Weeks before the first Diwali diya is lit, a Delhi ritual begins. For almost a month, families make their way to Mandi House, settle into the open-air theatre and wait for the lights to dim on a story they know by heart and never tire of.
This year, that ritual carries a special weight. From October 11 to November 1, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) presents the 69th year of SHRI RAM, its annual Ramayana dance drama, daily at 6.30 pm.
After nearly 25 years, it returns to its traditional form, culminating in Ram Rajya on November 1.
A cultural offering
SHRI RAM was envisioned and created in 1957, by the Kendra's founder, the late Sumitra Charat Ram, as a cultural offering to a young nation. Rooted in Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, the 2 hour 15 minute production follows Ram from his birth to exile, across the sea to Lanka, and home again to his Rajya Abhishek.
Its original creation brought together a constellation of eminent artists including Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Guru Gopinath, Bhagwandas Verma, Narendra Sharma, the Dagar Brothers, Rahi Masoom Raza, Tapas Sen and B.K. Sawant Badal.
Since the 1970s, chairperson Padma Shri Shobha Deepak Singh has renewed the production with contemporary stagecraft, LED visuals and simultaneous Hindi and English translations.
The return
This year, SHRI RAM goes back to where it began. Guided by vice chairperson Gauri Keeling and SBKK director Jayant Kastuar, executive trustee Minaakshi S. Dass has ensured that the stage once again features handmade sets, new costumes and a classical approach to design and lighting. The lyrics return to the original chaupais of the Ramcharitmanas. Principal choreographer Shashidharan Nair, with associate choreographer Rajkumar Sharma, leads the renewed staging.
Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh, Chairperson, SBKK says, “SHRI RAM is a tradition that has lived across generations. This year, as we return to its traditional form after nearly 25 years, we are reconnecting with the visual language, music and verses that have shaped its identity. Our endeavour is to preserve its soul while allowing the timeless values of the Ramayana to resonate with audiences today.”
Playing Shri Ram
No one feels the return more deeply than Rajkumar Sharma, who has played Shri Ram for many years.
“You do not play Ram. You carry him,” he says. “Over the years I have learnt that he is never found in grand gestures, only in stillness, restraint and an unshakeable sense of dharma. Returning to handmade sets and the original chaupais, I feel the story speaking in its own voice again. For the audience and for those of us on stage alike, it is a living prayer, a divine experience we share.”
Duty, devotion, sacrifice, brotherhood and respect once again sit at its centre. Far from fleeting Bollywood-style retellings of our epics, SHRI RAM endures as a living tradition of dance, theatre and music. More than 25 lakh spectators across 35 countries have so far witnessed it, including nearly every Indian President and Prime Minister.
At Open Air Theatre, Mandi House, October 11 to November 1, 6:30 pm. Tickets on BookMyShow