No man's Land: the Ayodhya verdict

After much contemplation and amidst tight security, the Ayodhya verdict was finally announced by the Allahabad High Court on September 30, 2010 as the people of India waited with bated breath. With the majority agreeing on the decision that the 2.7 acre land will be split into 3 parts and distributed to all teh parties in dispute: the Ram Lalla idol to Ram, Nirmohi Akhara gets Sita Rasoi and Ram Chabutara, Sunni Waqf Board gets the rest.


Before the verdict was declared, the streets bore a deserted look as people preferred to stay indoors anticipating trouble. The verdict was on everyone's mind and every household was talking about the same thing. It was one of those few times when all of India concentrated on just one issue. Opinions differed to a large extent, as was expected. But speaking to those around, I got the feeling that more than deciding which religious party should win possession of the disputed land, people were more interested in getting it over with. The verdict had been postponed and shifted and delayed for way too long, with no solid results. Even if you see now, it's no ones' victory. No one won or lost. This seems like quite a fair verdict. But this also means that those not satisfied with the judgment can still appeal to the Supreme Court.


Most people I spoke to were of the opinion that instead of fighting over what was and whose land it is or whether a temple or mosque should be built, why can the land not be used for the good of everyone? Build a school or a hospital or a playground or an orphanage or old age home. Something that people can actually use for productive purposes. If the parties are so concerned about religion and God and His sentiments, then shouldn't they follow the principles, teachings and ideologies of their religion and concentrate on Humanity first?


If it were up to the people I'm pretty sure that a sensible decision would have been made. Not to say that the current verdict is not sensible. It was a much expected judgment and the judges have given a decision as best as they could.

Maybe this fight will never end. Maybe not everyone wants an end.

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This post is dedicated to Rushabh Gandhi, from his perspective.



" As I stood in the crowded room, I could hear the constant chatter around me. I didn’t have to eavesdrop to know what people were talking about. There was just one thing that was on their minds. It was her, no doubt about it. She was the center of attention this evening and she deserved it. She had come a long way. And no one knew that better than me. And my best friends.

I still remember the day, years ago, when we met at our usual place to talk about her. It had been something that had been on our minds for a very long time. But she had taken her own time to materialize even in our heads. But lately, she was all we could think or talk about. We all wanted her very badly, but we also knew that it wouldn’t be easy. Bringing her into this world would mean a lot of changes in our lives. Taking care of her would be a huge responsibility and we didn’t know if we were ready to give up so much for her. We had our own inhibitions, and it scared us. I won’t lie about it. We were young guys- of about 17-18. You couldn’t expect us to be mature and responsible at that age. Even for her.

But then, she was a dream that we had had together, and we wanted to bring her to life. We loved her even before she had existed; only because she had been a part of our lives way before she became a reality. There was nothing that would stop us from getting her.

So our minds were set. We were ready to give up our time and childish ways for her. There wasn’t anything we wanted more from life. Just her.

After a lot of contemplation, discussions, fights, and hardships- she was finally born. And she was a beauty. Nothing compared to what we felt when we saw her for the first time. She was our little girl, and we were incredibly proud of her. She was still uncertain of what she was doing there, with these unsure boys crowding around her.

But no matter how scared we might have seemed, we couldn’t have been happier. She was here! Finally! And nothing could stop us now. Seeing her for the first time-looking as beautiful as she did- brought back all our excitement. This was it! She was with us at long last and we’d take care of her with all our being.

Things were difficult at first. Not many people understood the reason why she was here. They were unsure about her intentions and her existence. She was too young, and this made people doubt her. Our families found it hard to understand why their sons had suddenly chosen to grow up so fast and take care of another responsibility, when they themselves were just kids.

But we didn’t let this put us down. We knew why she was here and that was all we needed. We wanted her like we’ve never wanted anyone before.

We kept working. We put in everything we had and could, to help her grow. We had dreamt of her for so long that now that she was here, we knew exactly what we wanted.

