Euphoria over ‘pran-pratishtha’ high in MP, girl students form human chain to create figure of Lord Ram

Bhopal: With four days left for the historic moment of the ‘pran-pratishtha’ of the idol of Lord Ram in Ayodhya on January 22, the euphoria over this auspicious occasion has become high across the country along with political heat. The excitement of the people has become very visible across Madhya Pradesh, which is also politically called the laboratory of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

. Madhya Pradesh is among those state governments who have declared a public holiday on January 22 to commemorate this significant ceremony.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has also announced a dry day in the state on January 22, issuing orders to keep all liquor and bhang outlets closed.

Apart from declaring a holiday, the state government has launched extensive cleanliness campaigns, decorative lights at government buildings, mass feasting, Ramcharit Leela and much more.

The state’s religious trusts and endowments department last week released a nine-point order to make preparations across the state. Ram Kirtan is being organised in every temple, with public cooperation and the members of the saffron party are going door-to-door to distribute ‘akchhat’ and urging people to celebrate the occasion as Diwali. The government has planned to decorate all the major temples in every part of the state and cultural events based on Lord Ram Janaki are being organised through public participation.

CM Yadav last week announced that five lakh ladoos will be dispatched from Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple to Ayodhya Ram Mandir. As per the information, as many as four lakh ladoos have already been packed and kept at Mahakaleshwar temple, and another one lakh are being put in packets to be sent to Ayodhya on Friday.

The state police have also joined the cleanliness campaign. Director General of Police Sudhir Saxena along with some senior officials took brooms in their hands as part of the cleanliness drive. The home department has declared that the ‘swachhta’ campaign would be carried out at every police station in Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, cultural events being organised in schools are also grabbing eyeballs. As part of the programs before the pran-pratishtha of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, the girl students of Maharani Lakshmi Bai Kanya Higher Secondary School in Jabalpur formed a human chain and created the figure of Lord Ram on Thursday.

–IANS