Grand launch of the iconic book on Ayodhya and the Ram Temple to take place on 3rd August
By SHRI RAM SHAW
New Delhi: In the long history of man’s endeavour to grasp the fundamental truth of being, the sages and profound thinkers of early India have helped in solving the problems of the origin, the nature and the destiny of man and the universe. Since then temple has acted as the entrance of self-realization and God.
It was a befitting culmination of about five centuries of perseverance, reverence and penance of crores of devotees when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of much-cherished Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020 at an auspicious time between 12.30 and 12.40 p.m. It was a reverential moment for the devout who had been waiting for a long time to see a grand temple of Lord Ram at his birth place of Ayodhya.
Now, the grand launch of the iconic book on Ayodhya and the Ram Mandir “The Promised Land” – A visual anatomy of human faith, written by former London correspondent of The Times of India Kounteya Sinha and a 14-year-old student from Kolkata Aashvi Agarwal will take place at Bikaner House, New Delhi on 3rd August.
The list of Guest of Honours include Aditi Rao Hydari (actor), Amitabh Kant (G20 Chief), Mary Kom (boxer), Gul Panag (actor and photographer), Sanjeev Sanyal (economist), Divya Dutta (actor), Timothy Curtis (UNESCO India representative), Bilkis Mir (Olympian Rower), Kishwar Choudhury (Masterchef Australia Sensation, Melbourne) and several other dignitaries will also grace the occasion.
The historic book, as the name itself suggests, is a series of black and white photographs that looks at the sea of human faith that inundated not just India but the world after the inauguration of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. It looks at human emotions that ensued after the temple opening and it is a documentation through beautiful photographs of the ocean of people that visited the Ram Temple in the first five months since its opening, and reflecting Ayodhya’s architecture, traditions and heritage.
Speaking exclusively with this journalist (Shri Ram Shaw), on the reason behind naming the book “The Promised Land”, Aashvi Agarwal, a 10th standard student at Kolkata’s La Martiniere For Girls school, said, “The construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya was an event of significant cultural, religious and political importance for India. For millions of Hindus across the world, the temple built in Lord Ram’s birthplace fulfils long-held religious aspirations and preserves Hindu traditions and stories. For Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to keep his word and finally build the temple and open it to devotees was one of the most significant events in Indian history. That’s why I am calling the book “The Promised Land”.
“This book does not look at the history of the land or its tryst with conflict or controversy. It is a pure representation visually – through photographs the faith of the people who visited the site in millions soon after its opening. It is a pure human story of emotion and devotion. This book inspires me to talk about how faith plays an important role in the lives of each individual and how people see it from different perspectives. The Ayodhya project gave me a chance to show the people of India the reality of believing in something at their best or their worst. According to me, Ram Temple is a true metaphor of that faith,” Aashvi added.