The newly built magnificent temple, after 500 years history of conflict , have become the great symbol of unification of our faith, culture , civilization and now triumphant journey.
Ram and Ramayan appeal to the lowest common denominator of our people irrespective of caste,color,region and language. It is the Nervous system of the land,reaching everywhere ,sensing everyone.Ram is smell everyone recognises,Ram is sound ,everyone loves to hear and Ram is sight,etched so ever.
But my mind is remembering my dear friend, Late Ketan - Ketan Mehta from Valsad , Gujarat. He was my batchmate during MBBS and MS, starting from the year of admission,1974. During first few years, we did not have much interaction . He had taken a drop in the final exam of ours in 1978 .
He would ,now,appear six months later. He contacted me for study and clinical guidance . Many a evenings ,we spent together in medical and surgical wards ," purcussing " each other's knowledge. It was followed by tea and savoury in the swanky restaurants of the city. Being born with silver spoon in mouth,he introduced me to the fineries of gourmet dining and polished living.
After his completion of PG and two year fellowship in urology,He started his surgical practice at Surat in 1987,practising as Urologist . We had become family friends , attended each other 's family ceremonies .
December, 1992,there was fall of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya . Idols of Ram lalla were shifted to the makeshift tents and whole area was cordoned off with multiple layers of security. Stalemate over this situation prevailed due to multitude of litigation and political turmoil.
In 1998. There was a conference at Lucknow .My wife and I planned to attend. Lucknow is her janmabhoomi and my reward of good " karma" bhoomi. Ketan eagerly joined us .
After the conference, Ketan expressed his desire to go to Ayodhya for Ram lalla darshan. Not very enthusiastic ,I accompanied him. My leanings are more towards spiritualistic than ritualistic. We went by taxi to Ayodhya ( 127 km) via Faizabad. .
BY the time we reached ,it was evening time. The whole town looked like big garrison with multiple checkposts .
We went to the camp site for Ram lalla darshan, but it was closed for the day. There were many security personnel guarding the whole area.
We requested security persons for the entry but they refused and we were told that it will not be possible and all activities here are monitored directly from the center, Home department ,Delhi. It was okay for me but Ketan was not the person to take No , easily. So he insisted to have darshan and asked the security person to talk to their seniors ,telling them that the ex- surgeons of government hospital from Gujarat ,were here and; and they are insisting on Darshan .The lower rank talked to the higher one and the higher one ,still higher.
After waiting for 45 minutes, there was a green signal, to my utter disbelief. We walked almost a kilometre of barricaded corridor, and reached to the site where idols of Ram lalla were installed . By the time, we reached, there was Aarti time . We had a a great darshan of Ramlalla in a tent,with melodious sounds of Aarti going on with the twilight sky and it was out of the world feelings ,. we ,being only bhakts along with pujari.
It was goosebump ,surreal moment ,and it still is. Surely, the similar moment occurred in the recent Pran Prathishta ceremony for millions of people when the heart of a newly installed idol was touched with a golden rod , with priests chanting shlokas for invocation of ' life'.
We returned back to Lucknow the same night with a once in a lifetime experience. I was wondering whether we could have had the darshan if Ketan had not insisted and persisted .
This is my humble remembrance and homage to the departed soul of my friend- Ketan.Jai Shri Ram .
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