number of initiatives and celebratory activities that have flooded social media, a question that persists is whether this "national festival" of the return of Ram in Ayodhya is really etched in the hearts of all Hindus alike or is a "gimmick" ahead of the general elections as some critics and the opposition parties have called it.