From godmen to graft, Ramlila will face their demons. With political temperature soaring in the Capital ahead of Assembly polls, the key issues of corruption, terrorism, inflation and women safety are set to find projection through Ramlila during Navratra celebrations.
Several Ramlila committees in the city have taken up to the cause of either making an appeal to politicians for a better city or spreading awareness among the public to ‘practice’ democracy. Be it the eye-opening cases of ‘Godmen’ or issues like terrorism and inflation that hit the common man, this year’s Ramlilas are set to reflect the burning issues.
Burning effigies has been a time-tested medium to vent the anger of people. The glorious moment where lord Rama defeats Ravana is well depicted in every Ramlila celebration.
However, keeping in mind the current state-of-affairs, setting ablaze effigies of the traditional trio of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad has given way to burning a fourth one as well.
A similar fanfare will be organised at the CBD ground in Karkarduma by Shri Balaji Ramlila Committee where an 80 feet effigy of a terrorist will be burnt.
“The situation in our country is very grim as terrorism is at its peak. National borders are not protected well and diplomatic talks are infructuous. Elections are around the corner and by burning a figure of a terrorist, we appeal to the concerned people in power to fortify our national security,” said Mukesh Gupta, general secretary of the committee.
This apart, the organisers also aim to spread awareness among people to make use of their right to vote by having a one-on-one interaction with the public. “Since elections are on December 4, we will appeal to the masses to cast their ballot. This will be done in between our plays and performances in the form of shayaris, slogans and qawwalis,” he added.
The controversial Asaram Bapu has also found place in the Navratra celebrations this year. Punjabi Bagh’s Shree Ramlila Committee will stage a play where the depravity of spiritual personalities will be depicted. Besides, visitors will also get to see effigies representing corrupt politicians.
“A play will be conducted by students of Delhi University to make the public aware of shysters who take advantage of their religious or spiritual belief. It will also highlight the extent of corruption practiced among politicians. In addition, we will also burn effigies of politicians,” said Satyadev Goyal, president of the organisation.
If you are visiting Red Fort grounds to get the feel of Ravana Vadh, a mammoth collage on the burning issues in the Capital will catch your attention. This apart, the Nav Shri Dharmik lila Committee (NSDlC), organiser of one of the oldest Ramlilas in the city, will also erect an effigy representing the issue of crimes against women.
“Only about 45 per cent people turn out to vote. In our event, a lot of youth come and we intend to convince them to vote by putting up numerous banners. A photomontage will also be there reflecting issues like women’s safety, inflation, corruption, polling in the elections and so on. The fourth effigy will be to appeal to the authorities to take concrete measures for safety of women in Delhi,” said Rahul Sharma, a member of NSDlC. The committee is also the first one to set the trend of getting the entire show live on web this year.