Kolkata Residents Solemn Protest Recalled: Two Years Since Petition for Shri Ram Dwadashi National Observance

KOLKATA – As the nation reflects on milestones in recent cultural history, a notable incident from May 2024 resurfaced in memory—the story of Meeku Soni, a Kolkata resident who took a dramatic vow to advocate for the formal recognition of "Shri Ram Dwadashi."
​In May 2024, Meeku Soni, a resident of Sarat Chatterjee Road, garnered attention for her public declaration regarding the significance of January 22, 2024—the date of the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Believing the date held profound national, cultural, and spiritual importance, she initiated a campaign to have that specific day—Paush Shukla Dwadashi—declared a national annual festival.
​At the time, Soni had communicated her formal request to the Prime Minister's Office, seeking constitutional and administrative action to honor the day as "Shri Ram Dwadashi." To demonstrate the depth of her commitment, she had publicly vowed to abstain from food until she secured a direct meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the proposal.
​In her petition, she argued that the consecration was not merely a religious event, but a symbol of national identity and cultural awakening, representing the culmination of centuries of struggle. Alongside her appeal to the government, she had also initiated a grassroots effort, organizing monthly programs on the Shukla Paksha Dwadashi to sustain awareness for what she termed "Shri Ram Dwadashi Pratishtha Diwas."
​Her resolve at the time, which she articulated with the poignant sentiment, "Shankh mere pran ka ho, uddhosh tera goonje mere Ram..." (May the conch be of my life, may your proclamation echo, my Ram...), highlighted the passionate nature of the discourse surrounding the legacy of the Ayodhya temple consecration during that period.
​Two years later, the incident remains a testament to the diverse and deeply personal ways in which citizens engaged with the cultural developments defining that era of Indian history.