Ayodhya Temple Trust Secy Champat Rai on Jan. 22 Schedule: “Ram Ka Kaam Hai, Ismein Kya Thakna”
Champat Rai isn’t exhausted despite a demanding schedule, consecutive VVIP visits—including that of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—managing close to a thousand phone calls, and keeping an eye on the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
“Ish kya thakna, ram ka kaam hai?” (Fatigue is not present. Rai, the vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, said, “It’s all in the name of Lord Ram”)” as he arrived back at his office, “Bharat Kuti,” in Karsewak Puram, Ayodhya, on Tuesday night.
While speaking with News18 in the evening, Rai had his first meal of “one puri and “sabji,” since he was preoccupied with the CM’s visit to assess the work that needed to be done before the Pran Pratishtha on January 22.
One of the “most satisfying moments of his life” according to Rai is the building of Ram Temple. It fulfills a desire of mine. It’s pleasant to see the Ram temple being constructed day by day,” he told News18.
“Our feeling is possibly the same we experienced on August 15, 1947,” Rai remarked, drawing a comparison to the day India earned independence.
The course of activities on January 22
According to Rai, who shared the schedule of activities for January 22, the Ram Temple’s Pran Pratishtha ritual will begin at 12:20 p.m. On the festival of Makar Sakranti, people are asked to visit their neighboring temple and thoroughly clean it. It is recommended that they setup either LED or TV displays. The temple will get a live broadcast of the whole event. In celebration of Lord Ram’s 500-year return, people have to conduct kirtans and bhajans at the temple and give out prasad, according to Rai.
The trust’s members have started distributing the holy “akshat,” which is rice and grains combined with ghee and turmeric, across Uttar Pradesh, and they plan to do so till January 15 (Makar Sakranti). At the inauguration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to be joined by around 7,000 visitors from both India and beyond. Ayodhya is anticipated to receive more than one lakh pilgrims.
“WELCOME, GOOD GUESTS.”
Rai also advised Ayodhya residents to greet visiting visitors with humility.
It is recommended that Ayodhyawasis provide a warm welcome to guests and visitors. People are asked to avoid overcharging in order to provide a more equitable image of Ayodhya. It is urged that autorickshaws, motels, dharamshalas, and public transportation providers price fairly,” Rai said.
It’s a unique occasion since Ram Lalla will become the “virajman” of Ayodhya over 500 years after his birth. In actuality, January 22, 2024 would be Diwali as that is the day when the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram at the temple is scheduled to take place,” he said.
A TEACHER OF CHEMISTRY TO RAM TEMPLE CRUSADER
It was not an easy transition for Rai to become a Ram temple campaigner from a chemistry instructor.
Rai was born in 1946 into the family of Rameshwar Prasad Bansal, who lived in Mohalla Saraimer in Nagina tehsil in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. At an early age, Rai started to connect with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Following his graduation, he was appointed as a chemistry lecturer at Ashram Degree College in Dhampur.
Rai was imprisoned in 1977 during the Emergency in connection with the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign. A representative of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust said, “He was tortured and moved to different districts during his eighteen months in jail.” “I believe that the 18 months really transformed him. He changed, becoming even more determined after he came out. Those eighteen months hardened him up, not broke him. He recovered quickly after being freed, setting out once again to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.”
In 1980, Rai became a member of the VHP and carried on her social activities.
“A man who has dedicated his life to the cause of the Ram temple for 35 years, while staying away from the limelight,” is how many who know Rai characterize him.
