The entire Hindu community was overwhelmed with immense joy following the construction of a magnificent temple at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ramachandraji in Shri Kshetra Avadhpuri, and the subsequent consecration of Shri Ramlala and the ‘Dharmadhwaja’ (religious flag). A programme to honour and felicitate the brilliant minds under whose guidance this extraordinary construction project was realised was successfully conducted by the Dr Hedgewar Smarak Samiti at Maharshi Vyas Sabhagruh at Reshimbag Smruti Mandir. The event took place following a floral tribute to the statue of Bharat Mata (Mother India), and was graced by the presence of Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Dr Mohan Bhagwat, Govinddev Giri Maharaj, Suresh alias Bhaiyyaji Joshi (President, Dr Hedgewar Smarak Samiti), and Shridhar Gadge (Vice President, Dr Hedgewar Smarak Samiti).

 

“Forty years ago, when the streets and lanes of India were resounding with slogans like ‘Ram Lalla, we shall come; the temple we shall build—right there; a magnificent temple we shall build’ marking the culmination of a 500-year-long struggle for the liberation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, the entire Hindu community picturised a divine dream in their eyes and a firm conviction in their hearts that, one day, they would surely witness that golden spectacle. We are indeed fortunate to have witnessed that wondrous, golden spectacle on January 22, 2024. On that day, the entire world also witnessed an India that embodies the realization of ‘Ram in all, and Ram for all’, “ said Dr Mohan Bhagwat. “Following the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a process of transformation gained momentum across the nation. The Mughal Empire came to an end, and the arrival of the British began. However, an era of intense struggle had largely concluded. Even thereafter, a considerable period elapsed before independence was finally attained; it was a time of patient waiting.

 

The process of transformation—initiated with the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj—continued to advance ceaselessly, as India moved forward, one step at a time. The vestiges left behind by all manner of invaders invariably serve as painful reminders. Consequently, during a specific historical period, efforts were initiated to remove all such symbols. As part of this very process—addressing a site where the entire Hindu society of India felt deeply humiliated—a structure was erected at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya,” stated Bhaiyaji Joshi. “Although the Dr Hedgewar Smarak Samiti may have termed this an honour, we accept it as a sacred blessing from the revered Doctorji. While we were striving to construct a temple for Lord Shri Ram, there were individuals seated in positions of power who went so far as to submit affidavits in the Supreme Court asserting that Lord Shri Ram never existed. The Sangh taught us the virtue of endurance; it taught us to remain steadfast and immune to temptations even while enduring hardships,” asserted Govinddev Giri Maharaj. 

 

Those felicitated in the function were Nripendra Mishra, Jagdish Afale, Girish Sahastrabhojani, Jagannath Gulve, Ashish Sompura, Nikhil Sompura, Arun Yogiraj, Jai Kaktikar, Manish Tripathi, Satyanarayan Pandey, Anil Sutar, Keshav Sharma, Vinod Shukla, Rajiv Dubey, Manish Dadhich, Vinod Mehta, Ankur Jain, Rajukumar Singh, A V S Surya Srinivas, Naresh Malviya, Paresh Sompura, Nath Iyer, Sanjay Tiwari, Sharad Babu, Anil Mishra, Gopal Ji, Champatrai Ji, Govinddev Giri Maharaj, Vasudev Kamat and Ramzanbhai.