Ravana loses his heads & evil goes up in smoke
It was a day when the good defeated the evil as several feet high effigies of the 10-headed demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakarna went up in flames across the national Capital on Friday. Dressed in their traditional finery, residents of Delhi celebrated Dussehra by praying at temples, watching the traditional Ramlila and burning effigies.
Ramlila grounds across the city were thronged by crowds especially the grounds in old Delhi like the lav-Kush and Shri Dharmik lila Committees to witness the spectacular fireworks that lit up Delhi’s skyline. Crowds burst into cheers as the stuffed effigies, dotting grounds and open spaces, went up in flames at sundown. With police was keeping a hawk-eye vigil, the festivities passed off peacefully in different parts of the country.
The final episode of the Ramlila, which takes place before the effigies are burnt, depicts the battle between lord Rama, and Ravana. At most of the venues, the battle is a visual treat with all the action and use of special effects. The lav-Kush Ramlila Committee that organises the event on the Red Fort grounds uses plenty of special effects during burning of the effigies.
“When the effigy of Ravana was set on fire, its eyeballs rolled and it screamed Hey Ram!” said secretary of the committee Arjun Kumar.
In Delhi, President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Union Minister Harsh Vardhan Singh were among the dignitaries who saw evil go up in smoke at Subhash Maidan.
After the celebrations at Subhash Maidan, Sonia and Singh reached Ramlila Maidan here for another Ravana Dahan event where they were joined by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
Dussehra, which also marks the end of scorching summer and heralding of winter, is preceded by nine auspicious days of Navratri during which devotees pray, fast and feast.
The combination of fireworks and special effects left the children thrilled. “I love the effects that are used in the effigies when they are burnt. The best was when Ravana bellowed. It all looked realistic,” said a 16-year-old Nishant Khatri at the lav-Kush Ramlila Committee.
Agreed, Rupan Kahlon, 12, who witnessed the effigy burning at Shri Ramlila Committee in Punjabi Bagh area of West Delhi. “The fireworks were so good. At first I got a bit startled by the sound and the light but then I started enjoying them,” said the resident of West Delhi’s Moti Nagar.