CHANDIGARH: In the season of Ram Leelas, an all-woman ensemble has tried to break yet another glass ceiling in Mohali’s Zirakpur, near Chandigarh. The group of 32 women artists in the age group of 14 to 77 years is taking part in the Ram Leela after 25 days of rehearsals. They were on their fifth day of a three-hour show on Friday.
The ensemble includes social activists, lawyers, an architect, bankers, professors, students and housemakers. Their objective: Sensitise people to their cultural roots, traditions and ethics.
The response has been very enthusiastic among the performing artists, says former councillor from Zirakpur, Ekta Nagpal, who is the brain behind the unique initiative.
“The idea of women empowerment led me to come up with this Ram Leela. The larger message also includes linking the youth to our culture,” says Nagpal. Seven students are also a part of the group.
“It was really tough to get all women on one platform. However, when they heard about the concept, they accepted it. Before the actual performance beginning Sept 26, we conducted rehearsals for 25 days,” says Nagpal.
She says the audience response has been overwhelming. “The seating capacity is for around 700 people, but people are coming in hordes to watch our performance,’’ she said. The group has kept the show on a moderate scale. It is a digital show with a giant screen in the background and light & sound arrangement in place. The dialogues have been dubbed in a studio. Nagpal says the estimated budget is around `22 lakh. However, the group has been able to arrange only `10 lakh, requiring each of them to pitch in with individual contributions.
Kulwant Kaur Sandhu, an advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is playing the character of Kumbhkaran. She says as soon as she was told about the idea, she latched on to it as she found a good cause in it. “The dresses were bought and altered to fit and not rented. Therefore, the budget went above our expectations,’’ she says.
Financial adviser Pratibha Singh plays the role of Lord Ram, Ekta’s 14-year old daughter Jahnhvi and 77-year-old mother Krishana Juneja can be seen in the roles of Angad and Kaushalya respectively. Sunita Shekhar, a homemaker, plays three roles while Archna Gupta, owner of a boutique, plays the role of Vibhishan and Monika Saini of Parashuram. Madhavi, a class XII student, is playing the role of Sita and Vandana Sharma, an architect, acts as Hanuman. Anuradha, a professor, is Bharat besides Kulwant Kaur and Khushboo -- both wellness coaches -- are playing other significant roles.