Ram Temple: A cultural renaissance dawns upon New Bharat

The Pranprathishta of Shree Ram Lalla at Ramjanambhoomi Ayodhya is a watershed moment in Bharat’s cultural history; it is both an acknowledgment and celebration of who we are as a nation.
By Maninder Gill
Bharat as a civilizational has its distinct cultural identity. Certain beliefs and values bind us in a common thread. The spiritual allegiance to Shri Ram’s divinity is one such belief that millions of Indians hold dear. Shri Ram is the embodiment of Indian civilizational values. Be it an ideal disciple, a devoted son, a caring husband, loving elder brother and a righteous king, Lord Ram represents all. This image has been established in the hearts of millions of devotees for thousands of years.
Therefore, millions in independent India asked for a grand temple on the birthplace of Shri Ram instead of a structure commissioned by a foreign invader. But the secularist failed to answer these questions and counter-questioned the very existence of Shree Ram! It was a bigger attack on the Hindu psyche than Zaheer-ud-Din Babbar’s raising of the ancient Ram Mandir itself.
Foreign invaders are expected to strike at the root of the culture and dignity of the people they colonize, but here our deeply revered spiritual belief in Shree Ram was questioned by our own people, on the basis of colonial and leftist construct of the Indian history. The Indian culture, religion and philosophy have endured almost a millennium of hostility by those in power and yet we came out with true colours.
The 2019 Supreme Court’s judgment settled the Ram Janambhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute. The way for the construction of a grand Ram Mandir at the Ram Janambhoomi was paved. After 4 years of construction activities and the hard work of thousands of workers and artisans, the Pranprathista ceremony at Shree Ram Janambhoomi Ayodhya will be held on January 22, 2024.
The rush of emotions among the masses says it all, it is definitely more than the establishment of a temple. It is a defining movement in the cultural history of India where a suppressed nation has finally placed its existence on the pedestal of glory. It is the beginning of a new cultural and social renaissance for India, where we are not afraid to own our own beliefs and thoughts. We are increasingly becoming confident of who we are as a nation, we are embracing our identity and celebrating our glorious past.
However, the construction of Ram Mandir is by no means the decimation of secular thought in India. Secularism will continue to guide our polity because the Indian secularism was never anti-religion. The secularist thought should continue to flourish in state affairs and the “secularists” should refrain from using secularism as a tool for minority appeasement and vote bank politics. Secularism should be fairly applied in all the communities.
This brings us the question of how religious minorities should view these events. The largest religious minority has accepted the Ayodhya verdict which provides the Muslim community an alternative plot for the construction of a mosque. The Ram Mandir Trust has extended an invitation for the Pranprathista event to all the high priests of the Sikh community. Nihang Sikhs were the ones who reignited the struggle for Ram temple during the colonial era by entering the disputed structure. It is an opportunity to cement ties between all the communities by participating in the festivity and celebrations of the Hindu community that was waiting for this day from the past 500 years.
Maninder Gill is the President of Friends of Canada & India Foundation, Surrey, Canada