It is not the sacred Kartik month of the year when people usually celebrate Diwali, still the national capital is all set to celebrate the festival of lights on 22 January to mark the much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The entire country has become Rammay, with just a day left in the consecration ceremony (Pran Pratistha) of the newly built grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
People in Delhi are going to celebrate the auspicious day in line with festivities of Diwali by lighting diyas (clay lamps) and candles, and lighting the entire neighbourhood with colourful electric lights. Furthermore, many social groups have decided to organise and attend several religious events like Sundarkand Paath, Ramlila, etc. in their locality.
Ashutosh Kumar, a resident of Dwarka, Delhi, told The Sunday Guardian that he and his family will visit the nearest temple on Monday, light diyas inside the house, and watch the live telecast of the consecration ceremony on TV. He added that he will soon visit Ayodhya along with his family to take the blessings of Lord Ram.
Pushpanjali from Karawal Nagar, said, “We’ll decorate our house and light diyas and also make Rangolis. We will celebrate Diwali on 22 January, as we are from Ayodhya itself, and I have been waiting for this moment since my childhood.”
Harish, an MA 2nd year student at JNU, said they will do “hawan” inside the JNU campus on the special day and celebrate the day like a festival. He added that Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, holds a great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for Indians.
Preety Agarwal, former Delhi Mayor and councillor from Rohini, said the entire national capital will celebrate Diwali on 22 January, and “so will I, and it’s a special day for every Ram bhakt.”
“It is such an honourable time for us and a very special occasion that is celebrated by everyone, including me and my family. So, I have planned to celebrate Diwali,” said Ms Agarwal.
She has also planned to prepare laddus of 22 kg, and going to make a replica of the Ayodhya temple outside her house with a selfie point. She will invite everyone to come to her place and light lamps and offer flowers. Then she will send those flowers to Ayodhya.
Similarly, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has announced special programmes unfolding in over 100 retail and wholesale markets. The traders, however, have collectively decided not to display any banners or flags of political parties during the festivities.
According to Brijesh Goyal, Chairman of CTI, “if the Government of India declares a national holiday on that day, then even then Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Chawri Bazaar, Khari Baoli, Kashmiri Gate, Naya Bazaar, Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Bhagirath Place, Kinari Bazaar, etc. will remain completely open.”
Goyal said that on 22 January, special programmes will be organised in more than 100 retail and wholesale markets. He will organise a Bhandara at Kashmiri Gate and Sunderkand Path at Laxmi Nagar, laddus will be distributed at Bhagirath Palace, and the gates of the market will be beautifully decorated.
The lighting of 21 thousand lamps at Sarojini Nagar Market, Chandni Chowk, and Sadar Bazaar is set to dazzle with special decorations, accompanied by a shobha yatra.
He added Diwali-like lighting in Karol Bagh, Dariba Kalan, and Naya Bazaar, saffron balloons and flags in Lajpat Nagar Market, and spectacular decorations in all the markets, including Nehru Place. Bhandara, a public religious feast, will be organised for everyone on 22 January.
Interestingly, jewellers are mulling discounts on purchases on the special day of Ram Mandir.
On the same day, a grand 51-foot statue of Lord Hanuman is also to be unveiled in Geeta Colony in Delhi. The idol of Lord Hanuman has both Lord Ram and Lakshman perched on his shoulders, making this statue unique.
Localities said that just as the 108-foot-high Lord Hanuman statue of Karol Bagh has enhanced the beauty of the place, similarly, the identity of the people of Geeta Colony will also increase with this grand statue.
The Delhi unit of the BJP told The Sunday Guardian that the BJP will celebrate the same day as ‘Ram Utsav’. BJP Delhi Chief Virendra Sachdeva said that large LED screens will be set up to attend the live broadcast of the inaugural ceremony at Ayodhya.
“Arrangements will also be made in every ward of the national capital so that devotees can visit Ayodhya’s Ram temple after the opening,” said Sachdeva.
On account of the consecration ceremony, the central government declared a half-day holiday in all its offices. “Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his Cabinet colleagues to celebrate the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony on 22 January like Diwali by lighting up diyas at their homes and also feeding the poor,” sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the consecration ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla at the Grand Ram Temple on 22 January. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on 22 January.