As Ayodhya prepares for the final ceremony at the Ram Temple on Tuesday, the spotlight is shifting away from the VIP-heavy events held earlier. This concluding gathering, which will feature Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is expected to draw nearly 10,000 attendees.
Unlike the previous Pran Pratishtha occasions, this one is meant to highlight the “footsoldiers” who had once propelled the mandir agitation, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Organised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the event involves the hoisting of a “Dharma Dhwaj (flag)” at the temple.
The imprint of the Sangh is evident, with the RSS having spent about six months selecting the invitees, the report said.
According to those involved, the list emphasises representation from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and women, along with individuals who either participated directly in the agitation or played a role in carrying the movement to their communities, it is reported.
The report cited sources to say that the invitee list spans communities such as Kinnars, Kumhars, Lodhis, Yadavs, Dhobis, Pasis, Valmikis and Ravidas groups. ST representatives include people not only from Uttar Pradesh but also from Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Aside from two exceptions -- Jaipur-based sculptor Sartyanarayan Pandey and his family, who crafted the Pandavas and Sita idols for the first-floor Ram Darbar, and the Ram statue made of white Makrana marble -- organisers say every invitee has had some link, direct or indirect, with the RSS.
The report highlights one Anil Kumar, now in his late fifties and once the 26-year-old president of the BJP’s youth wing in Mirzapur, recalling going to jail during the 1992 movement. Though he volunteered at earlier ceremonies serving food, this time he returns as an invitee. He is among 35 people from his district, all between 50 and 60, each with some past involvement in the campaign for the temple, as per the report.
Another invitee, Mridul Shukla, today a scientist at the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, speaks of his student days when, he says, VHP functionaries picked him to lead what they described as an “Islamikaran Virodhi Sena”.
Their stated goal then, he remembers, was to stop the Mulayam Singh Yadav government from turning Ayodhya into “Mecca”, it said.
Shukla explains that after finishing his studies he began “a second life” in science and NGO work, adding that although he moved forward, “the Sangh ideology always remained close to my heart.” The start of construction in 2020 revived memories for him, and, he says, “I am glad to be here as an invitee.”
Residents of Ayodhya themselves form roughly one-third of those called, a distribution that organisers say also helps counter recurring claims that locals were excluded from earlier festivities.
As per the report, among the non-Sangh invitees is Iqbal Ansari, known for being the principal litigant from the Muslim side in the Ram Janmabhoomi legal dispute.
For some, the journey from 1992 to the present feels almost cyclical. Anil Kumar Singh, now 57 and currently the ‘Sampark Zila Pramukh’ of the RSS in Mirzapur, headed the district BJP youth wing during the agitation era.
He notes that he too served as a volunteer at the previous two events. “Life has come full circle,” he says, remembering his participation as a young kar sevak and the time he spent in jail that year. He adds that he hopes the disputes in Mathura and Kashi will also find resolution, The Indian Express reported.
From Sonbhadra’s tribal belt comes Janardan Vaiswaran, who was still an Intermediate student when he joined the movement in 1992. This time, he is among roughly 20 people from the region connected with that period. He describes receiving his invitation “over a call, then an SMS, a letter, and finally a card” from the Trust, saying, “We will treasure it always.”
Officials say around 1,600 tents, hotels and home stays have been arranged to host the roughly 10,000 invitees.