Ritu Jha–
Months before the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992, an Indian American medical professional, Dr. Bharat Barai, who joined the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) around 1987, visited Ayodhya to satiate his curiosity about the disputed site.
With the help of a local leader, Dr Barai told indica in an interview, he was secreted inside the disputed site where offered prayers to Ram Lalla inside the mosque.
READ: indica’s comprehensive coverage of the Ayodhya Ram Temple
On January 22, Dr Barai confessed, his burning desire to see a Ram Mandir being built at the site was finally fulfilled after three decades. He, along with his wife Panna, was the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, where he was among the thousands of devotees who turned up to witness the historic event.
Barai says he was thrilled to be part of the first few devotees to offer prayers before the Ram Lalla idol in the temple, and that he was swept up as emotions ran high as thousands thronged the temple, brought traffic to a standstill and even promised to sleep on the sidewalk to catch a glimpse of the deity early next day.
He described to indica his “unforgettable experience” as one of the 27 VHPA members invited to attend the consecration. They were among a chosen few international guests, along with 8,000 other invitees.
“I had seen this structure on July 10, 1992. I had taken the help of former VHP president, Ashok Singhal for this. I flew to Lucknow and the then MLA from Jhansi took me to this Ram Janmabhoomi structure. The MLA spoke to the pujari and he took me inside. Even then, everybody was able to go inside and perform puja. In the central dome, even in 1992, there was a Ram Lalla idol. Though photography was not allowed, the pujari took some photographs for me. I treasure those photos even today,” he said.
Barai said he and his wife Panna “felt blessed to be there on this occasion.” He said, “The real credit for this accomplishment goes to those who fought for the cause and ensured that the temple could be built. Unfortunately, former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had ordered the police to open fire on Kar Sevaks in 1990, killing many. I’m so surprised, that Yadav was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award posthumously. He was responsible for killing so many unarmed Kar Sevaks. If I had known about it, I would have opposed it.”
While the pain is palpable, the long-awaited darshan of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22 overwhelmed him and his wife who were teary-eyed, though they had to wait from morning till 5:15 pm to get their chance to go to the sanctum sanctorum and offer prayers.
“After the consecration ceremony was over, the temple authorities put the people waiting for darshan in batches. We were in the last batch, which we chose deliberately because the initial rush would be over and people wouldn’t push us around,” Barai recounted. “I felt a different energy, and vibration in the temple. It was an emotional moment. Both my wife and I cried. Several others had tears in their eyes.”
Dr Barai said the temple is “gorgeous.” He said, “Once you go near, you realize its magnificence. From the inside, it is one of the best temples in India, everything has been done exceptionally well.”
After the ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Barai and his wife emerged from the temple for an appointment at a news television channel’s office, but they could not proceed. “The area around the temple was packed with people and there was a massive traffic jam. People were singing bhajans and thousands thronged the streets. Many said they will sleep on the sidewalk and queue up at 5 am the next day for a glimpse of the idol.”
“Unable to get any transportation to the news TV channel’s office, we walked for almost 5 km to reach our destination. While returning we were again stuck without any means of transportation for over an hour. Finally, some cooperative policemen took us in their vehicle to a traffic junction where we could board our bus which had a permit to travel within Ayodhya.”
“For me, January 22 was the end of 500 years of humiliation. The Mughals, the British, and the first government of independent India stopped the Ram Temple from being rebuilt. This was one of the biggest mistakes of Jawaharlal Nehru. India is a tolerant nation where people of all religions flourish, but the invaders destroyed many temples and built mosques at those sites. Ram Janmabhoomi is a prime example of this. This injustice should have been reversed much earlier.”
He added, “The erstwhile Congress government had passed The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act in 1991 which prohibits conversion of any place of worship and ensures maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the Independence Day – August 15, 1947. This law is wrong and is being challenged in India’s courts.”
“After 1947, all the changes made by the British and Mughal rulers should have been reversed. The invaders had built a mosque over the temple in Somnath but with the help of Sardar Patel the mosque was razed and the temple was rebuilt. In the USA the statues of all those people who were involved in slavery were pulled down. In India, every person has equal rights, and the laws should not be bent to favor any one minority community. During the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya Modiji invited people from all castes. Iqbal Ansari, one of the petitioners in the main petitioners of the Ram Janmabhoomi case, was invited and he attended the ceremony and so did many Muslims, Sikhs, and Sadhus,” he added.
