Spiritual resonance of slogans: A journey through Ram Janambhoomi movement in India

Slogans in the Indian context possess a more spiritual dimension, contrary to Western beliefs associating them with temporal attributes. They enable us to decipher project rationale, create comprehensive mobilisation models and convey ideas of solidarity. Historically, we’ve witnessed ideas materialise and robust mobilisation in social, political, cultural and economic movements, primarily driven by slogans, and constructing consent. The vitality of slogans can be understood in the binary of Identity and Communication. Firstly, a strong communication network is established among the masses, leading to a pervasive campaign. Secondly, there’s a fervent rise in group identity formation, evolving into naturalization, crucial for sustaining any movement. The Indian journey of the Ram Janambhoomi movement is akin to a pilgrimage. It serves as a fitting case study of how a movement is constructed through slogans, fostering popular consent throughout the campaign. An entire superstructure of pan-India nationalism is constructed through slogans, engineering deep-seated faith in people’s hearts. This journey can be divided into three essential parts: the early 1950s, marked by petitions and prayers; the mid-1980s to the 1990s, termed the era of mass mobilisation; and post-2014, labelled as the era of national and cultural resurgence in Bharat. The common thread uniting these parts is the symphony of nationalism, participation and consent. The unwavering commitment of decisive masses, willing to sacrifice their way of life to uphold the moral intuition supporting the movement, is pivotal. National will and discourse often revolve around slogans, where popularisation is key to comprehensive mobilisation, followed by faith development in the cause. Historically, slogans have played a central role in disseminating essential movements and establishing emotional, social, financial, political, and national bases. To theorise this, we need to understand it at four levels. First, Participation, where masses from different parts of the nation engage in movements driven by popular slogans. Second, Interactional level, fostering solidarity among participating agents. Third, Informational level, contextualizing the movement within the participant-built network. Lastly, Consent is created among participants to actualize the commonly desired movement. This understanding is contextualized in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, illustrating how profound slogans like “Mandir Wahin Banayenge,” “Garv Se Kaho Ki Hum Hindu Hain,” “Jai Shri Ram,” and “Hindu-Hindu Bhai-Bhai Beech Mein Vardi Kaha Se Aayi” led to the creation of a popular national discourse. In the 1990s, two prominent figures in Hindutva, Balasaheb Thackeray and Pramod Mahajan, notable orators and impeccable organisers, utilised sloganeering magnificently in post-colonial India. The monumental call of “Garv Se kaho Hum Hindu Hain” became inseparable from Balasaheb and the Ram Mandir Andolan, etching his place in the national consciousness. Equally noteworthy is the resonance of the phrase “Mandir Wahi Banayenge,” embodying the fervour surrounding the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Pramod Mahajan’s role in shaping the narrative around the Ayodhya issue, especially the “Mandir Wahi Banayenge” slogan, deeply resonated with a significant segment of the Indian populace. The rigour in LK Advani and the Ram Rath Yatra remains central to the Ram Janambhoomi Andolan. Advani steered the movement and yatras, weaving them into the national consciousness and propagating the spirit of Hindutva across the Nation. His clarion call of ‘Ram Bhakti-rashtra Shakti’ infused synergy into the masses, with the magic of “Badhe chalo, badhe chalo, mandir ki shaan ke liye badhe chalo, Hindutva ki shaan ke liye badhe chalo” following the Ram Rath. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee emphasised, ‘kar sewa karenge aur hume koi rok nahi sakta,’ galvanizing the masses into one spirit. In 1996, across the nation, the slogan ‘Bari Bari Sabki Bari, Abki Bari Atal Bihari’ echoed, signifying the collective belief that the movement would achieve its desired fate. Atal, often discursively inspiring the movement, remained a staunch believer in the cause and later wrote, ‘Hindu tan man, Hindu Jivan- rag rag Hindu mera parichay.’ A constant presence in the Ram Janambhoomi Andolan for three decades is incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From assisting the chariot in the 1990s to Pran Pratishtha in 2024, he has been an integral part of Bharat’s auspicious journey. His conviction, ‘Ram is everywhere and Ram belongs to all,’ embodies Bharat’s essential character, and his leadership marked the beginning of cultural and national revival post-2014. The resonance of these phrases transcended national cultural consciousness, revisiting both national history and culture throughout the Ram Janambhoomi movement. The amalgamation of dreams, aspirations, and reality lies at the heart of the movement, where millions of believers legally channel their aspirations to manifest their reality. Slogans play a central role in rejuvenating and sustaining the momentum of people, guiding their will to rectify the historical course imposed on them. The writer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delhi and the Founder-Director of New Delhi-based think tank, House of Political Empowerment: Research and Innovation Foundation. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.