Ayodhya:
Comparing the ‘bhoomi pujan‘ to mark the beginning of construction of a Ram temple to the day India attained independence from the British, a former vice-chancellor of a state university here said Wednesday’s ceremony will be the country’s “tryst with divinity”. “India had its ‘tryst with destiny’ on August 15, 1947 and I hope that August 5 will be Ayodhya’s and India’s tryst with divinity,” Prof Manoj Dixit, former Vice-Chancellor of the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University here, told PTI.
“The city is buzzing with colour, gaiety, enthusiasm. There is grandeur in the city this time. However, Ayodhya always knows how to keep itself in balance. We have never come across a case from Ayodhya where any Muslim has been poked at. Ayodhya is the city of ‘maryaadaa’ (dignity) which is visible as the city is also calm and moderate,” he said. Dixit also said given the COVID-19 situation, people have to be stopped if they form crowds. “Enthusiasm is right, but at the same time rationality has to be adhered to,” he said. Endorsing Dixit’s point of view, Ayodhya-based social worker Rajkumar Srivastava also said Wednesday’s ground-breaking ceremony would mark the country’s “tryst with divinity”.
“The city is feeling joyous ahead of the momentous occasion. It was tryst with destiny in August 1947 and it is going to be tryst with divinity in August 2020,” Srivastava said. “Every Ayodhya resident is celebrating this festival. There is worshipping and religious events in virtually every household of Ayodhya. It seems that Lord Ram is visiting every house in Ayodhya, and personally meeting the residents of the temple town.” Rishikesh Upadhyay, Mayor of Ayodhya told PTI that the entire stretch of road from Saket College to Hanumangarhi and Ramjanambhoomi area has been painted yellow. “The atmosphere is very good and the entire city is soaked in devotion of Lord Ram,” the mayor said.
Explaining the significance of yellow colour, Allahabad-based astrologer Ashutosh Varshney told PTI that yellow is the colour associated with Lord Ram and Lord Vishnu. “It is also the colour associated with ‘Brihaspati’ (Jupiter) the guru of the Gods. Yellow is also a colour, which is associated with divinity,” he said. Expressing happiness over the developments which have gripped the temple town, Ayodhya resident Dr Indroneel Banerjee, said, “People are happy that things are finally moving in the forward direction as far as construction of the Ram temple is concerned. The developments, which we were promised decades ago will eventually see the light of the day. There is happiness among people from different sections of the society.” According to social worker Rajneesh Singh, Deepawali has descended early this year in Ayodhya. “People have started reciting religious hymns, and the atmosphere is absolutely ecstatic. In the two-kilometre radius of Ram temple area, at least 5 lakh earthen lamps will be lit, and in the entire district there will be at least 20 lakh earthen lamps lit on that day,” he said. Singh claimed that there is not a single potter in Ayodhya who has any earthen lamps left. “We are arranging earthen lamps from Basti, Bahraich, Ambedkarnagar and adjoining districts,” he said.
PhD aspirant Saurav Mishra, another resident of the temple town, said, “The city is giving a bright yellow look, much to the excitement of residents. It is a matter of pride that we are able to see commencement of the construction of Ram temple. We are fortunate enough to see the results of the hard work of our ancestors and experience its success.” Sachin Chaurasia, a businessman said, “There is a festive atmosphere. We are only waiting for August 5.” However, another resident Anshuman Singh, a PhD aspirant, said, “There is excitement in the city as far as construction of Ram temple is concerned. But it seems that all of this is only a publicity for the party (BJP) ahead of the 2022 UP Assembly polls.” PTI
