Religion-unrighteousness, truth-false, knowledge-ignorance. These are very heavy words. Apart from this, the young generation is diving into the world of mobile. In such a situation, a young doctor writes a novel based on these words – ‘Ahilya Ashram’. Let us tell you about the author that Dr. Kunal Das belongs to Saharsa, Bihar. He is a pediatrician by profession and works in Uttarakhand. His interest in literature increased with age and experience. He has not only expressed his feelings in Hindi stories, but has also published children’s books (Doon Tales Publications).
The picture that is created in your mind after reading ‘Ahilya Ashram’ is absolutely correct. This is the story of an ashram, the fabric of which has been woven on the basis of the stories that happened around the Ram Mandir movement. Taking full advantage of imagination, the author has taken full care of the locality. The role of the movement is mentioned in the novel in the form of a story, hence the facts are no longer important.
Two constructions take place at two different places in the same time period. At one place an ashram is established and at another place a cycle mechanic builds a house and then a small mosque and starts living there. With the passage of time the population at both the places increases. The effect increases. Reputation increases. At both the places, religious banners and flags start touching the sky.
Archana Chaturvedi’s ‘Ghure Ka Hans’ is a story that delves into male exploitation.
It is a time of temple agitation and there are interesting stories of demolition of the disputed structure after several attempts. Different people have different opinions regarding the demolition. There are opinions and also differences of opinions. The story moves forward. There is a reaction to the action. The destruction at a very local level has to be avenged by attacking the ashram. An attack occurs. There are casualties on both sides. Movement is restricted at both the places and a Muslim boy named Danish gets trapped in all this. It’s a long story.
The conclusion is that Danish’s heart changes after being influenced by a sister of the ashram. Bloodshed is not the solution to any problem. During this time, the internal politics of the ashram is also going on. In which there is a tug of war regarding becoming the head. But the ashram owner’s trust rests on the adopted daughter despite all the religious monks. Who had unintentionally given the proof of being a serious and intelligent person.
Religion has been described as the most important thing in the novel. Amidst all the incidents, the author succeeds in establishing that loss-profit, life-death, success-failure are in the hands of the law. And all these are momentary. Whereas religion itself remains with you and remains as an ornament of the soul.
“Knowledge, truth and religion determine the condition and direction of our life. While both Ahilya Ashram and Javed’s locality were satisfied with their respective religion and knowledge, the collapse of the disputed structure changed the truth of both the parties.”
While going through the novel, one realizes that the author wants to say something new regarding knowledge, truth and religion. Something experimental, away from the established conventions. The novel itself begins with this sentence – “What is ignorance?”
“…Ignorance is emptiness, gravity is the feeling of inferiority. The worst thing is when a person makes friends with this feeling and compromises with it. As long as man is busy struggling to fill this void, he is mentally alive.”
The very next paragraph is-
“What is religion?”
“There is a principle that tells what to do and how to do it. Religion is the art of living which frees you from the fear of death. Religion says that if I follow this path, I will be with you even after death. This is exactly the same as when a mother sends her child to school after convincing her that she will be found standing here when she returns. But this does not mean that religion is an illusion. Religion is the truth, it is the path, but the destination may be an illusion.”
Religion is truth but destination is illusion…
The next question is – “What is truth?”
Answering this, the author goes into some detail. “Truth is an illusion, it is true only as long as there is a majority, there is a perception. Demons, ghosts will eat, gods will save, it is true for the child, but not for us… If Ram is true for us then it is an issue for someone else. Now both are false if you ask a Muslim. That is why truth is a concept told to us on which we believe. Everything that is true today may be a lie tomorrow.”
After these three important questions and answers, another question arises – “If in a critical situation one has to choose one among the three?”
“Religion. Life-death, loss-gain, all are momentary. Religion itself remains with you as an ornament of the soul.”
Consistency has the greatest impact on values. This form of sociality is established under the pretext of Ashram. By being in the company of good people you absorb good thoughts and by being in the company of bad people you get bad thoughts.
If you have any image of the Ram Mandir movement in your memory, even if it is imaginary, you will remember it again while going through this novel. However, some mistakes in the proof hamper readability. Now that Ramlala has been consecrated in the Ram temple, going through this novel will be like going through memories.
Book: Ahilya Ashram
Author: Kunal Das
Publisher: Nationpress.com
Price: Rs 299
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Tags: Ayodhya, Ayodhya ram temple, Books, hindi literature, Literature, Ram Mandir
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 4, 2024, 12:59 IST