The Hindu civilization has flourished for hundreds and thousands of years. It’s natural for one to think that over the course of its existence, it’s unlikely and nigh impossible that one single day could alone alter its fate for eternity. However, even such skeptics would concede, the 6th of December, 1992 went on to change the course of the history of the Indian nation forever and is forever etched in the memory of those living.
The demolition of the Babri Masjid was a watershed moment of Indian politics.
The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party as a Pan-Indian political entity could be traced back to the Ram Janambhoomi Movement which culminated with the destruction of the symbol of tyranny at one of the holiest sites for Hindus. And everything that has transpired in Politics since then more or less has been influenced by the events that transpired on that auspicious day.
Every movement has its leaders, leaders who inspire the masses to action, leaders who carve out a special place for themselves in History with the valor of their actions and the piety of the fervour they inspire. And so does the Ram Janambhoomi Movement has its fair share leaders who contributed to its great success, some to a greater extent than others. Shri Lal Krishna Advani, one of the chief architects of the movement, organized the Rath Yatra which would ultimately peak with the demolition. The Stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party braved arrests to lead the masses that thronged to the birthplace of Shri Rama. Ashok Singhal, the then leader of the VHP, was another prominent voice in the movement. Earlier, in 1984, Ashok Singhal led the Ram Janaki Rath Yatra which demanded that the gates to the Babri Masjid be opened. Another man whose contribution to the destruction of the Masjid is perhaps less acknowledged by Hindus but is highlighted continuously by his detractors. The man, of course, is the then Prime Minister of India, PV Narsimha Rao. Most made their marks through the virtue of their actions, the late Prime Minister made his by his inaction. When the wave of Bhakti swept the masses into a fervour, PV Narsimha Rao chose to watch the events pan out from a distance and let Shakti transform the future of the nation. However, the day truly belonged to those hundreds and thousands of Ram Bhakts who stormed the Monument and razed it to the ground in a matter of hours, with hammers and tongs, quite literally.
Independent India has always been a communal tinderbox. However, the tremors that the Karsevaks created with their feet on 6th December, 1992 can still be felt today as if it were merely yesterday that the Masjid was brought down. Some call it a travesty of Justice that the Mosque was allowed to be brought down by an unruly mob of Karsevaks, some call it the entire series of events unfortunate and regrettable. Others revel in the glory of the thunderous victory that the Babri Masjid demolition epitomises. 25 years have passed since the day and yet it continues to be the most polarising issue in Indian Politics. It is one of the few issues on which Hindus have refused to be swayed by twisted arguments and appeals to sentimentality by secularists and cowered by the threat of the law. “We want a Bhavya Ram Mandir and we will build it by any means necessary,” the Hindus say, “and we shall not allow any Masjid at Ram Janambhoomi.” On the face of every assault and every argument, the commitment and devotion of Hindus have remained unwavered.
The Babri Masjid demolition started a series of events the effects of which are more than ever today. From the Karseva to Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Narendra Modi to a Saffron Clad Warrior Priest as the Chief Minister of the largest state of India, the pattern is really hard to miss. Although progressivism is a misguided lens through which to view History, the gradual march of India from a Secular State to a nation dominated by Hindutva is hard to miss. For the first time since independence, the possibility of a Hindu Rashtra seems like an inevitability rather than a forlorn fantasy. And should India be crowned a Hindu Rashtra in our lifetime or the lives of our children, it would be remembered that the long walk to Hindu Rashtra began in the year of 1992. Should the Saffron Clad Monk succeed Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Bharatvarsha, one would do well to remember that such a path was laid down with the faceless Karsevaks with their bare hands.
The tragedy of the entire situation, however, is that even after 25 years of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the foundation stone for the construction of the Grand Rama Temple hasn’t been laid. The same breed of eminent Intellectuals who prevented the peaceful resolution of the controversy decades ago are now engaging in a blatant obstruction of justice. They should take a moment to ponder the possible repurcussions of their reactions. They say in the Court of Law that the resolution of the legal dispute could threaten the communal harmony of the nation. However, they should remember that decades ago, it was the contemptible conduct of their counterparts that led to the Karseva. The only real cause for worry is the disenchantment with the legal system that might manifest among Hindus which could then lead to another Karseva.
The 6th of December also deserves a moment of solemn reflection on the lives that were lost. Muslims in Bangladesh, exhibiting solidarity with their coreligionists in India, rampaged through Hindu Temples and property and committed a series of atrocities against its minority Hindu population. Even in India, Karsevaks paid with their lives. Kothari brothers who lost their lives when the Police of opened fire on them.
The construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir at Ram Janambhoomi seems imminent and although the secular establishment is working overtime to deny Hindus this victory, there is a general feeling in the air that the time for the arrival of Shri Rama to Ayodhya has indeed come. The best case scenario for everyone involved is to allow the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and not delay it any further. Any further delay would only cause further strife and lead to a feeling of disgruntlement with the Judiciary. The decision however is a foregone conclusion. Only a Temple to Shri Ram should be built at the site, despite the shrill objections of the secular establishment and dimwitted intellectuals who can’t find any other place to build a World Class Hospital. It is only a matter of when and not if and time seems ripe.