As time went by, she grew up to be everything we had thought of and more. People began to take notice of her wherever she went. They had to stop and take a second look. She had the power to make people think about her, and without even trying. She didn’t persuade people or convince them to notice her. They just did. Because of who she was.

And it did wonders for us as well. We weren’t just boys trying our hand at something new. We were mature men (in some way) and people took us seriously. Because of her.

Years passed and she moved out of our home and stepped into the real world. She had made a place for herself, with help from all of us, and many more people who eventually joined in to take care of her.

She’d spread her wings far and wide, and traveled to places we had never thought of. Everyone knew about her and it brought them closer to her and to us. They all wanted to be a part of her life and this just reminded us, with each passing day, that our dreams for her were becoming a reality right before our eyes.

She had come so far. It was unbelievable. It felt surreal. And yet, sitting here in this room, I knew it was real. I looked around me, and people turned to me and smiled. They were proud of me. Of all of us. Of her. The people who were in this room were all important people: family, friends and each and every person who had helped us bring her this far.

I saw people gathering around the center table. A cake stood there, untouched. The icing on the cake had just two words written on it- Happy Birthday.

She had turned five today. Five years old. Our baby was growing up, and it was an amazing feeling. My eyes welled up with unexplainable joy and I watched a man pick up the knife to cut the cake.

I felt my heart swell with immense pride. The man was the former President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, and he was here just for her.

I was out of words. I couldn’t feel anything more. She was all I had ever wanted. And more.

Happy Birthday Yuva Unstoppable… "

A Day to Remember

11th September 2010 will be a day to remember for the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, MSU. 28 senior and junior students made history as they featured in the Divya Bhaskar Anniversary edition dated 12th September 2010. While many might not cherish this day, I for one, will never forget it.

Having heard of the printing process of newspapers for years, I had never actually been witness to one. And frankly I wasn't quite thrilled about the idea.

On 11th Sep, we were invited to Divya Bhaskar Press to be a part of their 6th year anniversary celebrations. Seated at the conference table, we heard the Dy Editor Mr. Vishwajit Parekh declare that the anniversary edition of the paper would be brought out with the combined efforts of the students of FJC as well as the Divya Bhaskar team. We were the guest editors of the day and we were thrilled.

Leaving aside the fact that we weren't as involved in the process as we had thought, the printing process was the highlight of the trip.

As we were taken into the printing area, the massive machinery that covered almost the entire floor took us by surprise. Expensive and highly advanced technology was being used for an 'item' that we don't even think twice about. We pick up the papers in the morning, read it and keep it aside. And that's where the journey of the newspaper ends and no one even thinks about how it got to their doorstep in the first place.


As we watched the numerous plates being made and inserted into the printing press, we saw countless rolls of newsprint all around.

Finally the moment that most of us had been waiting for arrived.

We heard the machines roll into action..the newsprint sliding from one corner of the room to the other like a conveyor belt..the clicking of some buttons..the groan of machines..the chatter of the men in the room..all of this slowly at first..but as moments passed, the action multiplied 10 folds..the noise got louder..the orders became more hurried and frantic..we watched in rapt attention as the first newspaper fell onto the conveyor belt with a soft thud..and then, before our eyes, it began to happen..it was nothing short of a miracle...we held our breath as newspapers began to fall onto the belt with increasing speed...we watched the colours change..watched as paper after paper was being produced in a fashion that is unlike anything I had ever seen..Our hearts beat in unison..like the machines around us..

It was unbelievable..like a baby being born..having seen what the day's paper would look like on the computer screen just a few hours ago, seeing it in 'flesh' was a completely different feeling. I held the warm paper between my fingers and couldn't shake off that feeling of awe and amazement..

We walked out of the press at 1:30 am, still unsteady yet overcome by the entire experience. As we stood talking, a man came along on his bicycle, carrying the last tea container of the day.He stopped near us and poured us all a cup of tea each. And I couldn't help smiling..

With my latest cup of tea and my earliest copy of the newspaper, I walked out of the Divya Bhaskar premises.