00:00But you know Shantanu this is what it looks like to be here. I last visited Ayodhya Shantanu for covering
00:07the consecration ceremony. I remember you were here as well in Ayodhya and today we are seeing it's almost like
00:15a festival before the festival, before the Pavali, the Potsav being celebrated, young girls, boys from various schools and colleges
00:24participating in this Potsav.
00:26It's a great message of cultural connect, isn't it?
00:31Exactly, Maria and I still remember in 2024 January when we all were together. I remember Professor Badri was there,
00:38Rafael Sharda Ji, Amish Tripathi and I still remember that moment when Ramlala's, we saw on a big screen that
00:45Ramlala's statue is Murta and we were all gathering the petals that were showered by the helicopter.
00:51And this, very interestingly that this, the Potsav was started way before the Ram Temple consecration as if Yogi Etanath
01:01and his whole administration was preparing Ayodhya for welcoming Rama, right?
01:05Ramandir only came in 2024. The verdict only came in 2019. But he started the Potsav with 1.7 lakh
01:11dias in 2017 itself.
01:13I remember Ayodhya was a disputed town all along that today there's a high court verdict that so much police
01:20is deployed. Today there's a supreme court verdict, so much police is deployed.
01:23From that image of Ayodhya to this image when Ayodhya itself has created almost eight Guinness Book of World Record.
01:30From 2 lakh it rose to 5 lakh, 6 lakh, 7 lakh, 27 lakhs and I heard today the target
01:35is almost 30 lakhs dias.
01:36And there is a separate mati board created. A lot of local artisan, kumars are getting benefited.
01:43So I always keep saying that with the Ram Mandir coming, with the Deepotsav coming, it's not only the Kripa
01:48of Sri Ram, it's the Kripa of Sri Lakshmi also is coming to everyone.
01:52And the whole region for tourists, for devotees, for diyas, for a lot of religious things.
01:58It's a different environment and the way these girls were and boys were responding and I was feeling almost jealous
02:04of them.
02:04They were saying that we can come anytime and this is our place. So their pride is, I think everyone's
02:10pride.
02:12You know, it's fascinating. It's fascinating to see what's happening here.
02:17You know, when you become eyewitness to events of this nature, you realise what culture and civilisation does to new
02:26generation.
02:27It gives them that rooting which is perhaps essential when you grow as individuals and in your profession, you also
02:34have that strong cultural rooting.
02:36I'm going to come to Professor Badri Narayan in just a bit, but Professor Badri Narayan, before I go to
02:42Professor Badri Narayan, a word from my colleague Samarth, who has been covering this Deepotsav for the last several years
02:48now.
02:49We will be going to Samarth in just a bit, but let me bring in Professor Badri Narayan.
02:54Professor Badri Narayan, you know, this is the 10th year of Deepotsav and it's coming just ahead of a very
03:02important election that Yogi Adityanath faces.
03:05And that's why in this speech that he has just delivered, there's a lot of political messaging.
03:11There are a lot of layers particularly to do with what Ayodhya was before 2017 to now what it has
03:20become in terms of infrastructure in particular.
03:23And those, what he says, you know, were responsible for ensuring that Ram Lalla or Lord Ram doesn't get his
03:32due.
03:33So, you know, of course, a lot of cultural, political symbolism in that speech and perhaps he has prepared the
03:42ground for the issues on which he wishes to fight the upcoming election.
03:47Maria, you are very right. Actually, the today's lecture of Adityanath was full of various messages, multiple messages.
03:56And, you know, the way he was, first of all, I would like to say when I was listening to
04:01him, it was like a katha, as a saint, a saint lecture, saint politicians, the kind of combination confided in
04:10that.
04:10And that he was giving life to the memories, like, like Jatayu Adityanath, okay, kabhi bhi ham ake raksha kar
04:18sakte.
04:18So he was giving life to the statues.
04:20And secondly, through that he wanted to give a message of social equality.
04:27Ramayana is a symbol of social equality, social combination, Samadhi-Samarashtha.
04:36That's why he said that Sabri is here, Jatayu is here, everyone is here.
04:40So everyone is assembled here and that's the meaning he wanted to communicate.
04:44And which may be useful for coming election when he has to, he is going to struggle and he is
04:50struggling to combine all the communities in the favour of Egypt.
