Thirteen Years and Counting.........(Part-16)

When I entered in Ayodhya,I felt the heat of tension,security vigilance and a gathering of dozen of print and TV journalists scatterd in lodges and hotels of the twin town. Ayodhya happens to be my birth place and home town ,hence I decided to rest myself for first few days. This time I utilized to study the mood of people and the city. And at a glance I realized that its going to be eventful weeks.
Few TV teams has stationed themselves on the bank of Saryu,while some had set up their OB vans in the middle of the town. I took few rounds of city, talked to people and visited all possible places in next couple of days. The saffron colour was the in thing in the town and Hindu hardliners were busy giving firy statments in support of the event they scheduled in March first week.
The disputed place is located in the heart of city around which is a thrre layered security barricade. It covers an area of roughly 70 acres on western side of which the disputed structure stood before December 6,1992. You have to go inside the security zone up to two kilometers before you finally visit the site of Ram Lala.

The monk who organised the event was also a religious leader of Digamabar Akhara, one of seven Akharas in Ayodhya which manages various temples. His math is at a distance of three kilometers from disputed site close to the workshop where stones are being shaped for temple construction.

One fine morning I just went to my uncles house in the heart of town to seek some medcine and was just sipping a cup of tea. The pre curser of event had started taking shape and newsmen were busy picturising the places and people in town. All of sudden a red Maruti car stopped in front of my uncle's house and a lady came out along with driver to get herself adjusted in religiously warm town. I noticed that there was some dispute between the driver and lady on exchange of money.Perhaps the hired driver was charging a double ammount from that American photojournalist who had come all the way from Delhi to cover the event. It was only after our intervention that matter was sorted out,and then lady introduced to my homeopathic doctor uncle---Ami Vitale,journalist from Delhi.
Ami Vitale,later I discovered was a hired photojournalist by Getty Images,a world known photo agency,who had already covered events like Kashmir and Gujrat.
So, I also dared to introduce myself and my plans. She immediatly desired that she wanted a person to assist her to cover the the events supposed to unfold in next couple of weeks. I, all impressed with her intelligence and egarness replied to be in her company untill her departure from the town. Offcourse we negotiated terms and conditions before we started two weeks journey together.......................................................

To be continued............................ Shooting, Talking and learning the lenses with Ami Vitale)