So today begins our 3 day Youth Festival
in Delhi to conclude the Jago Yuva Bharat Campaign. On today’s agenda was to
visit ‘Places of Hope.’ We started by assembling at the Jama Masjid. What a
beautiful piece of architecture! The magnificence and splendour of this massive
building and it’s gates was breathtaking..
We get the privilege to be guided by one
of the members of the Jama Masjid authority who knew the history and
significance of the building and in full enthusiasm he took us around and
explained everything to us. The Jama
Masjid was built by Shah Jahan out of red sandstone and white marble in 1650 AD.
It combines Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture. It faces west, and Jama Masjid means ‘Friday
Mosque.’ We were also showed all the places where the Mosque was restored and
what the meaning of the writings on the building were.
There was also a ‘pool of nectar’ in the
center of the compound inside. People are believed to be healed of ailments and
diseases by washing the affected part of their body with water from here.
Again, like other places, the peaceful
vibe was prevalent, but here there was some kind of feeling that one could
write very beautiful, profound poetry here as well. The arches and the domes,
the writings in Urdu on the building, the combination of the white and red of
sandstone and marble of which it was made, and the subtler elements of people’s
thoughts towards God, their prayers, they way the whole place is illuminated by
the sun and just to be witness to the majesty of this structure was enough to
inspire anyone..
After this we moved on to Birla Mandir,
which was like the largest temple many of us had seen, in terms of housing the
largest number of idols of Gods and Goddesses under one roof. The temple is
dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the second in the Hindu Trinity of
Creator-Preserver-Destroyer, and his consort, Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth. It
had a look of some of the temples that you’re find in Orissa, with tall curved
towers. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1938, and is open to people of
all faiths.
The idols that were here were a true
thing of beauty.. There were so many, representative of the various Gods and
Goddesses of Hindu Mythology, and the most striking thing was that they were
sculpted with such care, so ornately decorated and with dedicated finish, truly
royal in their appearance and so pleasing to the eye. And a rare thing to see
so many of them together, shining their splendour to all those who came to
pray.
There was a hall inside, called Geeta
Bhavan, which had paintings, done very well with intricate details, depicting
scenes from Indian Mythology. There was also a temple devoted to Lord Buddha that
has fresco paintings showing his life and work. Open verandas and gardens and
some fountains flanked the back.
Unfortunately, photography was strictly
prohibited inside, which is a pity, as the whole scene is something worth
treasuring a copy of.
The next stop of the day is Bangla Sahib
Gurudwara where we were explained how things run here, especially about how Langar is prepared. Then we get a guided
tour by some of the top authorities here, and are shown where the food is
prepared and how it is done. It was very similar to that which we had seen at
the Golden Temple in Amritsar, just on not so large a scale, I guess. But the
best part was that we got to do seva
ourselves too! The whole K2K team made rotis,
which would be served later at Langar. It was a looooot of fun! So many of us
aren’t too proficient at cooking and trying to make the roti round and even was quite a task, and to watch it was
hilarious!
After this, we all went into the
Gurudwara and sat for the Kirtan,
breathed in the bhajan that was being
sung and just suspended thinking for a while.. Felt all the negativities being
cleansed.. Floated away a little bit...
The day was definitely one of Hope,
inspiration, positivity and coming together, as we visited these places of
worship. And despite each place being different, followed by different
religions, with different languages and customs, that didn’t feel like an
impediment in accepting each, learning from them and respecting them. The
intention was to acknowledge the journey we just completed, express a huge ‘thank
you’ in gratitude to the Lord for guiding us through it all and bringing us
back safely, but mostly for the journey to keep on going, throughout the
country, through the incredible people we met and interacted with, for further
positive action, and peace and harmony to blanket our country.
Sometimes things are so simple.. We just
need to slow down enough to see it and let it sink in..
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