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00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from the issue titled 'In the Name of Ram'.
00:04 It analyses the narrative of Ayodhya.
00:07 What was, what is and where will it go from here?
00:11 What does Ram Mandir mean to an ordinary Indian?
00:15 By Kishore Desai.
00:16 Kishore Desai is a public policy and infrastructure sector professional.
00:21 It's a moment in history that shows that as a country,
00:25 we have faith in our institutions.
00:27 All preparations for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the idol of Sri Ram Lalla,
00:33 the child form of Lord Ram, are in full swing.
00:36 The term Pran Pratishtha refers to the sacred process of invoking divine consciousness into an idol
00:44 through rituals and procedures described in the ancient Vedic scriptures.
00:49 Hindus believe that after performing the rituals of consecration,
00:53 an idol is no longer an idol.
00:56 It becomes a life form of the God, fully imbibing his consciousness and divinity.
01:02 This is a momentous occasion for millions of devotees of Lord Ram,
01:07 who have been eagerly awaiting the Lord's homecoming to Ayodhya, his birthplace.
01:12 A sense of joy, excitement and happiness is palpable across the country.
01:17 The issue of Ram Mandir has occupied a pivotal position in the national discourse for years now.
01:24 Now that the dispute is settled and the grand temple is nearing its completion,
01:29 it is natural to ponder what this means for us, ordinary citizens.
01:34 Is this just another temple in a country, where as such there is no dearth of temples?
01:39 Or is it much more than that?
01:41 Honestly, these are questions where it's almost impossible to present objective arguments.
01:48 These are meant to be personal choices.
01:50 But since I have keenly followed developments pertaining to the temple,
01:54 I do have some perspectives.
01:56 In my view, this entire journey to Ram Mandir gives an interesting insight
02:02 on what India and Indians are made of - our values, virtues, beliefs and characters.
02:09 Patience and faith in the divine.
02:11 Patience and complete faith in the divine are ingrained as sacred virtues in Indian culture.
02:18 In the Ramayana, the story of Sabari illustrates this beautifully.
02:23 She had complete faith that one day she would get to serve Lord Ram himself.
02:27 She waited patiently for years, tiding her ashram, anticipating the Lord's arrival.
02:34 Her prayers finally got answered when one day, en route to Lanka,
02:40 Lord Ram visits her and showers his blessings by lovingly accepting berries half-eaten by her.
02:47 The story tells us that devotees who have complete faith in the divine
02:51 must embrace patience to receive God's blessings.
02:55 A similar story seems to have unfolded with the Ram Mandir.
03:00 The dispute, in some sense, started 500 years ago,
03:04 around the late 1520s, during the reign of Babur, the first Mughal emperor.
03:09 On this point, the Supreme Court in its November 2019 verdict notes,
03:15 "This Court is tasked with the resolution of a dispute
03:19 whose origins are as old as the idea of India itself.
03:23 The events associated with the dispute have spanned the Mughal Empire,
03:28 the colonial rule and the present constitutional regime.
03:31 More than the legal case, this is a story of patience with traits of not knowing when,
03:37 but resolute faith and devotion towards Lord Ram."
03:41 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.