There is tension in the air. Schools shut. Security forces deplyed in large numbers. Mass rallies seen at places. Hindus and Muslims praying fervently to their gods. Here it is..here is the D-Day or should i call it the J-Day - Judgement Day. Tomorrow, in all probability the verdict would be out on the Ayodhya issue.
Ayodhya, as we know, has been mainly in the news due to the Babri Masjid demolition and the on-going feud which has been going on since 1989 particularly after it was razed in 1992 to make place for a Ram temple by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in alliance with other Hindu Nationalist parties. It has been alleged that the spot where the mosque was constructed was actually the birth-place of Lord Rama and is therefore referred to as the "Ram Janamabhoomi."
Reading this, surely one can see how the case related to Ayodhya has been dragging on for decades altogether and yet no solution was/has been presented...but until now....Finally, people the world over would know what fate awaits Ayodhya when a verdict would be out tomorrow.
However there are a few questions which I have been asking myself and surely several other "common" people would be asking too, like, Was Ram really born on this site? Did a temple stand there before the mosque was constructed? What about archeologists claiming that a Buddhist or a Jain temple stood there and not a Ram temple as has been proclaimed?
Putting these questions aside, let us look at the basic issues related to everyday life of a common man residing in this town. Forget the mandir-masjid promise which seems ambiguous as ever, their right for basic needs, education, development goes ignored here as in many other places.
Political leaders no longer hold even an iota of appeal here. For a town of 1.5 lakh, Ayodhya has ONLY one government hospital with ONLY one physician. Patients have to go to the twin city of Faizabad if they need a gynaecologist. There is no provision for clean and safe drinking water and this town yet awaits a second degree college. Why aren't these needs being met here? The world has moved on but Ayodhya is still stuck in a ruckus over this issue since decades. There are several Ayodhya's India needs to worry about, all under-developed with their own share of problems. Instead of lookin at these issues we yet focus on something that happened eons ago, something that the very people of that very particular town are least concerned about.
India Shining, anyone? This is India in all its finery. Do we think our country, which is today the 3rd. most powerful nation and is touted to be a super-power by 2020, going to move ahead banking on its 4 metro-cities? What about all the small-towns? Can we afford to ignore their needs and development? For a country and any country for that matter, it is essential that the fruits of labour percolate down to the lowest level and reach every town and every village.
As for what needs to be built there, go forth and build a school or another degree college or another hospital, where members of both the community can learn, share and co-exist in peace and harmony. Barring a few extremists, every man on the street with a sound frame of mind would want to see a school in place of a religious place of worship which has both the communities fighting out their tooth and nail.
I would appeal to all the Hindus and Muslims though, that no matter what the decision, we MUST refrain from violence. We are all children of the same soil, singing the same songs, laughing, sharing, celebrating and enjoying the same joys. Let us give peace a chance; let peace win tomorrow.
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