Eternal Ayodhya

With the consecration of the Ram Temple, the city could soon be a modern terminal of faith with a tradition of social, administrative, familial and environmental responsibility as exemplified in Tulsidas’s Ramayana

- Anuradha Goel

The political dust has settled on Ayodhya. The foundation of a new India has been laid. Since December 6, 1992, the imagination of an entire generation has been subsumed by repeated conflict and resolution. The city of Ram shaped the careers of national leaders and redefined politics. It inspired a legendary yatra that politically legitimatised Hindutva and changed the country’s destiny. Thousands of pages of judgments were written. Jail sentences were awarded. It made heroes and discredited villains. Hundreds of people were killed in bombs set off by criminal fanatics in Karachi. Devotees died in police firings. All in the name of this ageless city upon the Sarayu River and hardly distinguishable from many other similar towns. But it’s now a symbol of ancient India’s reincarnation in the modern world. The next few years could see the emergence of global Ayodhya firmly rooted in its past ethos. Will it be the catalyst in making India a Vishwa Guru? It’s time to examine the future of Ayodhya, and how it will play a role in the future of India and the world.

AGENT OF CHANGE