These colors represent the colors in our national flag, our national pride. Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends.
They do represent the two major communities, the Hindus and the Muslims. But is it just the religions, that it should represent. Do we want our future generations to remember it that way forgetting the real meaning that it had? Do we want to give them gory, dark and blood splashed memories? It is our choice to make. It is a sacred land for both the communities. Do blood and dead bodies make something sacred? How could a place of worship me more important than humanity? There are questions that need to be answered.
How it all started?
AYODHYA –EPICENTRE OF COMMUNAL CRISIS.
AYODHYA –EPICENTRE OF COMMUNAL CRISIS.
The Ram Mandir was built in 11th century. In early 1940s it was also called as Masjid-i-janmisthan.
1528-THE BABRI MASJID WAS BUILT ON THE SITE OF THE “RAMJANMA-BHOOMI” UNDER THE ORDERS OF THE MUGHAL EMPORER BABAR.
1853- THE FIRST RECORDED INCIDENCE OF COMMUNAL VIOLENCE AT THE SITE
1859-THE BRITISH ADMINSTRATION ERRECTED FENCES TO SEPARATE THE PLACES OF WORSHIP,i.e INNER COURT FOR THE MUSLIMS AND THE OUTER COURT FOR THE HINDUS.
1949-THE IDOLS OF LORD RAM WERE PLACED INSIDE THE MOSQUE.BOTH PARTIES HINDUS AND MUSLIMS FILED CIVIL SUITS .THEN GOVT. DECLARES THIS PLACE TO BE OF DISPUTE AND LOCKED DWN THE GATES.
1984-A HINNDU COMMITTEE HEADED BY THE VHP PLEDGED TO “liberate” THE RAMJANMA-BHOOMI.
1986-THE DISTRICT COURT OPENED THE GATES FOR THE HINDU WORSHIPPERS , MUSLIMS OPPOSED TO THIS BY SETTING UP “BABRI MASJID
ACTION COMMITTEE”.
1989- VHP STEPS UP ITS CAMPAIGN BY PROPOSING BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF TEMPLE BESIDE THE MOSQUE.
1992- DECEMBER 6TH……….”THE DEMOLITION OCCURS”………………….
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| The demolition in progress! |
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| People "rejoicing" the demolition. |
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| This mob could have been stopped. |
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| Demolition that made history in blood. |
History speaks
Religion has been a fleeting definition since ages. One face of it has been controversy and this face is most common in India (offense intended). There has been much of mud slinging between two major religious communities in India which dates back to decades of chaos and tragedies. A common man has nothing to do with hardcore religious fanaticism, but, nevertheless his life is much affected by it. As two of God’s own children- Muslims and Hindus await the verdict that promises to have something to do with their religious pride, lets flash back a bit to remember those incidents that are somehow related to the issue under verdict.
Dec 6th, 1992 was to become an epic date in the history of religious India. A Hindu community led by the three right wing religious organizations had been demanding the building of a temple in the disputed premises of the Babri Masjid (till then just a site of pilgrimage and tourism). There were fervent meetings and speeches. The demand was growing thicker and boggling. A court order was passed as a prevention to ban the demolition of the Babri Masjid, nevertheless a place of religious sentiments. Everybody agreed to abide by the court ruling, thus bringing hope to the common man who thinks the issue has been buried. It was agreed a mosque and a temple would co-exist in the same premises. At this time the leaders of the major organization call for all Hindus to come to Ayodhya to partake in ceremonial worshiping. There was a huge gathering of over 2lacs of people coming from different parts of India. Preplanned as it appears, suddenly the crowd goes berserk and barged into the premises breaking down the police cordon. As live spectators shared later the police acted as a mere observer to the whole incident that followed. Armed with hammers and other equipments the crowd razed down the mosque to the ground. Three domes of the historic structure, which would otherwise have been national treasures, were destroyed beyond repair.
Backlash:
Just like a fire in the forest never goes out without smoke, an incident of such magnitude doesn’t escape the backlash.
