A new dawn and a homecoming

Ayodhya The announcement that the SC will pronounce its verdict in the Ayodhya case sent the country into a tizzy on Friday more so in the communally sensitive town Security was tightened additional troops were deployed and political leaders across the spectrummdashirrespective of their political allegiancesmdashurged citizens to respect the apex courts decisionRoads in and out of Ayodhya on Saturday morning were barricaded with heavy checking of all vehicles taking place at every stop Everything has been calm since the morning but we have been checking all the vehicles before allowing them to enter Ayodhya says PSI Ashish Kumar Pandey manning a checkpoint on the highway just before the townAn aura of tranquillity seemed to engulf the townmdasha known hotspot for communal tension since the 19th century There were barely any people on the roads but as news of the verdict spread and the day progressed people began opening their shops and getting back to business There was no extravagant celebratory display neither were there any fireworks or dhols It seemed like Ayodhya in all its glory was satisfied with the final judgmentSpeaking with midday outside the Hanumangarhi temple a renowned and revered spot for many devotees visiting Ayodhya 60yearold Ram Chandra Dwivedi who works as a private school teacher dismisses the possibility of violence Everything has been shaant since last night he says adding that he also shares Lord Rams birthday There is a lot of police in and around the town but there is nothing to worry about We the people irrespective of our religion have accepted the judgment of the SC wholeheartedly The mandir should have been built here a long time back but it had been stalled due to certain political forces at work Finally Ram has come homeGround zeroPrayaglal Pandey centre a priest who inherited his family temple located a stone throws away from the path leading to Janmabhoomi says he is glad that the Ram Mandir will finally be built at the siteSecurity thickens as I make my way towards Ram Janmabhoomi from the periphery of Ayodhya A total of four police barricades are set up on the narrow winding lane that leads to the spot with police officials frisking devotees at each and every barricade The first barricade is where visitors have to submit their mobile phones bags and watches in lockers Only walletspurses and jewellery are allowedThe path from the first barricade to the spot of Janmabhoomi becomes narrower with each step until one reaches the final checkpoint Here on the path is surrounded by a cage that is consistent on all three sides flanked by the razed remains of the Babri Masjid which is still clearly visible At the end of what can be termed as Ayodhyas very own yellow brick road lies the temple at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi Devotees are not allowed inside and have to pray from the path while a priest sitting on the other side of the cage hands out prasad Behind him is the temple adorned with yellow and orange flowers with an idol of Ram in the centre A lone peacock can be seen wandering the ground around the templeAshok Kumar Upadhyay the priest sitting right outside the temple handing out prasad to devotees says Ram Lalla was born here and today is his homecoming The judgment that was passed today was inevitable this is his birthplace after allBut the security measures meant that there werent as many devotees as a normal dayThe number of people that have come to visit Janmabhoomi today is negligible says Hemant Mishra who owns the locker area He charges a nominal R5 per locker which can accommodate a bag a phone and a wristwatch Usually there are around 5000 to 6000 people here every day but today there are barely a thousand And its already 3 pm When people dont come for darshan it is obvious that business will be hurt We are dependent on devotees He added that the reason for a low turnout today was the fact that a lot of the roads leading in and out of Ayodhya had been barricadedInside KarsevakpuramAbout 2 km away from the site is an entire neighbourhood dedicated to the VHP and other saffron outfits It is called Karsevakpuram Throughout the day on Saturday multiple stages hosting debates of news channels are simultaneously taking place Most of them are fronted by sadhus and mahantsPeople across the country along with all the Hindus in the world have had their eyes on the judgment and have been waiting in eager anticipation says Sharad Sharma a wellknown VHP heavyweight in Ayodhya The verdict is viewed by us as the wholesome truth When it comes to the fiveacre land on which the mosque has to be built I would like to say that this is something that should be left to the courts and the governmentI was therePrayaglal Pandey 65 a priest who inherited his family temple located a stone throws away from the path leading to Janmabhoomi recalls what went down on December 6 1992 when thousands of kar sevaks razed the Babri Masjid At around 9 am which is the time for darshan some people in civil clothes were apprehended by the authorities who found after some investigation that they had firearms on them I was outside Janmabhoomi at the time Things soon escalated and the violence eruptedHeavy security was deployed in Ayodhya on SaturdayPandey also shares some mythological tidbits According to him Prayagraj Maharaj and the black horse that he used to ride both became white after taking a dip in the Saryu river that runs through Ayodhya Speaking of the SC verdict he says Nothing has changed here Thousands of Ram bhakts used to flock here to see the birthplace and this still happens This ground is that of the Hindus We all want Ram Mandir to be built hereNot satisfiedNot everyones happy with the unanimous verdict delivered by the SC though Dr Asma Zehra a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board tells midday This is not the decision we expected We are not satisfied with the judgment because this dispute was a title suit and we were expecting the court to deliver the judgment based on the evidence that we had submitted There is a discussion going on currently for a review petition with regards to todays judgment It is not finalised yetAsked what the sentiment in the Board was like she says The sentiment is for the public The Board has a legal committee which is doing its job of exploring legal options But since the verdict was unanimous the possibility of a review leading to a different outcome is bleak The communitys sentiment has been hurt but we are appealing to everyone to exercise restraint and be patient We must not resort to anything that could disturb the communal harmony Instead lets explore possibilities within the constitutional frameworkAsked what would have been the best possible outcome for all parties involved she says When we go to the court we expect it to tell us either of two things that this land is either yours or it isnt I fail to understand whether the land really belongs to the Muslims or the Hindus Yes it has been given to the Hindus but whose land was it That is the dilemma that still existsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates