Journey of my De-Macaulisation
How Somnath Temple sowed the seeds of my Sanghanfication
I am not Ashamed to admit ,I was quite a Macaulay putri in School and college,extending up to reign of PVNR .This is how majority of middle class families,who enrolled their children in convent schools were. Indira Gandhi was worshipped,Nehruvian secularism was held aloft. My school Sophia Girls School Meerut was an excellent Institution. It opened my mind as a student and prevented my total brainwashing into a Macaulay putri. The School was an aspirational escape for small town families-it opened international vistas for us,we had socials and fetes,got introduced to Beatles,ABBA,Carpenters,Love story was a cult. But being great institutions of learning we were exposed to our Indian roots,classical music,dances were respected and annual functions and sports days saw us learning Folk songs and dances .
The Library was a treasure house and it had a great collection of Hindi books. We were encouraged to read Hindi classics . In my 9 class I got my hands on ‘Jai Somnath’ by Kanhaiya Lal Manik Lal Munshi -KM Munshi as he is known. We were allowed to take 3 books for vacations and I took Jai Somnath and Lopa Mudra.
Jai Somnath shook me deeply. I realised the history we were taught was deficient . The book was fascinating,the scene describing the pujari doing Arti till the moment his head was chopped off was etched in my memory.
The times were not politically correct- we could ask about Somnath in history class and be told that yes, it was destroyed by Ghazni,who was not glorified and told how it was rebuilt. We were taught by our teachers that yes,we had a great culture .
Somewhere the pain of Somnath and the destruction of my civilisation stayed embedded in my consciousness .
Then life moved on,I was comfortable in my macaulayan world of middle class smugness and reverence of the Gandhi dynasty, 1984 was explained off by Rajiv Gandhi,Shah Bano case did not impact us as the young Rajiv showed us teens international dreams which we aspired for. He was assassinated and I lost interest in politics. Liberalisation bought us closer to our Macaulay dreams of international standards.
Then one fine morning in dec,we woke up to the news of Babri Mandir demolition . I had married and was mother of a baby girl. Didn’t we cringe in shame in our macaulayan etopia? The first time I really heard about Ram mandir was after Babri masjid demolition-before that it was some vague movement being carried out by vague people who we felt were shaming India. I remember the talks being of building a school,hospital,building both a mandir and a mosque and throw a church in too-in our etopia of Nehruvian secularism. I remember arguing with a mandir supporter that Ram would have never fought for a Mandir,did he not give up his kingdom?
Slowly life moved on and Ram mandir issue kept in my periphery. Slowly I began to know more about Ayodhaya and Ram mandir and began changing my view.
Then one fine day my husband got posted to Porbunder. I visited him as it was a non family station. People told me that Somnath Temple was a couple of hours away.
My School girl dream of visiting Somnath resurfaced. The hidden pain at its destruction came alive again. I dressed up in a Sari,much to the surprise of everyone.But it was a destination I had waited decades to visit and I would as a true devotee.
The whole way I kept on wondering how my Hindu ancestors would have felt at repeated invasions,some would have been converted,some killed,some would have hidden themselves.
Somnath temple is OverWhelming. I just cried on seeing its Magnificence. Then I realised the vision of KM Munshi and Sardar Patel. Rebuilding the temple healed generational wounds of Hindu psyche. A feeling of pride replaced that of wretchedness and pain a Hindu goes through visiting demolished cities and monuments and temples.
Then the feeling came -if Somnath can be rebuilt so can Ram Mandir.
Yes, For civilisational healing and for re energising Hinduism we have to get back Ram Mandir
Ram Mandir needs to be built to heal divisions in society .
Seeing a grand Somnath temple, one feels that finally Ghazni was defeated, the Temple stands testimony to that .
Imagine what rebuilding Ram Mandir can do for National pride and future Generations.
From the precincts of Somnath my Sanghanfication started.
Yes -Mandir Wahin Banayege !
Without blood shed!
Without resentment!
But with a Dharmic conviction-
Ram Mandir will stand where it did for Yugs
Today I feel a sense of spiritual upliftment that Ram Mandir is being built .
Ram entered my soul and made me realise the greatness of my Dharma
Jai Sri Ram
Such a movie article.
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