Vilas Bhavsar, a 60-year-old resident of Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, fulfilled a promise made in 1992 as he wore footwear for the first time in 32 years on Monday.
Bhavsar, a Kar Sevak, had pledged to refrain from wearing any footwear until the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was completed.
The moment came after the consecration of the new Ram Lalla idol at the Ayodhya temple, an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP's Girish Mahajan, a minister in the Maharashtra government, presented Bhavsar with a pair of 'chappals' at an event in Jamner, Jalgaon district, a gesture acknowledged by Bhavsar by embracing the symbolic act and wearing the footwear.
Bhavsar, who runs a 'paan' shop in Jalgaon, said he was happy that his vow had been fulfilled and the dream of every 'Ram bhakt' has been realised.
He said that after demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, he vowed not to wear footwear till a grand Ram temple was built "at the same spot" in the Uttar Pradesh town.
Kar sevaks are people who volunteer their services for free to a religious cause, the term being derived from the Sanskrit words 'kar' (hand) and 'sevak' (servant).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Congress March, BJP Protest On Last Day Of Winter Session
Golden Spire To Adorn Ram Mandir In Ayodhya Ayodhya Ram Temple To Not Use Chinese Decorative Items During Diwali: Trust Over 600 Gifts, Mementos Received By PM Modi Up For E-auction 11 Dead, Many Critical In Jaipur Fire As 2 Trucks Collide Outside Petrol Pump 52 kg Gold, Rs 10 Crore Cash Found In Abandoned Innova In Bhopal Jungle Atul Subhash's Mother Goes To Top Court For 4-Year-Old Grandson's Custody UGC NET December 2024 Begins On January 3, Check Subject-Wise Schedule 3-Day State Mourning In Haryana Over Ex-CM Om Prakash Chautala's Death Foreign Tech Workers Urged To Return To US Before Trump Takes Office Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.