IT is not unusual to see couples settling for unique dates -- be it a palindrome or a day of a celestial phenomenon -- to get their children delivered in hospitals. But this year, several expectant mothers in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have planned to give birth to their babies on January 22, an "auspicious" date when a long-awaited inauguration of the temple dedicated to Hindu god Rama takes place.
Prime minister Narendra Modi is set to preside over the inauguration of the temple in the holy town of Ayodhya in a mega ceremony for a project considered a landmark by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Malti Devi, an expecting mother, told the Press Trust of India that she had asked the doctors for a caesarean delivery on the day when the Ram temple will see 'pran pratistha' (consecration) as she believes the date will be auspicious and her child born on the day would have success and glory.
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Dr Seema Dwivedi, a doctor at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College in Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh, told The Times that as many 35 caesarean sections were planned at the hospital for January 22 and suggested that the trend would be similar in other maternity units.
“Every Hindu wants their child to have Rama’s special qualities and by delivering on that day the parents will feel the whole country is celebrating with them,” she added.
Lord Rama, who is highly revered by the Hindus, killed demon king Ravana after he abducted his wife Sita and took her to his kingdom Lanka.
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A gynaecologist said on the condition of anonymity that he expected a "cascade effect" from the expecting women after hearing the news from the hospital in Kanpur. He said such demand is given birth to by myths and belief systems of some of India's own people.
Picking auspicious dates for a birthday or starting a venture or getting married is a deep-rooted practice in India.
The Ram temple movement has been a long one for India's Hindu nationalist forces. A 16th century mosque, which was believed to have been made where Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya, was demolished in 1992 by a Hindu mob led by BJP leaders and activists and after years of political and legal battles, the new temple is eventually coming up.
Modi has said that he wants the entire country to celebrate January 22 as though it was Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights which is otherwise celebrated around October or November.
Ahead of the inauguration of the temple, members of the BJP will visit 45,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh to clean temples and arrange festivities. In Ayodhya, Ram Lalla, the idol of Rama in infant form, will be bathed in water from several holy places across India before being dressed in clothes with golden thread.
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