The festivities are around the corner and the capital city is pulling out all stops to recuperate from the disruption caused by Covid-19 in the last couple of years.
Due to the pandemic and the ensuing restrictions, many Ramleela and Durga Puja committees had withdrawn their plans to organise the event for 2020 and 2021. Others had just held a symbolic one-day programme.
However, the organisers are buckling up to offer the public an extravaganza with new experiments.
With 400 odd groups receiving the greenlight by the city’s civic authority, the organisers have set in motion their plan to attract the crowd with fascination and grandeur.
Grand stage, celebs line-up
Known for its star attractions and grand set-ups, the popular Luv Kush Committee – which stages Ramleela near Red Fort – has planned to set-up the largest stage it constructed so far to showcase the mythical saga.
“The stage will measure 180x60 feet. It will be a three-storey structure where the leela will be done simultaneously on 2 floors while artists will shower flowers from the third. On top of that, we have planned to construct a 40-feet high Ram temple. Our theme this year is Ramleela inside Ram temple,” Arjun Kumar, President of the Committee said.
Meanwhile, the organiser also promised the play to be star-studded with high-octane action sequences.
“Our star attractions this year include Hindi film actors and three central ministers. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari will play Kevat and Asrani will enact Narad in our Ramleela. Central ministers–Ashwini Kumar Choubey ((Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution of India) and Faggan Singh Kulaste (Minister of State for Rural Development) will enact the characters of Rishi Vashishth and Agastya Muni. The role of Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is yet to decided,” Kumar said.
Social media to attract youth
Meanwhile, another popular Ramleela organiser from the old town, Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee has plans to use the power of social media engagement to target young audience. Though the organisers did not reveal much, Rahul Sharma, Press Secretary of the committee said that Instagram and Snapchat will be strategically created to engage with the youngsters.
“Youngsters have no interest in mythology. To pull them to the stands, we will promote our whole production process including rehearsals through Instagram reels and Snapchat stories. We may also add lingo used by the youth in the dialogues to make them more relatable to them,” Sharma said.
“With its inception in 1958, Our Grand Ramleela is one of the oldest in Delhi. People were saddened by the absence of celebrations due to Covid scare for the past two years. Preparations are at its maximum potential and this year would surely be a massive success,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bengali community in the city has been gearing up to celebrate Durga Puja on a grand scale after the muted celebrations in the last two years. Theme-based pandals are being set up at events while the buzz around marketplaces increases.
With ease in Covid protocols and restrictions this year, the organisers anticipate a footfall of around 1.5 lakh for the 5-day celebration, which will take place from October 1 to 5. Safdarjung Enclave-based Maitri Mandir which organises one of the finest Durga Puja in the city will emulate the famous Belur Math Temple of Howrah, West Bengal.
“We are expecting a gathering of around 1.5 lakh people during the five days of celebration, which is more than what we used to entertain pre-Covid. A budget of around 50 lakh has been kept aside for the whole event.
“The celebration this year would be compensable for the absence of the festivities during lockdowns,” said Swapan Chakravorty, Vice President, Maitri Mandir. Avik Mitra, member of the organising committee for Chittranjan Park’s Ground Mela celebration, said that like every year, multiple cultural events will be lined up prior to the main celebration.
“Various music bands from Kolkata and locals, exhibiting various art forms, will perform both in-house and on stage — the highlight ones being Shankar Dhvani for ladies and karaoke competitions,” he explained.
Dearth of orders
The workers involved in the process of preparation are more than happy to be working again. Tracking the development in the Covid situation, they were already expecting to secure their work and primary source of livelihood, being one call away from joining in. However, the happiness of the workers remains short-lived as the contracts they receive still don’t match their expectations for the year. In terms of the artisans involved in the idol making, they are still far short of contracts when compared to the pre-Covid era.
The difference between the quality and quantity of orders in 2019 and 2021 is evidently visible. Gobindo, one of the sculptors at CR Park, said his group received 25 contracts this year against 37 they fetched in 2019. “The usual source of income for the workers during the off-season is through farming, which is barely enough to meet their needs. The last two years have been really tough for them. Majority of the workers are natives of Bihar and are able to sustain for a long time without working on the fields through the earnings from Durga Puja contracts,” he added.
The sculptor also said that workers are axing their group members to be able to distribute revenue evenly. “It affected everyone, from salaried individuals to the business class. Our artists were financially affected as well, but thankfully no casualties were reported during the hardship. However, we lost some of the senior members of our committee to Covid,” he added.
Environmental concern and pandemic woes
Amid the celebration plans, the organisers are taking initiatives from their end to allay the concerns regarding Covid infection and pollution. The Ramleela organisers are trying to get accustomed to the blanket ban on firecrackers imposed by the Delhi government. The firecrackers play a pivotal role in the pomp and show of the religious saga. The views are divided. A section supports the ban, while another appeals to lift it for the days when Ravan Vadha and Dahan will be staged.
Luv Kush Committee is in favour of crackers ban. Its president said that sound effects would be used to give an effect of crackers. “We support the ban on firecrackers. We will use soundtrack played during last RamLeela to give the effect of crackers. Any kind of firecrackers will not be used this year. We believe that the health and environment of our city are of paramount importance and we support the government’s decision,” Kumar said.
The Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee said that though it supports the ban, the government should consider lifting the ban for the days the Ramleela will be staged. Besides, the immersion of idols would be done on the ground, while the Yamuna River will be spared. Meanwhile, the event organisers have also planned to make arrangements for separate entry-exit points and the mandatory use of face masks by the visitors during the celebrations.
“We will distribute health kits to the visitors. the Indian Red Cross Society will help us in the arrangements,” said Kumar. “A team of 100 volunteers will be deployed in the pandal to ensure that everyone sticks to the safety measures,” Swapan Chakravorty added.
RED FORT: RamLeela organiser to Set up 3-storey structure
With Covid on the wane, Ramleela and Durga Puja organisers are making grand arrangements to bring back the revelry after a two-year wait. However, a blanket ban on firecrackers and fewer show bookings worry those in the background, report Ashish Srivastava and Shayan Ahmad Shamim