Ramlila begins early, breaking age-old convention

Dasehra is still 20 days away, but the Jai Shree Ram Mahabir Club has already begun organising Ramlila at the Dussehra ground in the Basti Sheikh locality here. The first show, Dharti Ki Pukar, depicting the birth of Lord Ram, was staged on Thursday evening and drew a good gathering of devotees chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram.’

While Ramlila is usually enacted during the evenings of Navratras, the festivities this year have begun in the unusual period of Shradhs. The club members, all of whom are local traders and businessmen, say, “We are here to remember the name of Lord Rama, his life, and teachings through these enactments and we consider all days suitable for the purpose. Even in Ayodhya and many parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Ramlila starts 15–20 days ahead of Dasehra . So we are not doing anything unusual.”

The club began performing Ramlila on September 11 and will continue it till September 18.

After the grand opening on Thursday evening, Seeta Swayamvar will be staged on Friday, Sri Ram Banwas on Saturday, Bharat Milap on Sunday, Sita Haran on Monday, Bali Vadh on Tuesday and Lanka Dahan on Wednesday.

The enactments will conclude next Thursday with the final episode, Laxman Moorchha and Ravan Vadh, the organisers said.

Pawan Arora, a shoe trader by profession, has been enacting the role of Lord Rama for the past 28 years. Realtor Pawan Luther, who plays the role of Ravana, has been associated with Ramlila festivities for the past 30 years. Vikas Arya is portraying Goddess Sita, while Vijay Noni is playing Dashrath.

Varinder Arora (41), popularly known as Rimpa in the locality, shared, “I was just 15 years old when I started taking part in Ramlila. My elder brother was a part of the crew before me and I used to keenly watch him play various roles every year. I got smaller roles in the beginning and now I perform that of Hanuman ji. I do the wiring job for rackets used in badminton but for a month or so I take off from work so that I can remain involved in rehearsals and preparations.”

The club members say that there are at least 100 people working behind the scenes—readying costumes, doing makeup, procuring accessories and props, decking up the stage, preparing pandals and taking care of devotees and visitors.

Ramlila remains a much sought-after event in the locality. “In fact, there are three Ramlila committees in our area who stagger their events such that these do not overlap. There remains a healthy competitive spirit among all three of us to deliver the best dialogues, create impressive stages and present quality enactments—all with the aim of propagating the teachings of the Ramayana and aligning youth towards spiritualism,” said Luther.