Here the epic takes to the air, with Jatayu fighting Ravan more than 200 feet above the ground in stunts overseen by a Bollywood action director. MP and actor Manoj Tiwari won hearts as Kevat, and Sita’s swayamvar ended in a shower of flowers.
A grand baraat wound through the leela ground to celebrate Ram and Sita’s wedding, filling the whole place with festive cheer. Crowds have also watched Kaikeyi demand Ram’s exile, Dashrath break down, and Kevat wash the Lord’s feet before ferrying him across the Ganga.
Navratri is on, and Ramlila is back in every part of Delhi. The grounds are lined with marigold garlands, the stages have huge painted backdrops of palaces and forests, and the actors come out in shining crowns and heavy silk costumes, ready for another season.
Ram and Lakshman stand with their bows beside a white-bearded sage. Hanuman kneels before the golden thrones of Ram and Sita, his mace resting at his side, while the women of the court wait with aarti thalis in their hands. From the Red Fort grounds to Pitampura, and in towns across the country, the Ramayana is being performed once again before packed crowds of devotees who know every turn of the story and still cheer as though they were hearing it for the first time.
When Ram breaks Shiva’s bow, the ground erupts with chants of Jai Shri Ram, flowers rain down on the stage and sweets go around to the beat of the dhol. For the organisers, the aim is to carry the epic’s message of truth, duty and sacrifice to a new generation.
This year the leelas have grown bigger and bolder too, with aerial battles, film-style stunts, famous faces in familiar roles and Broadway-style productions, all leading up to Dussehra and the burning of Ravan.
In Pitampura, the Ramayana is being told the Broadway way. Aryan Heritage Foundation’s Broadway Ramlila at Netaji Subhash Place, directed by Shashidharan Nair, packs the whole epic into a three-hour evening. Over 100 performers, 3D visuals, special effects and large sets take audiences from Ayodhya to the forests and on to Lanka, with the action happening a few metres away. This year’s theme, Charitron Ka Adhyayan, looks closely at the people in the story, from Kaikeyi’s change of heart to Dashrath’s helplessness as a father and Ram accepting the loss of his kingdom. Sourabh Raaj Jain voices a grandfather narrating the tale to Luv and Kush, and the 20 original songs have Udit Narayan and Kailash Kher among the singers. Running since 2015, the show even made it to cinemas back in 2020.