Dec 6, 1992 was black lettered for religious turmoil. The backlash of the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a sequence of bloodbaths:
The immediate repercussions of the demolition of the Babri Masjid were riots in various parts of India. About 2000 people lost their lives to meaningless confrontations. The streets were splayed with blood and hatred ruled. India dipped into depths of uncivilized barbarism.
12th March, 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai can be called the retaliation of the immediate communal riots that followed the demolition. These blasts shook the nation and led the sentiments of the people into a state of shock and despair. More than 300 people are said to loose their life.
Years later, in 2002, history was to repeat itself. VHP, a known organization, called for a new movement to start the construction of a temple at the Ramjanma-bhoomi site at Ayodhya to mark the 10th anniversary of the Masjid demolition in 1992.
While returning from the gathering, 58 ‘Kar Sevaks’ were burnt alive within train coaches of Sabarmati at Godhra on 27th feb, 2002.
This carnage was followed by the Gujrat riots which led to a massive death toll of 1044 including Hindus and Muslims. But, unofficial estimates count more than 2000 deaths.
And What Followed For Years?
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| Godhra Riots, |
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| Vehicles being burnt down in Godhra. |
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| Mangalore Riots! |
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| After math of the Mumbai Blasts |
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| Vultures feeding on the human bodies. Scene after the riots in Mumbai. |
Some videos of the ill-fated event:
18 yrs of speculations coming to an end on 30th September, 2010 when the verdict of the Ayodhya issue is to be passed.
On the cool winter morning of December 6th 1992, a mob just trashed down the Babrii Masjid into dust claiming that it was built over a temple marking the “RAM JANMA –BHOOMI”. Liberhan’s committee was setup on December 16th 1992 and it took a hefty sum of 8 crores,48 extensions and 17 yrs of delay the report was submitted by retd. High Court Judge M.S.Liberhan to the P.M of India Dr.Manmohan Singh on 30th June 2009.It brought forward many a names of the Indian political circles.
Then the whole issue was up to the Supreme Court to pass its judgment. But Supreme Court paved the way for the Lucknow Bench (consisting of 3 members, 2hindu and a Muslim)of the Allahabad High Court to pass the verdict on the Ayodhya issue. The verdict was scheduled for 24th September but later it was shifted to 30th September.
The Govt. of India has put up massive steps to curb any backlash to whatever the verdict may be. The whole country is eager and also on a high alert. Security Agencies are on a vigil.
We all keeping our fingers crossed and waiting for the verdict……….
“HOPE INDIA AND INDIANS HAVE LEARN A LESSON FROM THEIR OWN MISTAKES IN THE PAST AND THEY WOULD NOT REPEAT THEM AGAIN………………………..AND TOGETHER PLEDGE TO TAKE THE PATH OF PEACE, HARMONY AND DEVELOPMENT"
The Verdict
The much awaited Ayodhya verdict is out. As expected the court has tiptoed along an in-between line. According to the verdict the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid area is to be been divided into three parts and each divided among the litigants.
The honorable bench has ruled as follows:
The ownership of the disputed land has been divided into three parts. The site of Ramlala idol to Ram Janmabhumi Trust. Nimrohi Akhara gets Sita rasoi and Ram chabutara. The Sunni Wakf board gets the rest. Status Quo, to be maintained for three months.
The thing to be observed is whether the litigants agree to the verdict as promised by them earlier or they appeal against it. Especially when, 2/3rd of the property goes to Hindu organizations. Also, why the court has passed a status quo for 3 months and why not a decision to the immediate effect? There is too much to debate and too much to boil. After all, nothing goes down well so easily when multiple interests are considered.
Nevertheless, the whole country is being observant about the outcome of the verdict. As trouble makers are being put under the scanner and trouble areas being fortified with anti-riot forces the question is will a common man continue to lead a normal life or a disrupted one? It still is a question time shall answer.
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