ATODHYA (UP), Jan 19 : A Mahatma Gandhi’s lookalike, barely clothed and walking barefoot with a stick in his hand, caught the attention of people on Ram Path here on a cold Friday morning.
The doppelganger, a devotee of Lord Ram, responded to everyone’s greetings and happily posed for selfies with them. The round-framed spectacles, lens-less, and a chain watch made his resemblance to the Mahatma more realistic.
The lookalike carried a placard which read ‘samaj seva mera janm siddh adhikaar hai’ (Social service is my birth right).
Meet 54-year-old Mutanna Tirlapur, a native of Karnataka’s Gadag district, who says chanting the name of Lord Ram energises him and helps him brave the cold weather.
“I have come to Ayodhya from Karnataka after covering almost 2,000 kilometres on foot. I left my village on December 9 to reach this place. I walked 40-50 kilometres every day. On some days, I even walked 60-70 kilometres. Now, since the weather is cold, I have been walking 30 kilometres in a day,” Tirlapur told PTI.
Asked what keeps him going in this cold weather, that too with barely any clothes, Tirlapur said, “Yes, I do feel cold. But, as I take the name of Lord Ram and pray to him, I get energised. After this, I do not feel any problem. It is the absolute benevolence of Lord Ram that I neither caught cold nor did I fee unwell. I derive my strength from the name of Lord Ram.
“Jai Jai Ram, Sita Ram, do akshar kaa pyara naam… The name of Ram (in Hindi) consists of two letters. It is pious. As soon as one takes his name, the unrest in the mind subsides and mental peace prevails,” he added.
On whether he has got any invite to attend the consecration ceremony, he said, “There is no question of any invitation. All of us ‘Bharatvasis’ should come here.
“I feel very happy. At times I feel that I am in heaven. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from the bottom of my heart for getting the temple of Shri Ram built in Ayodhya,” he said.
Tirlapur said he has been dressing himself like Mahatma Gandhi for the past 15 years. “The idea behind this is to spread awareness in the society about the values Mahatma Gandhi stood for.”
Asked how his family members feel about his foot march, he said, “My family members are very happy that I have landed in the land of Prabhu Shri Ram after covering such a long distance. The people of my village and neighbouring villages wished me luck as I embarked on the padyatra.
“My message to the people from Ayodhya is ‘India is a peace-loving nation and all of us should live in peace and love each other,'” he said.
Tirlapur was also seen carrying a placard with photographs of prominent leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, and Swami Vivekanand.
The placard also has pictures of Lord Ram, Sita, Laxman and Lord Hanuman and the upcoming Ram temple.
The placard also has a message that urges people to save the environment, make the country liquor-free, save soil, save wildlife and stop cruelty towards animals.
Tirlapur says, “Patriotism is similar to God. Betrayal to the country is like death even if one is alive. It is fine to leave the house but one should not leave one’s aim. Dying without achieving anything is an insult to even death”
Driver Ashu Dixit, who operates taxis in Ayodhya, said, “I was surprised to see a person resembling Mahatma Gandhi and dressed like him on a cold morning in Ayodhya. It was amazing to see that he did not feel cold. He also walked like Gandhi ji.” (PTI)
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