-I wasn't there to witness the glory of Treta Yuga
-I wasn't there to witness the epic of Dvapara Yuga
-But I'm fortunate enough to witness this day.
JAI JAI SHREE RAM ๐ฉ เคถเฅเคฐเฅ เคฐเคพเคฎ ๐ฉ
Congrats Bharat ๐ฎ๐ณ!
Today is a very proud day for India. The Ram Mandir temple in Ayodha will be officially opened. I can feel and share the excitement and pride from so many of my Indian friends.
I will admit I belonged to the sceptics thirty years ago. But a long dispute came to an end by a 2019 ruling of the Indian Supreme Court.
The new tempel looks like a marvel of art and beauty. It promises to stand as a symbol of the new India - proud of its history and heritage, rapidly developing, ready to be a major power in the 21st century.
It will be one of the largest tourist attractions in the world. Expect tens of millions of tourists every year โ bringing billions to the people of Uttar Pradesh through tourism. For every resident, planners expect ten tourists in Ayodha.
But above all, Ram Mandir will be a place of worship, a place to reach for inner life and meaning, to approach the sacred universe.
Jai Shri Ram!
Neerja Bhanot was a 22-year-old flight attendant working on Pan Am Flight 73 when it was hijacked by terrorists during a layover in 1986.
Soon after taking control, the terrorists killed an Indian-American traveler and discarded his body outside the plane.
They ordered Bhanot to gather the passengers' passports to single out Americans.
However, she concealed the identities of the 43 Americans on the flight by stashing their passports under seats and discarding others.
After a tense 17-hour standoff, the hijackers began shooting and setting off explosives.
Bhanot bravely opened the plane's doors, and rather than escaping herself, she helped passengers evacuate.
Tragically, she lost her life while shielding three American children from gunfire.
One of the kids she safeguarded grew up to become an airline captain, crediting Bhanot as his inspiration.