Born in July 1992, Amit Kumar has no idea that he was born in a year that witnessed one of the darkest chapters of Indian history. Months after he was born, Bharatiya Janata Party-led mobs demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, triggering communal violence across India, which resulted in more than 2,000 deaths.
Kumar, however, is aware that BJP has been trying to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and that the case is stuck in the Supreme Court. “Thanks to Whatsapp,” he said, showing off his Jio phone that he claims offers unlimited data to keep him entertained as well as informed.
Should a temple be built there? “No,” he said emphatically. “What good would another temple do to the people of this country? Don’t we have enough of them?”
Kumar grew up in Lahar town in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, but moved to Gwalior city after earning a graduate arts degree from a government college. His father runs a small grocery shop in Lahar that makes just enough to feed the family. Kumar is the eldest of three brothers. “I wanted to study more but my father couldn’t afford it,” he said.
He now works with the Madhya Chetra Vidyut Vitaran Company on a contract basis and makes Rs 8,000 each month. His job includes field visits across Gwalior to check electricity meters from 10 am to 6 pm. In his free time, he is mostly at home preparing for competitive exams with three of his room partners.
Most of his money is spent on rent, food, books and application forms. He hardly saves anything, but is confident he can arrange money if his family is ever in need.
Kumar has voted in the past but hesitates to name the party. Talking about the upcoming assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, he said the BJP government has been in power for 15 years and that citizens, especially young people, are seeking a change. “Unemployment, farm crisis and inflation have wreaked havoc on people’s lives and BJP has failed to address them,” he said. “The people should give other political parties a chance to rule.”
At the national level, he thinks the Narendra Modi government should focus on creating employment and ensuring that millions like him can help their families make a decent living.
“Why should we waste people’s hard-earned money on temples?” he asked. “I read about how money has been wasted on building a statue in Gujarat. Will I ever go see that statue or the temple? No. How will these structures make any difference to my life and that of my poor parents?”
This is the fourth part in a series of articles interviewing Indians born in 1992 about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s efforts to bring its plan to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya back to the political centrestage. The first part can be read here, the second here and the third here.
