Cycling, skating, and even walking! People from all over the nation and all religions are traveling great distances in the bitter weather to the temple town of Ayodhya in advance of the consecration event on January 22.
They said they want to be a part of the historic day and want to send out a message of love and unity, driven by their faith in Lord Ram and carried through by the strong religious spirit in the nation.
Nitish Kumar, who lives in the Madhepura district of Bihar, rode his bike more than 600 kilometers to get to Ayodhya.
“It took me seven days to cover 615 kilometres from Bihar to Ayodhya. I have reached today. I was carrying a sleeping bag and some essentials with me on my cycle only to help me take some breaks on the way. I had decided to do this when the Supreme Court verdict came, I was still in school then,” the 21-year-old told PTI.
“I will come next time with my family. We are a strong believer in Lord Ram. They will also be celebrating on January 22 but I wanted to be part of this historic day in Ayodhya,” he added.
Four flags… a tricolour and three saffron flags with pictures and the words ‘Jai Shree Ram’ decorate Kumar’s bicycle.
One of the invitees for the consecration event is Soni Chaurasia, who holds the Guinness Book record for the “longest dance marathon” (124 hours). She is currently skating from Varanasi to Ayodhya.
“I left from Varanasi on January 17 and will reach on January 22. I have skated this long before too but the weather right now is a challenge. The entire journey is 228 kilometres. I am being accompanied by my coach and doctor who will follow me on a motorbike,” Chaurasia told PTI.
Himanshu Soni, who is just 10-year-old, set out for Ayodhya on skates from Rajasthan’s Kotputhli on January 16 is aiming to cover a distance of 704 kilometre.
“My family is a believer in Lord Ram and when we looked around, the atmosphere is no less than Diwali right now. I wanted to be in Aydohya on the day of the consecration ceremony and what better way to reach there other than pursuing my talent,” Soni said.
With the intention of promoting harmony between Hindus and Muslims, Shabnam Shaikh is walking from Mumbai to Ayodhya.
“The total journey is over 1,400 kilometres. I walk around 60 kilometres a day and take multiple breaks. Being a girl, it is an obvious concern to look for a safe space to take breaks during the journey but wherever I am going I am being welcomed by people,” she said.
The temple’s first section is almost finished, and on January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration ceremony.
With Agency Inputs
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