REMEMBERING WITH GRATITUDE

The long journey of 500 odd years, the struggle, the fight for dignity is finally coming to rest and a jubiliant mood is setting in. In two days, on 5 Aug 2020, Ram janma bhoomi pujan will be done by PM Narendra Modi.

With so many events down the line, numerous people involved, countless sacrifices, the right to build a temple at the birth place of Lord Sri Ram has been restored. At this time, we are giving some a fair share, by acknowledging their participation; but some worthy ones are being totally forgotten, it is for those forgotten ones that I wished to write.

Let us go back some seventy years and see a great hero hidden there who played an unforgettable role in reinstating the fundamental right to worship for Hindus in Ram janma bhoomi.

Year was 1949, Ram janma bhoomi issue had been simmering; besides the legal battle, physical bouts were not uncommon, especially after 1934, when slaughter of a cow ignited the events between Hindus and Muslims and Babri masjid was attacked for the first time.

This was the time when Kandangalathil Karunakaran Nair viz. KKK Nair (popularly known as Nair Sahab), an ICS officer, was appointed the Deputy Commissioner cum District Magistrate in Faizabad (earlier name of Ayodhya) on 1 June 1949. He was asked to submit a report on the Ram janma bhoomi by the UP government. He entrusted his assistant Guru Dutt Singh with the job who recommended the construction of a Ram temple. On 10 Oct 1949, he submitted “As per your orders, I went to the spot and inspected the site and enquired all about it in detail. Mosque and the temple both are situated side by side and both Hindus and Muslims perform their rites and religious ceremonies. Hindu public has put in this application with a view to erecting a decent and vishal temple instead of the small one which exists at present. There is nothing on the way and permission can be given as Hindu population is very keen to have a nice temple at the place where Bhagwan Ram Chandra Ji was born. The land where temple is to be erected is of Nazul [government land],”

Nothing came out of this report. Nair was an ardent Hindu and people were very hopeful. All people wanted was their right to worship on the land where their Lord Ram was born. 

Now, see the sequence of events. In Dec 1949, the mahants started Ramayana paath in the premises, in front of the mosque. Large crowd gathered there. There was visible unease between the two sects. 

On Dec 22/23 midnight, an image of Ram Lalla appeared in the temple. Whereas Hindus were elated, Muslims insisted that the people crept inside the premises and kept the idol of Ram ji and Sita ji there.

What actually happened ...... KKK Nair did orchestrate the events in such a way (as told to us by revered Guruji Shri K. N. Rao Sir); lots of chana was put under the idol of Sri Ram, they kept watering it, the chana swelled with water, pushed the idol up and it was announced on 23 December that a bhakta had a dream that Swayambhu moorti of Sri Ram is coming up. In the dark midnight of 22/ 23 Dec 1949, Ram Lalla was back in the temple underneath the central dome of the mosque (which is the actual birth place of Lord Sri Ram) at his rightful place.

Now, note the transit at midnight 22/23 Dec 1949, when the Ram Lalla idol was put in the temple. There were three benefics Venus, Moon and Jupiter in Makar, which is the 9th house of tradition in the chart of independent India, ‘Parampara’ was restored. The 6-8 conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, both benefics placed in the 9^th house of religion along with Moon shows the struggle involved in restoring the dignity of the temple. When we put the transit in the chart of independent India, Saturn is the 9th lord placed in the 4th house in Simha showing the ‘Simhasan’ for Ram Lalla.

Ram Lalla was back in the temple at midnight but the event was not reported till 9 in the morning though the people were there since 5 am. By 9 am, five to six thousand people had thronged the temple premises, so no action could be taken.

KKK Nair said that the situation was under control. But it was only a half-truth. He was maneuvering the situation and his wife Shakuntala Nair played her part. She led the bhajan - kirtan outside the entrance to the Babri mosque, effectively creating a deterrent so nobody could go inside to remove the idols.

KKK Nair was questioned. The allegation was that he could have controlled the situation and removed the traces of the event in the wee hours of the morning, but he did not do that. The plea given by Nair was - While chanting bhajans and raising religious slogans, the crowd tried to enter the mosque, but were deterred and nothing untoward happened thereon because of ‘proper arrangements’.

KKK Nair had informed Govind Vallabh Pant, the Chief Minister of United Province. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru got to know about the event and his clear orders were that the idols be removed and the mosque restored to its original state. KKK Nair was instructed to do away with the idols. That order did not suit Nair. He refused to do that. 

On December 27, 1949, he penned down a detailed letter addressed to Chief Secretary Bhagwan Sahay that read: “I would, if the Government decided to remove the idols at any cost, request that I be relieved and replaced by an officer who may be able to see in the solution a merit which I cannot discern. For my part, I cannot in my discretion, which is the only legal sanction behind my action in this matter.” He further wrote that the idea of removing the idols which was offered as a ‘solution’ would cause nothing more than “widespread suffering, which will entail to many innocent lives.”

KKK Nair was suspended by GV Pant. Nair fought the Congress government at court and got an order in his favour. He rejoined, but deciding not to continue in the job, he resigned. In the months to come, chaos ensued; there was palpable communal tension in the air. The government decided to call the masjid premises a disputed property and thereby locked its gates. The idols, however, remained inside, intact. Although Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had ordered that the idols be removed, but the court restrained the order and allowed the puja (worship) to continue. The matter of the restoration of the mosque was left unaddressed and the issue was kept pending in the court at Faizabad. In effect, the mosque was shut down.

Following his resignation, KKK Nair started practising as a lawyer in AHC (Allahabad High Court). He and his wife Shakuntala Nair joined Jan Sangh and kept striving for Ram mandir. His wife contested elections, won and became a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1952. Both Nair and his wife eventually became the members of the Lok Sabha in 1962. They had full support of the masses and the people of Ayodhya did not let them down.

Fortunately, I came across the date of birth of KKK Nair, it is 11 Sep 1907, born in Kuttanad, a village in Kerala. Though no time is given, it is worth an effort to check his Moon kundli. I have taken 12:00 as the time and charted his horoscope. One look and I could see that it is the correct Moon kundli.

Jupiter in 10H has always been appreciated by our esteemed Guruji Shri K.N. Rao Sir, he himself has exalted Jupiter in the 10H from his lagna and Moon; a person with Jupiter in the 10th is drawn to a social cause at some time or the other in his life, explains Sir and we can see how correctly this applies in the case of Nair Sahab. His 10L Moon is in lagna. LL Venus is conjunct with 9L Mercury and 11L Sun making a very auspicious yog for him. Jupiter as 6L in 10H had to create problems and antagonism in his career which is very clear from the events discussed. At the same time, we can see a very strong 6H with Saturn in it aspected by Mars and Jupiter showing his fighting ability against all odds.

KKK Nair passed away on 7 Sep 1977 and is not with us to rejoice the celebrations but alas every Hindu must know that he played a crucial role in the turn of events. He chose to tread the difficult path of standing up to protect the right of worship of the Hindus, putting his post and position at stake.

It is rightly said in Ramcharitmanas that it is not the correct policy to be polite with fools and soft with cunning people. It is so useless to talk about charity to the greedy people.

“Sath san binay, kutil san preeti, sahaj krapan san sundar neeti”

Ramji had been asking the ocean to give way to him for 3 days, but the ocean did not budge, till the Lord decided to dry it with his arrow, then ocean appeared in front of him in guise of a Brahmin and gave way too.

3 Aug 2020