I N THE vast tapestry of Hindu mythology, demon Kalanemi stands out as a character of immense significance. In Demon King Ravan’s court, he was the master of cheating and deception. Kalanemi’s stand-out trick in Ramayan was his disguise of a Ram-loving Sadhu to stop Hanuman from reaching Dronagiri mountain. He did succeed for a while before Hanuman realised his true form and killed the Asur. Kalanemi’s story symbolises the illusion of control over destiny and the arrogance of people who take the divine order for granted. Many such modern Kalanemis are consumed by the same illusion in Ayodhya where the biggest symbol of Hindu faith – Shri Ram Mandir – has been rocked by allegations of corruption and embezzlement. It is a direct and heinous assault on the faith of the entire Hindu community which had put up a gallant fight for over five hundred years to get back the property where Prabhu Ram was born.

 

The grand Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is the consummation of hundreds of years of toil, setbacks, humiliation, sacrifices, resolve and legal battles into an edifice of pure faith of the Hindus. It is not merely an architectural marvel but the supreme place holding the trust and devotion of millions of Ram Bhakts. Pilferage of the huge donations made by innocent souls with full devotion for Prabhu Ram has breached the trust of Hindus. All the guilty people, however powerful and mighty they are, must be brought to the book and handed down a punishment reserved for the Asurs. The anger prevailing among the average Hindu citizens towards those allegedly involved in the embezzlement is obvious. Their affront is totally justified as the Ram Temple involves their innate religious sentiment.

 

The temple is the biggest symbol of Hindu resurgence for which people had laid down their lives. By indulging in the brutal act of filching donations amounting in crores, the perpetrators have directly attacked these people’s immense faith in Ram Lalla. Details coming from the case are pointing towards a bigger scam involving some top and Influential people. If it is true, then it will be the biggest humiliation of Hindu faith in modern history. The stakes are very high and it is for the courts (again!) to decide who has played with the Hindu sentiment with barbaric disdain. The most perplexing fact in the episode is the methodical pilferage of cash and ornaments donated by the faithful despite having a top-class security system.

 

The system was touted as the most modern by the political leadership when the Ram Mandir was dedicated to the public in a festive ceremony. That the embezzlement took place right under the nose of a dedicated activist like Champat Rai is all the more numbing. The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra was the most committed cadre during the fight to take back the property from land-grabbers. He has remained a staunch Ram Bhakt. He was a leading light in the legal battle for the birthplace of Prabhu Ram as he collected truckloads of papers and brought followers under one umbrella to instill energy into the long and arduous fight. Though Rai has resigned taking moral responsibility for the dirty episode, it does not absolve him from the case. He will have to explain in detail about things that went wrong under his chairmanship.

 

And he will have to explain to the entire Hindu community how their faith was allowed to be breached with such impunity. The donation embezzlement row is set to assume political colour given the significance of the Ram Mandir in the Indian political landscape. The movement to take back the rightful birthplace of Prabhu Shri Ram got traction decades ago due to a major political push by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Since then, the biggest symbol of Hindu faith is viewed through a political lens. It created leaders, it toppled Governments, it ended careers, and it also marked a new political divide from where faith was judged for electoral gains by each and every party. The present controversy will also be used to target the BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and ultimately Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But, these are inevitable ramifications that parties cannot escape now after linking religious beliefs with political campaigns. The issue is not limited to just one party or one religion. It is all pervading, right down to sects, sub-sects, castes, sub-castes, and creeds. The issue is about the innocent belief of the faithful who worship their Gods without any political bias.

 

The issue is about the regular breach of their trust by a handful few lured by material gains. The donations made by Ram Bhakts at Ayodhya were out of total reverence for their deity. They had done it for years to fulfill their dream of a grand Ram Temple at the rightful birthplace of the Lord. The Shri Ram Temple was built with the money contributed by countless millions of Hindus. They did not hesitate in placing faith in the people who had started the donation drives. They never questioned the integrity of those people. They only dreamt of an abode for their Ram Lalla which was forced into a makeshift tent by the roadside by collective, historic wrongs. Even after realisation of their long-cherished wish, these people put blind faith in the people who handled their donations at the Ayodhya temple. The issue, now, is about the betrayal of these millions of faithful. Now that the Kalanemis in the guise of Sadhus are set to be exposed (hopefully!), one question for the followers irrespective of their religion: Is it always essential to link devotion with donation? Of course, it is part of an individual’s belief. But then, that same belief has been shattered, again.