Once bitten twice shy! The proverb seems to have been overlooked by the members of Punjabi Hindu Biradari, who have been organising Ravan Dahan events since several decades at Morhabadi grounds in Ranchi. For, they invited CM Hemant Soren to put the demon on fire despite the fact that his father the then CM in 2008 had refused the invitation calling Ravana as his Kulguru. And, the Jr. Soren flew for a weeklong vacation to Mumbai (and Goa according to sources), leaving the Biradari a harried lot.
As per traditions, the huge Ravana idol at the historical Morhabadi ground in Ranchi is put to light by the Chief Minister of the State ever since it was bifurcated from Bihar in the year 2000. It was only in the the year 2008 the then Chief Minister Shibu Soren had 'refused' to torch the demon calling it 'Kulguru'. "We had met him three days back and he had accepted the invitation. He had said he will be here on Dusshera. We have asked him again and he reaffirmed so we put his name in the invitation card," said Rajesh Khanna, president of the Biradari.
Interestingly, the Birardari members had met the CM on September 28 also, when he had assured them that he will be present during the programme. "When we had meet him at his office (Project Building Secretariat) he had reassured us that he would be there at the function. We have been in talks with others too. As of now we cannot say who will torch the demon," Said Gulshan lal Ajmani a Biradari office bearer.
Dusshera this year is falling on October 13, when the symbol of evil — Ravana — will be put to fire. And, the CM is expected to return Ranchi on October 14. Ajmani added that the Biradari would soon issue a press communiqué in this regard. However, sources hinted that the organisers were willing to call former Union Minister and Ranchi MP Subodh Kant Sahay to do the honours.
On the question of whether the CM was delaying the matter and he finally skipped the programme breaking his promise because of the same reasons that stood true for his father back in 2008, a Biradari member said that there was no "official" statement from the CM about the issue. "All we can say is that we were in talks with the CM and we had his consent on the matter. Rest, you are free to make inferences," he said.
"It's a very tactical move. He did what he wanted to but did not make it obvious. We should rather avoid giving statements on such issues as they become socially sensitive. Ravana is a symbol of evil and Dusshera is the festival of triumph of truth. let there be triumph of truth," said a senior leader requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Punjabi-Hindu Biradari is ready with a huge show this Dusshera. This year Ravana will be 65 feet tall with artificial Golden lanka. The belly of Kumbhkarana will be bulging a bit more to portray price hike, corruption and terror in the country. During the cultural programme, artists from Buxar and Purulia will perform Paika dance amid fireworks from Bengali artists.