RESEARCH: 1/5
WRITING STYLE: 2/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 2/5
If I were to decide on 5 events that have influenced modern-day India, the “Babri Masjid demolition” would certainly feature on that list.
On 6th December 1992, the structure was demolished by Karsevaks and this site has been under religious pressure since then.
To millions of Hindus in India and elsewhere, this is a sacred site and they identify it with Lord Shri Ram. To the Muslims of Ayodhya, this was a mosque where they once went for Namaaz.
Keeping in view the religious sentiments of the people and the delicate secular fabric, the Allahabad High Court pronounced an order on 30th September 2010 dividing the Ayodhya land equally between Hindu Maha Sabha, Sunni Waqf Board & Nirmohi Akhara.
I have always believed that, indeed, idols of Lord Ram, Hanuman & Sita were found inside the Babri Masjid compound; that, indeed, it was an old Ram temple, destroyed by Mir Baki Khan, Babur’s General, to build the Babri Masjid.
Ayodhya The Dark Night by Krishna Jha & Dhirendra K. Jha takes you to the night of 22nd December 1949. It is a leftist propaganda book that tries to focus on a single event that night – placing Ram idols in the Babri Masjid – which changed the course of Modern Indian History.
The authors have done minimal research and tried to hatch a conspiracy theory involving “people in power” of those times who had used the Ayodhya Sentiment for their political gains.
You will come across many famous names like Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel & Govind Ballabh Pant. You will learn about many unknown names like Abhiram Das, Gopal Visharad, Baba Raghav Das, Guru Datt Singh & Digvijay Nath.
The events have been described using first-hand accounts, Newspaper recordings & Judicial archives, without any basis.
The events of that fateful night have been covered in extensive detail, including the story of the Maulvi who was in the mosque, the guard who was on night patrol, the events inside Babri Masjid once the conspirators were inside and the events of the following morning.
Ayodhya: The Dark Night also explains in detail the events that followed. These facts will put all Indians, who believe ours’ is a secular state, to shame.
The authors write about a lone man, Akshay Brahmachari, and his fight against the Ayodhya conspiracy and to my utter surprise, I realised that I had never heard about him before. It’s true that history is written by the winners, even today.
This book is a must-read for all Indians who want to know the true events behind the Babri Masjid demolition and about other facts like –
“Who planted the Ram idol inside the Babri Masjid?”
“Who were the real conspirators?”
“What was the reason behind planting the idols?”
“The Akharas and their history”