I was in 10th grade when the first Kar Seva happened. Our place is close to Ayodhya on the other side of Sarayu. About a couple dozen Kar Sevaks who had come from different places - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, some from Western UP - lived for days at my parents home. Like many Hindu families who were hosting unknown Kar Sevaks who were stranded because Mulayam govt had shut down everything.
My school, like all schools, was made into a temporary prison by UP police. They would catch and put any incoming Kar Sevaks there. My mother and grandmother like other ladies of the neighborhood would every day cook in large quantities for sending the food there. For several days.
There was police curfew / 144. People could not walk together. I and a friend of mine would go to a shopkeeper’s house, through back-alleys to buy rice, veggies, oil etc. There were continuous Rama Keertanas which could be heard everywhere. From homes, deserted bus and railway stations, and in those temporary prisons.
No newspapers were delivered. Electricity was shut down too so no TV either. All of us, family along with Kar Sevaks, would gather around radio transistor to hear the news. Back then BBC or Voice of America stations were considered more trust worthy to know what was going on.
Some Kar Sevaks would run away from prisons at night. Some staying at our place also would leave determined to go to Ayodhya. Roads were closed. Boatmen could carry them across Sarayu and drop in the outskirt villages from where they could walk to Ayodhya. Locals Kar Sevaks would guide them then come back for next batch. My older cousin was one of them.
I remember one batch from our home left at night. We didn’t have much rations at home - my mom cooked Halwa for them and sent them off by applying Tilak to them with prayers. They spoke broken Hindi.
3O Oct and 2 Nov killings happened, I remember the outrage, sadness, loss. I have kept the Swatantra Bharat of that day.
Today has become a reality because of bravery and sacrifice of countless known and unknown Hindus. It was a freedom movement.
सियापति रामचन्द्र की जय.
In the summer of next year came the elections. I was not of voting age yet, but I devoted two months campaigning for BJP. Parents used to scold me for neglecting studies. It was crazy times.
Sticking banners and posters and wall writings. The BJP candidate had also arranged for a few jeeps with loud speakers. I used to go around in one of them, touring the villages whole day, along with 2/3 other workers, playing songs and slogans. I still remember those Awadhi songs. I used to be reasonably good at speaking and used to enjoy giving speeches to small gathering of villagers. :-)
In our Lok Sabha seat Congress had always been formidable - even VP Singh wave could not defeat Congress here. But we made BJP’s Brijabhushan Sharan Singh win in that election. All for RJB. All for this day that is realized today.