Neena Rai

Writer/Author

What made you write 'Amazing Ayodhya'? What was the driving force?

There were many reasons that cumulatively became the driving force behind this book. The first is mentioned in the prologue. That was the starting point.

The second was my childhood and upbringing. These were reasons which affected me growing up. My father was an army officer and a diplomat, and as a young girl I travelled with him to numerous countries and places of significance: birthplace of Jesus - Bethlehem, Vatican, Blue Mosque, Wailing Wall, Egypt, Europe etc,. As I lived for many years in North Africa and the Middle East, I was exposed to numerous cultures. Another thing that struck me was the lack of controversy surrounding their holy sites. There were no long drawn TV debates about whether or not a church should be there in Bethlehem or why the Vatican should have its own military and be a country within a country. When I visited the offices of international diplomats and other important officials, I noticed various books on their history and culture, especially those describing the historical significance of their holy sites.

On the other hand, as Indians, we continue to oppose our own history and ancient civilisation. This bothered me as a young person and does so to this day. We seem to be hell bent on destroying our own beautiful heritage and denying our own roots.