Thread by @YelgaonkarAmol

On the eve of Bhoomi Poojan of Ram Mandir, I am sharing my nostalgic moments of Ram Janmabhoomi Karseva.
Out of innumerable memories related to Ram Janmabhoomi since childhood, there are two distinct memories in my mind which I want to share with you all.
Please read the thread.

First Memory:
Babri demolition:
1. It was December 1993 and we did not have slightest of idea that Babri would be demolished in a few days when we started from Pune by train to travel to Ayodhya to perform Karseva.

2. I was in 11th standard and we were a group of 40 odd RSS and ABVP karyakartas all excited to visit Ayodhya. We had along with us bricks embossed with the word “SHREE RAM’ in Hindi to be used in the construction of Shri Ram Mandir. It was a joyous moment for all of us.

3. We left Pune on ‘Ram ticket’ (without ticket). We were singing Ram bhajans, Ramraksha, Ramcharitmanas on the way. On reaching Bhopal we got a news that police are detaining karsevaks and not allowing to go ahead. We all decided not to talk about Ram Janmabhoomi.

4. We were supposed to reach Lucknow the next day, still two days and half ahead of schedule. On the way when our train halted at Jhansi, police and para-military people raided the train and started searching.

5. When police came to know that we are group of 40 odd people, in no time they realised we were karsevaks and they asked us to get down the train and detained us in a nearby school. We all tried hard to convince them to let us go ahead till Lucknow.

6. In the meantime, someone from our group made a trunk call to RSS shakha at Pune and in an hour the local RSS people came to help rescue us. The train had already left Jhansi and there was no way we could reach Ayodhya for karseva on time.

7. We were asked by the local RSS people to return back as there was checking on the state highways too, and as lakhs of Karsevaks had reached Ayodhya already and there was no way we could be accommodated.

8. Finally, we had to return back to Pune. On our way back, we got a news that Babri was demolished. Riots erupted across the country, but we had safely reached Pune already with a promise in mind that whenever possible we all will go to Ayodhya for Karseva again.

Second Memory:
Karseva in Ayodhya:
1. It was pinching all of us that we couldn’t go for Karseva. We decided to visit Ayodhya once again, this time with our parents. Incidentally there was Adhiveshan of Bhartiya Mazdoor Singh in Varanasi in November 1993.

2. We hired three buses and left Pune. This time too we all carried bricks embossed with ‘Shree Ram’. It was a holy pilgrimage for all of us. Our first halt was at Nagpur where we visited the RSS headquarters. Next day we left for Ujjain to visit Mahakaleshwar Mandir.

3. Further we also visited Bhedaghat, Jabalpur and prayed to Narmada Mata. We left Jabalpur and reached Prayagraj and had a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

4. Finally, we left for Ayodhya from Prayagraj. We visited HanumanGarhi and Sharayu ghat. We had to book our time for the visit of Ramlalla Darshan. We went to the Ramjanmabhoomi area which was a very high security area as the Babri was demolished just a year before.

5. It was full of police personnel. We entered the disputed area where there was a makeshift Temple made and our beloved Ram Lalla was residing there. It was literally a moment of immense joy for all of us and we had tears in our eyes. I always fall short of words to express.

6. We all felt like we are at a heavenly abode and we did a Sashtang Namaskar to Lord Rama. With goosebumps and a sense of immense spiritual satisfaction, we couldn't express what we felt at that sacred place. We felt hopeful, happy and what not! It was divine!

7. Since the Babri was not demolished completely and few pillars were I actually intact, I saw Carvings or Gods and Godesses on the pillars and also a huge debris of stones and soil. Every stone was a proof that the Babri was indeed built on a demolished temple.

8. I felt a moment of anger that for 400 years, my Ram did not have his home. For hundreds of years Hindus were subject to horrible atrocities by Mughals. None of us wanted to leave the place but we had to.

9. On our way back we submitted the ‘Shree Ram’ bricks at one of the Akhadas and with mixed feelings in our mind we returned with a hope that one day my Lord Rama will get his home, one day a grand temple will be built at the right place, the birthplace of my Ram!

10. The day for which we were waiting since our childhood is finally here! It is indeed Diwali as my Ram is coming back home! Let’s us celebrate this day 5th August like Diwali. Yes, my Ram is home! I am happy to the core!
#RamMandirNationalPride
#RamMandirAyodhya
#Rammandir