04:56So, and secondly, he brought the memory, negative memories which were created around Ajodhya during the time of Samadhiwadi party,
05:06who is the main contestant, the contesting force in this election.
05:10So, two traditions. One is Goj who made the Rakta Ranjit Ganyoko.
05:17Another tradition of this who is celebrating these festivals here.
05:22And very rightly said by my colleagues, panelists, that these celebrations are not merely celebrations.
05:33They make the life of nations. They make the life of nations. Actually, and they also work in the economic
05:39sphere.
05:40Like this, this Diaz gave the livelihood to thousands of portals here.
05:45And also it boosts the local, the cultural tourism.
05:48So, the way BJP is working...
05:51Professor Padreen Narayan, it's interesting that Ajodhya, which has been the epicentre of politics in the state,
06:03the city around which the entire politics has revolved for years now, has also become an epicentre again.
06:11We have heard about Chadawa Chori and the entire investigation, which led to a CEO being appointed.
06:18And now what we were told by, you know, someone who is the face of the Samadhiwadi party in Ayodhya,
06:25Pavan Pandey, in Panchayat Ashtar, just a few hours ago, he said that Akhilesh Yadar will be visiting Ayodhya,
06:33will be going to Hanwagadi on 12th. The message is very, very clear that if it is about direct challenge...
06:42Remember, Akhilesh Yadar has challenged Yogi Adhithya that if he is ready to contest from Ayodhya,
06:50then he will do that. And then Yogi Adhithya accepting that challenge.
06:54And then you have someone like Pavan Pandu who has been announced as the Samadhiwadi party candidate from here.
07:00He is saying so. Of course, that may not happen, a direct contest between Yogi Adhithya and Akhilesh Yadar.
07:08But is Ayodhya really a talking point in the selection?
07:13Or will it be about the, you know, the investigation and the entire Chanda Chori issue
07:21that is something that will concern Yogi Adhithya.
07:25Shantanu, when the investigations were going on, you had been on my shows and you had said that this is
07:32something that Yogi will be responding to.
07:35And many would say that he has walked the talk in terms of setting up an investigation and as IT
07:40was set up,
07:41and within our days, arrests were made and punishment announced.
07:46But the fact is that this did upset a significant number of Rambhak who felt that their faith was betrayed.
07:57In fact, when I talked to a lot of people in Ayodhya and around, I think their version was very,
08:02very different.
08:03They said, we have seen that Yogi Adhithya was harsh on Mukhtar Ansari and Athik Ahmed and Yogi Adhithya was
08:08harsh on Chanda Chors also.
08:10And that image of Yogi Adhithya, that whoever, which sect, which gender, which religion, any criminal will come from, any
08:18mafia will come from, this will be my action.
08:20And that's why he's called Bulldozer Baba, Yogi Baba.
08:23So I think, in fact, his work on the law and order is proven further with his action on Chanda
08:30Chors.
08:31And you rightly said, Ayodhya will be at the prime of it, right?
08:34People will compare that, as Chief Minister rightly said.
08:39And I remember that day in 2024, when those shower petals were showered on us.
08:43And I saw a bank of river, Sariu was red, and juxtaposing it with the Mulaim Singh at the time,
08:50right?
08:51Sariu was red with the blood of rambugs.
08:53Sariu was again red with the shower petals showered on rambugs.
08:56People will do compare that.
08:58This Ayodhya city was almost a god for second city.
09:01Hardly people used to come here.
09:02Now, people more than Agra, people more than Taj Mel visited here.
09:06In 2024, 25, 25 crore people came here, right?
09:10During the Kumbh, crores of people come here.
09:12Almost like a cultured corridor.
09:15A cultured corridor that we are looking at.
09:18Be it Varanasi, the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, and now Ayodhya.
09:23The Ram temple being built here.
09:26It's really a grand Ram temple, which has visitors.
09:30And because of that, multiple infrastructure being set up around it.
09:34Hotels coming up.
09:35Restaurants coming up.
09:37All that is visible in Ayodhya today.
09:39As the sun goes down further and the night sets in.
09:44I'm sure you can see the visuals behind me.
09:48Diyas being lit up.
09:49Volunteers are ensuring that each and every Diyas is lit up.
09:54And efforts being made to ensure that 30 lakh Diyas, the number is reached today.
